Why Job Applications Have Become Overwhelming for Recruiters
AI tools have made applying for jobs almost effortless. That ease is breaking the hiring process for everyone involved.
Key points
- Andrew Stockwell went from reviewing up to 100 applications to receiving over 1,000, many AI-generated or falsified.
- LinkedIn submissions per applicant are up 46 percent since February 2020; since ChatGPT launched in late 2022, applications are up 22 percent.
- Job openings have fallen from a record 12.3 million in March 2022 to around 7 million since mid-2024.
- Recruiters are now calling for more friction, not less, in the application process.
Three years ago, Andrew Stockwell had hiring figured out. As head of people at Vendr, a software-buying company, he would post a role, wait a few days, and work through up to 100 applications. Now he sees over a thousand for a single listing, within a day or two of posting, and a significant portion are what he calls "total bogus": fake candidates or AI-polished résumés stretched so thin that one looks identical to the next. His talent-acquisition staff, he says, spend their days just reading through the pile.
Stockwell is not an outlier. Ophir Samson, head of voice AI at recruiting platform Greenhouse, which acquired his AI interview startup earlier this year, says recruiters told him a year ago they wanted the smoothest possible path for applicants. What they got instead was 2,000 applicants in 24 hours for a single role. "That is a shitty experience for everyone," he told Wired.
How has AI changed the job application process?
Tools built on large language models, along with browser extensions that autofill forms without any human input, have made it possible to apply for dozens of jobs a day. Services like JobAssist, Sonara and Ladder's Apply4Me promise to submit ten times as many applications with less effort than a single manual one. LinkedIn, which tells Wired that submissions per applicant are up 46 percent since February 2020, is now rolling out a feature warning seemingly underqualified applicants they may not be a fit and pointing them elsewhere.
We first reported on AI's role in reshaping hiring back in August, when AI-run video interviews at 1 am were already becoming routine. The volume problem was visible then; it has only sharpened since.
What challenges do recruiters face?
Fewer open roles make the flood worse. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows openings peaked at 12.3 million in March 2022 and have sat near 7 million since mid-2024. For white-collar roles, JLL chief transformation officer Jane Curran told Wired, there is simply "not enough churn, not enough jobs coming into the market." Recruiters now spend hours in applicant tracking systems tweaking filters rather than hunting for strong candidates.
Samson says recruiters tell him they know that of 1,000 applications, maybe 30 are serious. AI-conducted first-round interviews can sort that out fast, but Tessa White, a former HR executive with two decades of experience, is unconvinced the underlying problem is solved. "Every time we seem to strive for efficiency, we seem to give up quality," she told Wired.
The practical reality for job seekers: a thoughtful, targeted application now carries more weight than it has in years, precisely because the average application carries almost none.
