About a decade ago, the human touch in a job search was just a given. Recruiters held a reasonable assurance that each resume on their desk was not only human-made but meticulously crafted and refined by the same applicant. Today, with the advent of generative AI at work, we’re witnessing the dawn of a new era in hiring. It’s now possible for candidates to apply to hundreds of jobs daily (sometimes even in their sleep) with the most perfectly crafted keyword-stuffed resume to boot. The implications of this simple act are profound, and it's forcing companies to change the way they approach hiring forever.
Today’s Recruiting Reality
The widespread proliferation of generative AI has overwhelmed hiring managers with bot-written applications, and they’re becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from those written by humans.
As easy as it is to place the blame for this phenomenon on candidates, businesses have had an equal, if not greater, part to play. The use of resume parsing tools has created significant disadvantages for job seekers, and applying to roles by hand has become a tedious and time-consuming process with little to no reward.
According to LinkedIn, applicants can expect to apply to around 80 companies during a job search and will likely only hear back from only 30% of them. In the face of the overwhelming task of looking for work, many candidates feel that they have no choice but to turn to these tools. 70% of job seekers have already indicated that they are somewhat likely to use generative AI for job applications, and this number is only going to grow.
The Extinction of the Resume
Candidates are putting no effort into applying because they don’t get value back. Imagine putting hours into researching a role and crafting a perfect application only to receive a generic and automated message in return. When the majority of applications go into the void, never to be seen again, it's hard to blame job seekers for throwing in the towel and turning to generative and auto-application software.
The result of this is that resume parsing and keyword matching no longer work. When you pit algorithms against algorithms, no one wins. This has exposed what is quite clearly a broken process. If an AI tool can take your job description and spit out a perfectly matched resume within minutes, then resumes are no longer an effective window into a candidate’s capabilities.
Unfortunately, it is likely that the strongest candidates will become casualties of this new reality. The individuals who have put time and effort into crafting their resume and cover letters in the absence of automated tools may very well be completely passed over by your hiring algorithms in favor of better-matched, bot-written applications. Generative AI has leveled the playing field for candidates, but it has done such a good job that it has become extremely difficult for anyone to stand out.
Looking to the Future
Generative AI isn’t going anywhere. The tools are only going to become more efficient, and more and more job seekers will use them to avoid being at a disadvantage to their peers. Piles of indistinguishable resumes will continue to stack up, and recruiting teams will be at a loss to determine which candidates have the skills they need for the role.
“What we need to do,” says Brian Sommer, Founder and President of TechVentive in response to this mounting challenge, “is to dramatically re-imagine what recruiting and talent management could look like. One of the more radical approaches I’ve seen has been developed by Plum.”
Scotiabank led the charge on this front by completely eliminating the resume requirement for their campus hires. Instead, they use Plum to gain insight into the talents each candidate brings to the table and match them to roles where they’ll thrive.
Out-of-the-box solutions like this are the only thing that will save us from the generative AI apocalypse. If recruiters continue to abuse resume parsing tools, candidates will keep finding ways to get around them. Organizations need to face this challenge head-on and commit themselves to building a recruiting process that puts the human first. It’s not too late to flip the script and transform recruiting into a collaborative process where everyone wins.
Psychometric Data to the Rescue
Plum’s psychometric data is 4x more predictive of job success than a resume, saves recruiters hundreds of hours sorting through applications, and provides the predictive validity of a structured interview right at the beginning of your hiring funnel. This nuanced approach to hiring doesn’t rely on past work experience but instead dives into the innate abilities of your candidates and matches them to roles where they will be driven to succeed.
Candidates also receive a personalized Plum Profile upon completing the assessment, giving them a full overview of their strengths and weaknesses as well as resources for self-development. Providing something of value to applicants shows them that you care about the effort they spent applying to the role and will encourage them to continue their relationship with your company into the future.
Plum provides an alternative to resumes that creates a far more positive experience for candidates and recruiters alike. Book a time with one of our experts today to future-proof your recruiting process and ensure you are selecting the best fit for every role.