AI in Hiring: Is Inbound Recruitment Going Extinct?

It’s human nature to take the path of least resistance.

Imagine you’re a recruiter at one of the Big Four or a major tech company like Google, receiving thousands of applications daily. With all that brand recognition – and in Google’s case, free breakfasts – it seems like nearly everyone wants to work for your company. Sifting through applications manually is not only time-consuming, it’s unfeasible. So, with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), you take the path of least resistance: you start using AI tools to screen and rank applications, or even let AI handle your first-round interviews.

In response to this selection pressure, candidates adapt to increase their chances of surviving the recruitment process. They too harness AI, not just to enhance their applications, but in many cases, to automatically apply to hundreds of jobs within minutes. This results in a flood of AI-generated CVs and cover letters. To some, the logic is clear: if the chance of getting in front of a real human is only 1%, you’d better crank up the volume of applications to increase your odds.

This results in a negative feedback loop, almost like an arms race in hiring. On one side, platforms like LinkedIn offer AI-powered tools to assist employers, while on the other, AI enhancements for candidates with premium profiles are becoming increasingly common. As Patrick Bangert, VP and Chief of AI at Oxy, an international energy company, aptly put it:

“It’s AI-generated garbage resumes applying to AI-generated spam job postings.”

As a result, we’re witnessing the decline – perhaps even the extinction – of inbound recruitment, where candidates apply directly to job postings. As Patrick explains:

“This negative feedback loop has led to a total breakdown of the standard recruiting workflow. And we’re back to the point we were many decades ago, where people will start to go back to hiring who they know.”

Going back to a world of hiring based on networking and ‘who you know’ makes sense in the face of current challenges. However, we must consider the significant impact this could have on underrepresented groups. Take the commodities industry, for example, where an analysis by S&P Global of publicly traded power and utility companies in the United States, Canada, and Europe reveals that women still hold less than 20% of C-suite positions. Given that underrepresented groups may have fewer connections in the sectors or roles they’re interested in, this shift could be detrimental, reinforcing existing inequalities and making it even harder for them to break into these industries.

So, what’s the path forward?

One thing is clear: we can’t keep fuelling this AI-driven arms race. At the end of the day, all hiring managers really want, as Patrick puts it, is a “shortlist of vetted and qualified candidates.” With inbound recruitment finding it harder and harder to provide this, could the answer lie with outbound?

Recruitment, when done right, is all about people, and that means it’s not immune to bias. If hiring managers only rely on their professional networks, they’re unlikely to build diverse teams. That’s where staffing agencies like ours come in. We don’t just give you the shortlist you’re looking for—we specialise in large-scale headhunting. Our team is diverse, so what ‘good’ looks like can vary from person to person. Plus, at Cititec Talent, we’ve been recognised for our approach to DE&I for over 12 years, with everyone on the team going through DE&I training. This drives us to build a wide-reaching network of talent, helping us find candidates that others might miss.

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