So (inspired by actual events), I’m writing a freelanced article, "Upending the hiring process for technical talent.” Although the topic applies to any job search situation, the story is tuned to software developers and other tech fields, and I expect both remote work and AI to be primary factors.
Getting thousands of applications is nuts for both the company and the applicants. My question is, "What — if anything — can be done to make the process more sane for everybody?"
I would love input from the wise people here. (Formal attribution is not required, but context is helpful for verisimilitude: "...says one program lead from a midwest insurance firm.") I know you have opinions. However, the HIVE MIND responses I care about should come from people affected by this change – primarily HR professionals and tech industry hiring managers. My short (?) list of questions:
• How many job applications do you typically get today for a technical position such as a software engineer? How has that number changed? • Are there differences in the applications? I’m open to anything from “remote work expanded the number of people who want to work here” to “They are impersonal and seem AI-generated” to… well, what? Tell me. • How do you triage the applications (no / maybe / worth talking to)? How long does it take? For HR, what percentage of the applications are provided to the hiring managers? For hiring managers, how does that percentage make you feel? • How have you changed job listings? For instance, are you asking for more information in the application process or including more detail in the job req? Are you employing tools that claim to sort responses? Are you offering salary transparency so that nobody wastes time when the numbers don’t align? • What changes have you implemented in the job process? (Turning more to recruiters, for instance? Relying more on employee referrals?) • Is “return to office” an issue here? (I would imagine that “local candidates only” would reduce the number of applications, but I don’t want to assume too much about any HR connection.) • Regardless of what your company IS doing to deal with the job application deluge, what — if anything — do you think COULD be done to make the process more sane for everybody? What would you do if you could wave a magic wand to address the problem?
1.Job hunting is dehumanizing: Most of the time you will receive no response to a carefully worded cover letter. There is no option to speak with a human, or point of contact. (I dub this /Throwing hope into the void and see what sticks/.)
2.Job hunting is primarily online. From searching job posts to application, the reach of an open position is literally world-wide.
3.Due to Covid, remote work is now in the zeitgeist, opening up remote work to many who otherwise wouldn't have considered it.
4.Digital tools for resume writing and bulk sending.
5.The stagnation of salaries, increased cost of living, and poor investment options has forced many into living paycheck to paycheck. In order to /get ahead/ the only option is to constantly seek new positions.
The deluge recruiters are feeling is merely the tip of a iceberg.
It should be noted that many companies don’t have any entry-level roles open. That’s not ideal, but new grads are arriving with minimal practical skills while the landscape of complexity continues to increase. Sure the top tier are amazing but they go to FANG to get rich on RSUs, or become a founder themselves.
I imagine that will filter out a good swath of robo-submitters as well as those with low attention to detail (but maybe not the chatGPT responders).
e.g.
- Do you have a legal right to work in x
- Have you had y years experience in z
- Could you indicate which of the following you are familiar with
Obviously, all of these things are usually included in an application, but having them associated with applications in a standard format that can be used to filter or prioritise applicants could be very helpful I imagine.
This probably exists, but I'm not in the field and very rarely apply for jobs so I wouldn't know.
https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/09/06/finding-great-deve...
Working within the staff’s professional networks is the way to avoid the deluge. As a consequence, you need to be a place people want to work and hire people who other people want to work with.
Otherwise, you hire staff that allows the organization to manage the deluge. Managing the deluge needs to be someone’s priority — not be a distraction from someone’s performance metrics. It’s the kind of thing that makes a place a place people want to work.
We had a position that received around 1000 applicants.
Only around 200 had the most basic keywords the job required, like “python” and “SQL”
Only around 50 of those had a cover letter.
Only around 20 of the cover letters mentioned our company by name.
Only 1 applicant called the office and asked to speak with us.
It was a fantastic hire, but ultimately entirely random.
I have never used one of them, but I am curious if those who have used them really think that their service ended up being worthwhile.