I was talking with a friend recently who asked me a simple question:

“What are you seeing in recruiting right now particularly with the use of AI?”

My response: “Everyone is frustrated! Recruiters and candidates.”

The Recruiter Perspective

Talk to almost any recruiter today and you’ll hear a similar story.

Application volumes have increased dramatically. AI has made it easier than ever for candidates to tailor resumes, generate cover letters, and apply for dozens of jobs in a matter of minutes. That isn’t inherently a bad thing, but it has changed the reality of recruiting.

Recruiters are now sorting through significantly more applications while also trying to identify which candidates are genuinely qualified, genuinely interested, and in some cases, genuinely who they say they are.

We’re seeing fake candidates. AI-generated resumes that don’t reflect actual experience. Candidates using AI during interviews in ways that make it difficult to assess their real capabilities. Some organizations have even reported virtual interviews where the person on screen was an avatar.

Then there’s another growing frustration: no-shows.

Recruiters invest time reviewing applications, coordinating schedules, and preparing for introductory conversations, only to have candidates simply not show up. When this happens repeatedly, it slows the hiring process and makes it even harder to identify the candidates who are truly engaged.

None of this means most candidates are acting in bad faith. Far from it.

But the volume of questionable activity has increased enough that recruiters are finding themselves questioning more than ever before.

The Candidate Perspective

Now flip the coin.

Serious candidates are just as frustrated. Many spend considerable time tailoring their resumes, researching companies, and submitting thoughtful applications. Then…nothing. No acknowledgment. No update. No feedback. Sometimes months pass before they hear anything, if they hear back at all.

Other candidates discover the position was never actively being filled, had already been filled, or appears to have been posted simply to build a pipeline for future hiring.

After enough experiences like this, candidates begin asking perfectly reasonable questions. Did anyone actually review my application? Was this job even real? Is there a person involved anywhere in this process?

For candidates who are sincerely looking for their next opportunity, the hiring process can begin to feel less like a conversation and more like sending applications into a black hole.

Technology Is Helping…and Creating New Challenges

Organizations aren’t ignoring these issues.

Many are investing in additional technology to help recruiters manage overwhelming application volumes. AI-powered screening, automated scheduling, skills assessments, chatbots, and ranking tools are common.

From an operational standpoint, these tools make sense.

When recruiters receive hundreds, or sometimes thousands, of applications for a single role, technology can help surface candidates who deserve a closer look.

But there’s an unintended consequence.

Every additional layer of automation can create more uncertainty for candidates, many of whom simply want to know that a real person considered their experience before making a decision. Additionally, they want their time respected and don’t want to “jump through a lot of hoops” before they get to speak with a single person at the organization.

The very tools designed to improve efficiency can sometimes deepen the frustration on the other side of the hiring process.

The Real Problem Isn’t AI

I don’t believe AI is the problem. I believe trust is.

Recruiters are trying to determine which candidates are authentic. Candidates are trying to determine which opportunities are authentic. Both sides are questioning whether the process is working the way it’s supposed to.

Ironically, they’re looking for the same thing. Authenticity. Transparency. Confidence that their time is being respected.

Where Do We Go From Here?

I don’t think anyone has cracked this one yet.

The answer isn’t removing people from hiring. It’s also not asking recruiters to manually manage today’s hiring volumes without the support of technology.

The organizations that will stand out are the ones that find the balance. They’ll use technology to improve efficiency without losing the human judgment, communication, and transparency that build trust. Because despite all the advances in AI, hiring has never been about processing applications. It’s still about people making important decisions about their careers and their businesses.

And right now, everyone is frustrated. No one is winning.

That’s a problem worth solving.