Crystal Lay
CEOGBS Worldwide
Crystal Miller Lay is the Chief Executive of GBS Worldwide, an end-to-end Talent Attraction Firm specializing in employer branding, recruitment marketing, and organizational talent transformation. With over more than years of experience in marketing strategy, behavioral psychology, and award-winning digital marketing, she has worked with clients ranging from startups to Fortune 10 companies, earning over 13 Webby, Davey, and Communicator Awards in 2023–2024 alone.
Crystal recently led a study into the impact of AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) on job seekers, job search activities and outcomes with the University of Wolverhampton. In 2023, she completed the largest study on neurodivergence with the University of Wales, focusing on the Employer Value Proposition (EVP) development gap for individuals with disabilities and the neurodiverse. This research highlights the disconnect between employer branding and inclusive employment practices. In addition to her academic contributions, she runs the Autistic Teen Program for the Freddie Ford Foundation and serves as a Board Member, where her anti-bullying initiative has earned global recognition for its social innovation and inclusion impact.
A lifelong advocate for education and neurodiversity, Crystal holds an MBA in Leadership and Organisational Innovation from the University of Wales and is a candidate for MSc in Industrial Organisational Psychology. She is also working toward a third Master’s degree in Psychology of Mental Health and Wellbeing at the University of Wolverhampton, and is pursuing her doctorate.
When she's not working (and often even when she is), you're likely to find Crystal either traveling or with her family. She's also fond of (badly) patio gardening, an occasional glass of red wine, and is completely hooked on writing. She recently finished her first book, and is working on the outline for her second.
8:30 a.m.–9:10 a.m. PT —
Many organizations are investing more than ever in talent attraction — more content, more channels, more technology — yet seeing diminishing returns. Applications increase, but commitment weakens. Employer brands gain visibility, but decisions stall. Leaders sense something has changed, but struggle to explain why.
This session explores diminishing returns in talent attraction through a job seeker psychology lens, examining how economic uncertainty, market saturation, and AI-scale hiring have fundamentally altered how candidates evaluate risk, credibility, and opportunity. Drawing on decision science, organizational psychology, and labor market research, it explains why strategies that worked in stable or growth-oriented markets now underperform.
Rather than framing the issue as increased competition or declining employer appeal, this talk reframes diminishing returns as a misalignment between market conditions and decision design. When uncertainty rises, job seekers become more risk-averse, more skeptical of employer signals, and less responsive to traditional attraction tactics.
Led by Crystal Lay, Employer Brand leader and I/O Psychology practitioner, attendees will learn:
This session is designed for Talent Acquisition, Employer Brand, and People leaders seeking to restore effectiveness by aligning talent attraction strategy with how candidates actually make decisions in today’s market.