I’ve been learning a lot about the hiring process lately. Before I graduated and entered the job market as a communication graduate, I didn’t really consider all the ins and outs of the hiring process. I didn’t even know what an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) was, for example. But in the time that I’ve been working for Recruitee, my perception of the hiring process has changed. I’m just gonna go ahead and say it, actually.

Very often, today’s hiring process is an absolute dumpster fire.

Pfew, that cleared the air, didn’t it? We’re all thinking about it. The endless sending of resumes. The everlasting struggle of finding new ways to write the same sentences. The silence from all parties, and that awful voice in your head. You know which one I mean. The one that keeps telling you this:

“You suck! No one wants to hire you. You are a disgrace to your profession.”

And I understand it too. The hiring process is complicated, for every party involved. Recruiters need to find the right candidates and try to convince their companies they are the right fit. Companies want to hire the best talent available, while their competitors are looking for the same talent. And as a candidate, we apply to every vacancy we see, even the ones we might not be fully qualified for. Multiply that by the huge number of people looking for a job, and jeez, that’s a lot of applications to be handled.

There are numerous different technological solutions available for every stage of the hiring process. Automated processes are starting to rule the landscape. Updates for candidates? Simple, a chatbot or ATS helps send messages and inform them every step of the way. No desire to sort through the 100 CV’s that you received for the position? Sort it with the ATS and disqualify everyone who misses any of your “desired qualities”. Can’t be bothered to source candidates manually? Use a sourcing tool and import all candidates without really considering them.

Mostly, the ATS is considered evil, a black hole. A bad machine, that bounces candidates if they do not meet the robotic requirements set by recruiters or hiring managers. And in part, this is true. Most older ATS products are clunky. They do not enable recruiters and hiring managers to effectively judge each candidate’s application. Instead, they serve as a tool to eliminate as many candidates as possible. I understand the need for software to make the hiring process faster, but at what cost?

The same goes for chatbots. They introduce a very human-like element to the hiring process. The ability to keep candidates connected while still gathering information is awesome. And it works, the candidate experience is positively affected by it. But again, it gives you so much information that tends to be used as a justification for rejection. And there lies the danger for me. So much technology, so much automation, all designed to make hiring more efficient. To save time, so that we have more time to actually talk to candidates. But instead, we use it to bypass all the human interactions in the hiring process. And that approach scares me.

Recruiters send out uninspiring messages to each candidate. Companies post their job looking for a ninja, while the applicant has no idea what they want. You get hired (and fired) based on your degrees, your experience and how well you can write a CV that passes an ATS. In a click, hiring managers dump out a batch of applications based on missing words or numbers on a paper. And the damage this lack of humanity can do is staggering. It’s a small world where candidates tend to know each other. When I have a negative experience when applying at a company, I’ll remember. And I sure as hell will tell all my job-seeking friends.

And for all my complaints, I love the challenges that come with looking for a job. The writing of cover letters and fine-tuning them to stand out from all the others. The decision on which shirt I’ll wear for the interview. The questionable music I play before walking into the door with my best game-face on.* It feels like this excitement is lost. And in a way, I understand. When you have to sift through 200 applications for one job, it’s tough to get excited.

I realize now just how complicated hiring can be. There is a market full of different ATS products, chatbots and other hiring solutions. And they all serve the same purpose: To make the hiring process faster and more efficient. But when you are a hiring manager or a recruiter, you are still dealing with human beings. And so I wonder, should that come at the cost of losing the human elements of hiring?

Recruitment technology is only as effective as the people using it.

And I don’t care if you use an ATS to go through applications faster. Or that you use a chatbot to handle the preliminary stages of the recruitment process. Actually, I applaud companies for doing so. But keep in mind that your technology will not guarantee that you’ll find the perfect candidate, it will only help make the process easier.

At one point the human needs to take over. The hiring process needs a dialogue, an honest conversation. These conversations and interactions can showcase so much more about candidates. Their soft skills, their potential, and why they want to join the company they are applying for. You want to engage, to understand how someone can fit into your culture. Hell, how that person can improve your company culture.

I’m not advocating the removal of technology from the hiring process. But I would love it if people started using their technology to their full potential. To use technology to make time for the humans in the hiring process. To use that time to talk, to build connections and to be transparent. Technology should never completely take over the hiring process. And most importantly, it should never be used as an excuse to not be humane in your hiring efforts.

I guess that’s all I am asking for: I’m asking you to treat everyone in the hiring process as human beings. I want you to look beyond the technology you use, and to open a dialogue with each other. We can give you the tools, but it’s up to you to add the humanity to your hiring process.