This post by Courtney Ford at Appcast, is part of our blog series, “The One Thing Job Boards Should Change Right Now”.
In my role at Appcast, I work closely with job boards of all kinds.
Some of my favourite conversations are with people who are building a new job site: we discuss the audience, strategy, and execution behind helping jobseekers discover and apply to new opportunities, and we almost always touch on AI’s role in the process.
Given that AI is woven into so much of our day-to-day, it may be surprising to hear that I believe it is creating new challenges for jobseekers and employers when it comes to applying to jobs.
Part of my work is reviewing job ad performance and quality data for employers, and the evidence is clear: AI-submitted applications are creating more volume, but not necessarily better outcomes for jobseekers and employers. The result is more noise and less trust in the process. I’m seeing this play out in the following ways:
– Data sharing. Jobseekers do not recall applying to roles when AI has applied for them, and they start to question how a company got their information and why they were contacted at all, leading to a lack of trust in how a jobseeker’s data is being used and shared. Applicants have said they never applied or only applied to one role and are confused why their name and information has been submitted to other companies, too.
– Authenticity. AI applies can showcase resumes that are hastily created with inaccurate or incomplete information resulting in insufficient data to be able to confirm the applicant is legit and has the credentials to perform the job.
-Volume. AI applying on behalf of the jobseeker is low intent and the shortest apply process of all, making even easy apply flows easier. Less friction, lower bar, lower standard for quality.
Don’t get me wrong, AI can definitely play a role in recruitment: informing jobseekers what roles are a good match for their skills, assessing resumes, helping jobseekers market past experience. But when it comes to the take action moment of applying to jobs, the jobseeker is capable of clicking the apply button. That’s the easy part, and it’s also the most high intent.
Courtney Ford is Senior Director of Global Business Development at Appcast, where she focuses on building programmatic partnerships with job sites around the world, from established players to early-stage startups