The Top Skills Hiring Managers Are Looking for in 2026 with Jon Robinson

Watch our AMA session with Jon Robinson as he shares what hiring managers are actually looking for in 2026, how to stand out in a competitive job market, and the skills that can make you a stronger candidate.

Guest’s Profile

✍🏾 Name: Jon Robinson

✍🏾 What Jon Does: Marketing Technologist and Founder

✍🏾 Company: RR Digital

✍🏾 Noteworthy: Jon Robinson is a marketing technologist with over 10 years of experience creating demand for brands and the founder of RR Digital, a legal marketing agency.

At RR Digital, Jon has built a global team of more than 80 people across SEO, paid marketing, video, PR, social media, and other disciplines.

As someone who regularly hires talent from around the world, Jon brings a hiring manager’s perspective on what separates candidates who simply meet the requirements from those who genuinely stand out.

In this session, he shares what he looks for when hiring, how AI and technology are changing expectations, and practical ways professionals can position themselves for better career opportunities.

Key Insights

💡 Curiosity is one of the most valuable skills you can have

Jon looks for people who actively keep up with their industry, experiment with new ideas, and continuously find ways to improve their craft.

💡 Hard skills get you to the table. Soft skills get you hired

Being able to do the job matters, but communication, collaboration, passion, and other soft skills can ultimately determine who gets hired.

💡 A little technical knowledge can make you more valuable

You don’t have to become a developer, but understanding concepts like APIs, HTML, JavaScript, automation, and other technologies can help you work across teams and stand out from people in the same discipline.

💡 Using AI isn’t enough. Show how you’re leveraging it

Hiring managers want to see more than basic prompting. Be prepared to explain what you’ve built, how you’ve incorporated AI into your workflows, and the specific problems you’ve used it to solve.

💡 Be overprepared for interviews

Research the role, understand exactly what the company needs, and come prepared with specific examples that prove you can deliver. Jon also recommends reaching out directly when you genuinely want a role, rather than relying solely on applications.

💡 Your career should keep evolving

Whether you’re early in your career or already experienced, keep learning, taking on new challenges, and improving how you work. If you’re doing your job exactly the same way you were months ago, it’s worth asking what you could be doing better.

Connect with Jon:

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