By: Joshua Finley

In 2021, Harvard Business School found that 27 million Americans were hidden from hiring by standard hiring practices. Additionally, Yahoo Finance found that unfilled roles within companies result in a staggering $1.08 trillion lost monthly. This alarming disconnect between job listings and job seekers is not due to a talent shortage but rather an infrastructural issue within the modern hiring systems we’ve all created.

The rise of innovative technology, and remote work has created a level of global redistribution of the workforce that is overwhelming employers strategically – leading them to start approaching candidates like “deliverables” instead of people.  In order to protect themselves from the size of that change they often drive to make every initial interaction between employer and job seeker purely efficient – and that has inadvertently created an information barrier between the two that has caused massive economic impacts.  Humans at their heart are relational creatures – and driving at pure efficiency creates an outcome that is neither efficient nor effective.

The way Trumble describes it – this is not a problem of insufficient talent, nor is it an issue of employers who don’t know how to write roles –  but rather it is an issue of ineffective infrastructure. HR departments are overwhelmed with numerous tasks and roles, making it difficult to accurately assess and respond to all potential candidates. One of the most significant frustrations for job seekers is the lack of actionable feedback. Typically, less than 10% of resumes receive any feedback.

By giving job seekers insights into the hiring process, they can better understand where they stand and how to improve. “Actionable feedback is crucial for job seekers to evolve and succeed,” Trumble says.

Three Ways to Re-engage Disconnected Workers

1. Creating a Platform for Job Seekers to Share Experiences:

When you apply for a job, receiving nuanced feedback on your application and interview process is crucial. However, the current system often fails to provide this, leaving job seekers in the dark. Whether it’s knowing how many interviews to expect, understanding what interviewers are looking for, or other specifics to gaining interest in a potential job role, Trumble is on a mission to give job seekers the information they need to understand the hiring process and improve their chances of success. “Feedback is a vital part of the job search journey. Our platform aims to make this feedback accessible and actionable.”

2. Highlighting and Eliminating Scam Jobs:

Indeed made $3.9 billion in 2023. But did it bring value to job seekers, or did job seekers bring value to Indeed by using their platform? This question especially comes into focus as studies show that many job site listings don’t actually represent an intent to hire.  They can be overt scams or identity fraud schemes, but also jobs the platform has scraped from other spaces that SaaS style design schemes make it easy to post and harder to remove.  In addition many employers now openly admit to using the free postings as brand awareness campaigns to demonstrate traction for investors or shareholders.  These types of “professional catfishing” can seem like no big deal to employers who are genuinely out of touch with the reality of the job market due to long standing social norms that protect them from ever having to hear about the impact of these practices, and a lack of legislation against such practices because they don’t really represent identity theft in a hair on fire way that causes legislatures to act.  In addition because Indeed still gets paid in many of these cases because the pay per click model still results in them benefiting from this “professional catfishing” living on their site, they themselves see no reason to change. Allowing job seekers to report such jobs can help clean up job listings, making the job market more transparent and efficient. This will prevent job seekers from wasting time and effort on non-existent opportunities. Trumble notes, “Eliminating ghost jobs is essential for creating trust in the job market. Job seekers need to know that the opportunities they are pursuing are real and worth their time.”

3. Reducing HR Department Stress:

HR departments are inundated with resumes, many of which are sent in response to ghost jobs or in a spammy effort of job seekers or their hired assistants to land a job. By providing a platform for job seekers to share their experiences and insights, HR departments can better understand the job market landscape. This will help them focus on genuine candidates and reduce the overwhelming volume of applications. According to Trumble, “By reducing the noise created by irrelevant applications, HR departments can focus on what really matters: finding the right talent for the right positions.”

In Summary

The rise of algorithmic searches and ATS systems has siloed information and insights. Just as platforms like Wikipedia and Yelp allow users to provide feedback, we need a similar platform for job seekers. This will enable them to share their experiences, helping others navigate the job market more effectively. Trumble adds, “Creating a community where job seekers can share their stories and insights is essential for transforming the job market.”

1. Job Seekers Need Data:

Provide and receive commentary on their interview experiences.

2. Level the Playing Field:

Give local businesses a way to be visible immediately to local job seekers.

3. Platform for Crowdsourced Feedback:

Create a system where job seekers can share their insights, helping each other and reducing the burden on HR departments.

For more information about Sarah Springsteen Trumble and her efforts to connect roles and job seekers in a more efficient way, you can visit her website or follow her on LinkedIn.

Published by: Nelly Chavez