A LinkedIn post by a veteran recruiter who is now the founder and managing director of Unison International Consulting has sparked a discussion online after he said that he no longer judges candidates by their age, salary history or career gaps, but by their skills and potential. However, the post prompted several professionals to question the firm's candidate engagement practices.
"I am happy to announce that, as a recruiter in 2026, I don't care about - Your age (I'm not hiring your birth certificate), your current salary (I'm not recycling your past paycheck), if you've been laid off (welcome to the club, it's called being human), the length of your resume (as long as it doesn't come with a scroll bar), cover letters (unless you're applying to be a novelist, we're good) and resume gaps (life happens, and guess what? That's totally okay)" Mittal wrote.
Explaining the hiring philosophy, the recruitment veteran, who has over 15 years of experience in executive search, added that what matters to him is “your skills, your capabilities, your mindset and your potential.”
The post quickly caught the attention of many professionals. While many welcomed the skills-first approach, others criticised what they described as poor communication from the recruitment firm's HR team.
{{/usCountry}}The post quickly caught the attention of many professionals. While many welcomed the skills-first approach, others criticised what they described as poor communication from the recruitment firm's HR team.
{{/usCountry}}"Why waste energy updating resumes? Unison HR execs never reply. Hardly any peers in my circle have ever cracked a job or even got an interview scheduled through Unison. Is this hiring or data harvesting?" one user wrote.
"I have shared my resume with your team several times over the past few years, including recently, but unfortunately I have never received a response. In many cases, my calls have also gone unanswered. What is disappointing is that the roles being posted match my experience and expertise... I feel this reflects a lack of responsiveness from the recruitment team," commented another.
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Founder responds to the criticism
Responding to the criticism, Mittal acknowledged the issue and said the company was working to improve candidate communication.
"We're building an AI platform with a core mission: make sure every candidate gets real attention, not silence. We've missed the mark on this before, and I own that. Today, our team reviews every application that comes in, though for now only candidates who are a strong fit hear back directly," he said.
Social media reactions
Meanwhile, several users also praised Mittal's hiring philosophy.
"This is exactly the mindset recruitment needs in 2026. Age, gaps, layoffs, past salary and old labels do not define a professional's future value. Skills, capability, ownership, resilience and mindset do," one user wrote.
"Refreshing perspective. In leadership hiring, I've found that sustainable business outcomes come from capability, ownership, and execution, not from age or résumé length. Organizations that hire for potential and measurable impact are the ones that build exceptional teams," commented another.
"Its truly refreshing to hear from a seasoned recruiter like you, I genuinely wish more companies - especially HR teams had a stronger, more meaningful role in shaping hiring conversations," wrote a third user.