Q: Why is skill-based hiring no longer a hype but a necessity according to Jolie de Boer from Booking.com?
A: Because AI-generated CVs and cover letters have erased the distinction between candidates. Jolie describes how CVs and letters are increasingly looking alike due to AI tools. For companies still relying on those documents as a selection tool, that is a problem. But for companies already looking at what someone can actually do, it is a blessing in disguise: AI is forcing them to accelerate towards what was already the right approach. Booking.com already works with assessments and selection tools to assess skills and culture fit rather than just what is on the CV.
Q: How does Jolie de Boer from Booking.com ensure that thirty percent of hires are filled internally?
A: By treating internal hiring as a full part of the recruitment strategy rather than a side issue. Jolie's team is also responsible for internal mobility and actively looks at what talent exists internally and how it can progress. The fact that 30 percent of hires are filled internally is also, according to her, a strong proposition for potential employees: Booking.com hires people not just for a role but for a career.
Q: How does Jolie de Boer from Booking.com lead an international team of one hundred recruiters?
A: By creating maximum clarity around shared goals. Everyone on the team, from coordinator to senior recruiter, has a scorecard and can see each other's scorecards. That way the whole team visibly works towards the same goal. Jolie also works with three strategic pillars, gives recruiters input on which metrics to prioritise that year and runs quarterly business reviews with her managers. Her conviction: this generation needs clarity and wants to know what impact they are making.
Q: How does Booking.com deal with candidates who use AI during applications and interviews?
A: By putting transparency first and training interviewers. Jolie sees the number of applications rising sharply due to AI agents applying on behalf of candidates, and notices that people sometimes also use AI during online interviews to formulate answers. Her approach: communicate clearly to candidates in advance what is and is not allowed. Train interviewers to recognise it and know how to respond. And be realistic: asking someone directly whether they are cheating is difficult, so focus on having the right tools and instructions in place.
Q: What is the vision of Jolie de Boer from Booking.com on the future of the recruiter?
A: The recruiter becomes more of a business partner, with AI handling pre-selection. Jolie expects sourcing, interview scheduling and administrative tasks to be further automated through CRM systems, AI tools and evolving ATS platforms. What remains and gets more space: human contact with candidates and hiring managers. Her point: in the focus on becoming a business partner, the candidate experience must not be forgotten. Decisions stay with people.
Q: How does Booking.com handle the increase in low-intent applications from AI agents?
A: By deploying proactive sourcing alongside processing inbound applications. Jolie sees the number of applicants rising sharply as AI agents apply to hundreds of vacancies on behalf of candidates, even when the match is far-fetched. Her response: a large sourcing team that actively reaches out to the right people, combined with assessments early in the process to quickly test whether someone has the right skills and genuine interest. That filters out the noise without missing real candidates.
Q: What advice does Jolie de Boer from Booking.com give to recruiters who want to become a true business partner?
A: Know your market and dare to say no. Jolie advises recruiters to use tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to actively research what is happening in their market: which skills are scarce, how many candidates with a specific profile actually exist and what is realistic? When you know that data, you can challenge the business rather than just execute. And if a vacancy is unrealistic, say so: not everything is possible and as a recruiter you gain nothing from always saying yes.
Q: Why does Jolie de Boer from Booking.com recommend recruitment as a profession to young people choosing a career?
A: Because you work with the entire company and play a major role in one of the most important decisions in someone's life. Jolie points out that there is almost no other department that collaborates with every part of an organisation. You work with people, commercial and data at the same time. But you do need the right make-up for it: being flexible, wanting to keep learning, being able to switch quickly and accepting that the market always moves. Sometimes it grows, sometimes it contracts. That comes with the territory.
