The job application process is broken

The Broken Job Application Process: How Unqualified Applicants and LinkedIn Spam Are Changing Recruiting

If you’ve been on the hiring side of the table recently, you know how broken the job application process has become. The sheer volume of unqualified applicants has turned reviewing candidates from an opportunity into a dreaded task. Recruiters and hiring managers are now so inundated with irrelevant resumes that they approach the process with exhaustion rather than enthusiasm.

The Flood of Unqualified Applicants
The rise of easy-apply features on job boards has led to a flood of applicants who are not even remotely qualified for the roles they’re applying for. With just one click, candidates can send their resumes en masse without even reading the job description. This means recruiters and hiring managers spend more time sifting through noise than actually engaging with high-quality talent.

This shift has dramatically altered the way hiring professionals approach their work. Instead of reviewing applications with the hope of finding the perfect candidate, many now see it as a chore, an exercise in eliminating, not selecting. And when the process feels like an endless loop of rejection, it's no wonder hiring teams are growing more disengaged from traditional application reviews.

The LinkedIn Connection Spam Problem
Another frustrating trend is the surge of applicants who, instead of applying through traditional channels, simply send a LinkedIn connection request. Every time I post a job, my LinkedIn notifications explode with connection requests from candidates, many of whom are the same candidates who applied and weren't qualified. 

Many of whom don’t even send a message or engage in any meaningful way.This isn’t networking; it’s digital cold-calling with no personalization. What used to be a platform for genuine professional connections is now flooded with candidates hoping that adding a recruiter will somehow fast-track their application. Instead of receiving thoughtful messages or strategic outreach, recruiters are getting spammed by job seekers who treat LinkedIn as a shortcut rather than a tool for engagement.

The Real Shift: Recruiting Is Now 100% About the Hunt
The result of these trends is that recruiting has fully shifted away from reviewing inbound applications and is now focused on proactive talent hunting. The best recruiters don’t sit around hoping the right candidate applies, they go find them. LinkedIn sourcing, direct outreach, and strategic networking have become the primary ways to identify top talent.

Recruiting today isn’t about filtering applications; it’s about hunting. If you're not actively reaching out to the right people, you're relying on an application pool that’s 90% noise. The irony is that companies still insist on posting jobs, but few expect to actually find their hires from those postings anymore.

The Takeaway
For job seekers: Stop blindly applying to jobs without tailoring your application, and don’t just add recruiters on LinkedIn without a clear message or intent. If you want to stand out, engage in real conversations and demonstrate why you're a fit for the role.

For hiring managers: Understand that a job posting alone won’t deliver top talent. Work with recruiters who actively source and engage candidates instead of just waiting for applications to trickle in.

The hiring process isn’t just broken...it’s evolving. Those who recognize the shift will be the ones who thrive in this new era of recruiting.