How Hiring Platforms & AI Are Making Job Searches Harder?

“It’s more disheartening than ever before,” said Jon Stross, president and co-founder of Greenhouse. It is a hiring platform that uses technology to help people get jobs for decades. Stross has seen a lot of technology and AI advancements in hiring since the company was established in 2012. 

Even after so many years in the field of hiring technology, Stross doesn’t believe that today’s tools are that effective in hiring. Despite several advantages, AI isn’t working properly in modern hiring practices. Stross said, “All the AI stuff isn’t helping. In some ways, it’s exacerbating it.” He also said that hiring is broken but right now it’s getting worse with the involvement of AI. 

Why Hiring Platforms are Harder for Job Seekers?

The integration of AI in hiring platforms has complicated things for employers as well as applicants. Most job postings show major differences between required and preferred skills, making eligibility criteria difficult for candidates. As per a Fortune report, more than 8 in 10 recruiters have said they post ghost jobs just to be at the top of job search or incentives.

The hiring scenario in 2024 is disappointing for many applicants, and many reasons have impacted the job market in negative ways.

Submitting Job Applications in Bulk has Become the New Standard

The introduction of generative AI chatbots has made it easier for candidates to create resumes and cover letters for various jobs at a particular time. Although this may sound beneficial applicants tend to apply for jobs they are not even suited to or don’t match their skills. The practice of applying for jobs in bulk without proper consideration increases competition for job roles. 

LinkedIn and other job platforms have introduced features like “Easy Apply,” which allows candidates to apply for jobs in a single click increasing the mass application. Earlier, only big companies used to have more ratio of applicants than the openings. Now it’s everywhere. Even companies having less than 50 employees have more than 100-200 applicants for a single job post.

In the first quarter of 2024, each job listing on Greenhouse received an average of 222 applications, marking a 43% increase compared to the previous year.

New Technology Can Reinforce Poor Hiring Practices

Apart from bulk applications, fake job postings are also one of the major issues. Businesses are forcing hiring tech to post more jobs without any real openings. Many companies post ghost jobs to signify the growth of the company to competitors and investors.  

Some companies do it to create a talent pool so they can choose from these candidates when there is an actual need for hiring. Ghost jobs tend to give false hope to applicants, which creates an urgency for them leading to bulk application habits. The ease of posting any job openings on a number of platforms has increased the issue of ghost jobs. As per the Greenhouse report, 18% to 22% of job openings are ghost openings in the given quarter since 2022.

Stross said, “The best way to avoid ghost jobs and AI screeners is to look out for quality job referrals.” Applicants should approach their networks for job openings or find any connection that works in their preferred company. This helps avoid any false job loop which can waste several months of a candidate.

Hiring Technology Can Reduce Bad Practices and Emphasize Positive Candidate Experiences

Stross has said that hiring platforms like Greenhouse should focus on limiting the bad practices of employers. He shared the measures taken by his company to reduce job seekers’ frustration. One of the ways Greenhouse is implementing includes “verified badges” for employers who do not have any bad records with other candidates.

The company highlights employers who do not ghost or create strings of spam in candidates’ inboxes. To reduce over-applying, Greenhouse introduced a feature allowing employers to limit the number of applications a single candidate can submit.

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