Tell us your career path before you were in TA
I studied International Development and Cooperation, which helped me understand how people, cultures, and systems interact globally.
I then entered the HR world through an HR Generalist role, where I learned the operational foundations of HR: processes, data, and how organizations actually function day to day. From there, I moved into Talent Acquisition within a satellite and telecommunications company, initially working at a regional European level then at a global one.
Over time, my scope expanded and today I work as a Global Talent Acquisition Manager at Adsquare, leading hiring across multiple regions and functions. This step-by-step progression shaped my approach to Talent Acquisition as a strategic, long-term business function grounded in both people and execution.
From your personal experience what's the best thing about being in talent acquisition?
For me, the best thing about Talent Acquisition is the responsibility it carries. You are not just filling roles, you are shaping teams, culture, and the future of a company. Every hiring decision has long-term consequences, and being trusted with that responsibility is what makes this role so meaningful to me.
Since you've been in TA, how have you seen it change?
Since I started in Talent Acquisition, I’ve clearly seen the AI wave emerge and grow. I was already navigating and experimenting with AI early on, and I could immediately see the potential it had to improve how we hire. I was also fortunate to work with teams that were open to innovation and willing to embrace these opportunities, which allowed us to achieve strong results and evolve faster.
At the same time, I’ve seen a significant shift in how candidates approach work and career decisions. Today, candidates are much more intentional: they care deeply about culture, values and growth opportunities.
As a result, Talent Acquisition has become far more strategic, data-driven, and exposed with much higher expectations around business partnership, candidate experience, and long-term impact.
How do you see AI impacting the future of talent acquisition?
I see AI as a powerful support, not a shortcut. It only works well when the quality of the data is high and when you truly know how to use it properly. When applied responsibly, AI can significantly improve efficiency, sourcing, and insights across the recruiting process - but it does not replace judgment.
Today, we openly allow and encourage the use of AI within our recruiting process, including in the tasks and case studies we assign to candidates. We're transparent about this choice and we explicitly motivate it: we're not looking for “AI-free” outputs, but for thoughtful, intentional and ethical use of AI.
In fact, we are genuinely interested in how candidates use AI:
- how they frame the problem,
- how they prompt, iterate and validate outputs,
- how they combine AI support with their own reasoning, experience and critical thinking.
This tells us far more about a candidate’s mindset, adaptability and judgment than a polished answer produced without modern tools.
At the same time, we are working internally and very consciously on designing a recruiting process that leverages AI in a compliant, safe and responsible way. This includes strong attention to data quality, transparency, privacy, and regulatory compliance, as well as a clear human-in-the-loop approach at every critical decision point.
What advice would you give to job seekers today?
Today, salary is no longer the sole driver behind a career decision. Job seekers are increasingly evaluating the full employment experience, how a company treats its people, how decisions are made, and whether there is real space to grow over time.
There's also a growing awareness that the environments you come from matter. When a company knows you’ve worked in organizations with high standards, strong values, and clear expectations, it sets a benchmark. It signals how you think, what you tolerate, and the level of quality you bring and that naturally shifts the conversation.
Investing in the right environments early on is not just about learning; it’s also about positioning. Culture, leadership quality, and growth pathways become indicators of long-term sustainability, and thoughtful candidates are increasingly choosing long-term alignment over short-term gain.
Tell us a little about the company you hire for and what makes it so great?
At Adsquare, we operate in a fast-growing, international AdTech environment where innovation, ownership, and accountability are part of everyday work. But beyond the technology and the growth, the biggest asset of Adsquare is its people.
Working alongside colleagues who are highly capable, curious, and committed makes a tangible difference every day. What stands out is how they consistently bring our values to life through their actions. This combination is what makes Adsquare a place where people don’t just join, but choose to stay and grow.
In terms of people / head-count, how do you see your business scaling over the next year? What roles or regions will drive that increase?
Over the last six months, I’ve hired around 30 people, supporting growth across multiple teams and geographies. Looking ahead, our objective is to scale to approximately 200 employees, but with a very deliberate and sustainable approach.
From a talent perspective, growth will be primarily driven by technical and product roles, alongside selected commercial positions that support market expansion.
As a Global Talent Acquisition function, the focus is not simply on increasing headcount, but on hiring people who can grow with the company, adapt as the organization evolves, and consistently embody our values. Quality, long-term impact, and cultural alignment remain just as important as speed when it comes to growth.
Mariam Fares, Talent Acquisition Manager at Adsquare