Author: Mark Hurren

The Amplify OnDemandleadership team has heard it said 100's of times over the past couple of decades that advertising jobs no longer deliver's quality applicants. Job ads have always formed part of the strategy to attract talent BUT and it's a big but it feels like their demise is not only happening but it's also a good thing.

We have continued to reduce our advertising spend for job specific adverts. The conversation this year was, does it work? Based on the stats put simply 'no', but we would go one step further and say it's actually a catalyst for an awful lot of the frustrations that exist in the hiring process.

Before we go any further, we should point out we specialise in the Technology sector in Europe and the US. The individuals we work with are in high demand and the sector is clearly a fast moving market. The views in this article reflect that.

Engagement is the new commodity worth more than gold. It's no longer data. It's trying to get your product or service in front of someone long enough for them to see the value and commit to some form of action.

Hiring is no different. If you are a Software Developer receiving 30 messages a day requesting your attention for a new job opportunity, would you be heading over to a job board or are you likely to have accepted a role long before you even realised you were open to a job move?

Amplify's founders started out in a world where your network was hard earned and often private to you. Social media and networking sites clearly removed those boundaries, but it brings with it compromise that has been amplified with the dawn of AI. AI led applications, AI written profiles/CV's and AI led outreach has everyone looking for the mute switch.

From the hirers side of the fence, more and more time is spent sharing the bad news. 'Sorry but on this occasion...' or worse still simply ghosting applicants. Not to mention they have only seen a very small part of the potential individuals available to them. Far from improving the process and presenting quality introductions for both parties, AI has simply become a keyword bingo based speed dating cringe fest!

Quality interactions are becoming less frequent, leaving a bad taste for both parties. It's become a numbers game with no one feeling engaged with the process.

"Where is this broken process starting?!? You guessed it... a job advert."

Throw in the smaller job boards that have become a breeding ground for scam artists and data harvesting and it's not looking rosy for job boards.

So what is the alternative? Getting back to being human, we all have access to each other's backgrounds and skills like never before, but more and more, the white noise in our hiring and job application efforts is working against us.

While many are touting the merits of AI in recruitment, we would argue it's the equivalent of a 1980's beauty pageant, with everyone touting world peace and fake smiles.