Is A.I. On Hiring Platforms Making It Harder For Job Seekers?
Jon Stross, the president and co-founder of the hiring platform Greenhouse, feels that platforms are making it harder for applicants to find a job, CNBC reports.
Stross has been building technology for people to find proper employment since 2012, but with artificial intelligence advancements, he thinks they are roadblocks to efficient job searching. He has even heard whispers of hiring being “broken.” ”All the AI stuff isn’t actually helping. In some ways, it’s exacerbating it. I’d argue it’s getting worse,” Stross said.
“Between technology that makes it really easy to apply to a lot of jobs combined with the current job market, where there’s a white-collar recession, it’s more soul-crushing than ever.”
Tools such as ChatGPT have oversaturated the hiring process. The technology makes it easier for candidates to write resumes and cover letters to apply for more jobs in half the time, which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, the advancements are pushing people to apply for jobs they aren’t qualified for, resulting in more competition. Higher competition leads to more anxiety and angst. “Candidates are feeling like they’re in an arms race with each other around how many jobs you apply to,” Stross says.
“You hear people on social media saying, ‘Oh, I applied to 150 jobs.’ And so you feel pressure that if you’re not applying to tons of jobs, you’re falling behind.”
Prior to new technology advancements, only the highly competitive companies received more applicants than suited openings. But that has changed, leaving the doors open for all companies and industries. During quarter one of 2024, the jobs listed on Greenhouse received an average of 222 applications, a 43% increase from the previous year.
The listings are called “ghost jobs,” which signal to employees, investors, or the general public that the company is growing at a faster rate. However, they also give a false narrative that there are plenty of opportunities, fueling the sense of urgency for potential employees to apply. Greenhouse saw the result of such posting — with close to 18% to 22% of all jobs posted on the site being considered ghost jobs. “Whenever I’m talking to friends who are looking for jobs and are like, ‘Wow, these companies are acting totally irrationally,’ my general [response] is, ‘yes,’” Stross said.
“It’s usually chaos on the inside.”
According to MarketWatch, a survey from software search site Capterra found that 58% of job seekers used AI tools in their search. While many of their services are free, managers feel the tools give candidates an unfair advantage. Some potential employees feel pressure to use AI tools, but it doesn’t always give them much of an edge.
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