The hiring process has become increasingly complex and impersonal in today’s job market. Automated tools, while offering some benefits, have created new challenges for job seekers and hiring alike. The current state of hiring and its impact on applicants adversely affect everyone. What’s changed, and how can we make the process easier and fairer?
The Rise of Automated Hiring Tools
Automated hiring tools offer several advantages to employers. They significantly speed up the process by pre-qualifying candidates based on preset criteria. These tools efficiently schedule screening interviews, saving time for both recruiters and applicants. Automating resume intake reduces errors that can occur during manual processing. Employers benefit from reduced costs associated with the hiring process. Additionally, these systems can help minimize some forms of unconscious bias by applying consistent criteria to all applicants.
Despite their benefits, automated hiring tools come with significant drawbacks. There’s a potential for perpetuating bias through the system rules, especially if the algorithms are based on historically biased data or practices. Many applicants find the process dehumanizing, as they interact primarily with automated systems rather than people. No one on either side is happy with these automated systems. Let’s take a closer look.
Many applicants find the process dehumanizing, as they interact primarily with automated systems rather than people. No one on either side is happy with these automated systems.
Navigating Online Applications
Job seekers often face the daunting task of completing lengthy, repetitive online forms for each application. The auto-fill features intended to streamline this process are frequently inconsistent, adding frustration on top of frustration rather than helping the job-seeker. Moreover, the proliferation of multiple application platforms with subtle differences, such as Greenhouse, iCIMS, Workday, and BambooHR, creates an artificial distance between applicants and decision-makers. They make the process impersonal, disconnected from why you’re on the site, and frustrating.
The Keyword Conundrum
You feel immense pressure to include all the specific keywords from job listings in resumes, cover letters, and applications, often at the expense of natural language. But, these keywords have significant limitations in conveying the full range of an applicant’s skills and accomplishments. And what if a keyword seen in the narrative isn’t available? The job posting stresses MadCap Flare, Markdown, and XML. But you don’t find those in the keyword dropdown, and there is no way to add them. This creates a challenge where telling your story and highlighting your skills becomes difficult or impossible within the constraints of a keyword-driven system.
The Impersonal Touch
One of the most frustrating and soul-killing aspects of the modern hiring process is the prevalence of automated rejections, sometimes occurring within minutes of applying. These rapid rejections typically come without any feedback or explanation, leaving applicants wondering why they were deemed unsuitable. This impersonal approach can profoundly discourage job seekers, eroding their confidence and enthusiasm over time.
The Interview Process
The interview process itself presents its own set of challenges. Candidates face multiple rounds of time-consuming and repetitive interviews, including screening, manager, and team interviews. There’s often a noticeable disconnect between the content of these interviews and the actual job requirements, leaving candidates unsure of how to best present their qualifications. Additionally, many hiring processes need to utilize portfolios and practical demonstrations of skills, missing valuable opportunities to assess a candidate’s capabilities in relevant contexts.
“Cultural Fit” is the New Discrimination
Cultural fit is a new way some organizations can use to discriminate against candidates. If you’re neurodivergent, autistic, over the age of 50, or just different, discrimination pops up in the hiring process. I wonder how important cultural fit is, especially in a remote job. The weight given to cultural fit is a holdover from on-site work. In my experience, you never see cultural fit problems until the employee has been on site for some time. I’ve rarely seen it with remote teams.
Many job seekers report personal experiences of potential age discrimination, where their applications are overlooked despite matching qualifications. Some resort to experiments with resume modifications to conceal their age, such as omitting graduation dates or early career experiences. This situation presents ethical dilemmas for job seekers and employers in addressing and combating age bias, highlighting the need for more age-inclusive hiring practices. It’s important to empathize with older job seekers and work towards a more inclusive hiring process.
Recommendations for Improving the Hiring Process
Here are some ways the process can be improved and made better all around.
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Post Only Genuine Job Openings: Ensure all listed positions are actually available and you really are hiring.
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Avoid Double Standards: If AI use is discouraged for applicants, don’t rely heavily on AI for evaluations.
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Enhance Automated Systems: Improve software to better parse resumes and cover letters. Remember the human!
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Reduce Keyword Dependence: Focus on qualifications and experiences rather than keyword matching. Especially for content positions, review samples, and ask the applicant what decisions were made.
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Personalize the Process: Incorporate more human touchpoints in hiring. Leaving everything to automation is lazy and sometimes cowardly.
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Provide Feedback: Offer constructive feedback to candidates, especially those in the interview stages.
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Address Age Bias: Implement blind resume reviews and focus on skills rather than career length.
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Streamline Applications: Create a more efficient and user-friendly application process.
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Utilize Skills Assessments: Incorporate relevant skills tests or portfolio reviews in hiring.
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Continuous Improvement: Regularly review and refine the hiring process based on feedback and outcomes.
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Use the intake system yourself: Every HR, “Peopleware,” whatever you call it, staff member should try applying through your system and provide actionable feedback.
By addressing these issues and implementing the recommendations for improving the hiring process, companies can create a more equitable, efficient, and humane hiring process that benefits employers and job seekers. The goal is to get the right people into the job. Be more transparent and fairer, and reduce the burden on everyone. Ensure that the hiring process is always improving to meet the needs of both employers and job seekers.