Let’s face it: recruitment today is fundamentally broken. Candidates spend hours applying for roles only to find themselves waiting endlessly in applicant oblivion—sometimes receiving automated rejections moments after submission, or worse, never hearing back at all. Recruiters, employers, and job seekers alike are all suffering because of this inefficiency. We deserve much better.
An impersonal, inefficient, and broken system.
When I began my career in recruitment, the essence of what I did could be summed up simply: “Connecting people and pitching their stories.” Inspired by Nokia, this mantra guided me daily. Recruiting used to be a transformative profession—one that genuinely changed lives. Today, it’s increasingly transactional, turning into nothing more than a numbers game.
Modern job sites have unfortunately facilitated this problem. Companies have made applications effortless, but at the cost of quality. Candidates apply broadly without considering the true alignment with their career goals, while companies desperately hope their job postings reach suitable candidates. The result is an impersonal, inefficient, and broken system.
I recall from my early days at Ecco-Adecco a crucial principle: “You only truly know if a candidate is the right fit after shaking their hand.” This speaks volumes about the importance of human interaction—empathy, kindness, humility, and respect. Remember, today you might be conducting an interview, but tomorrow you could be the one being interviewed.
At Jobprofile, we’ve merged recruitment, HR consultancy, Organizational strategy, and Career coaching, differentiating ourselves distinctly from traditional employment agencies. I firmly believe in the transformative impact of career coaching—something everyone can benefit from.
But what happened to recruiters and talent acquisition specialists?
Technology has profoundly reshaped recruitment processes, often at the expense of the essential human touch. Recruiters now rely excessively on automated systems, mistakenly assuming efficiency equals effectiveness. However, even the best resume can only provide a superficial snapshot of a candidate’s skills and potential. We cannot—and should not—rely solely on AI technology to screen candidates. Job search bots and mass resume submissions create chaos, not clarity.
With the rise of AI-driven applications, candidates now have the ability to apply massively to new jobs every day, automating their job searches completely. They simply set up an automated scraping and matching system and let it run, waiting passively for interview invitations. In Switzerland, unemployed individuals must prove they actively seek employment, submitting at least two job applications per week. Consequently, companies are overwhelmed with poorly matched applicants.
This is just one facet of a larger issue: recruitment agencies’ success-fee models. These traditional business models no longer suit our technologically advanced world. Companies must shift their mindset away from success-based, low-cost recruitment practices. Such outdated methods harm company reputations, employer brands, and candidate experiences alike. This transactional approach prioritizes quantity over quality, leading to bulk submissions and indiscriminate resume distribution by recruiters.
Automated sourcing platforms and offshore recruiting agencies exacerbate the issue, flooding companies with hundreds of resumes, making genuine talent discovery challenging. I’m not naïve—solutions do exist, and some forward-thinking companies have already invested significantly to overcome these challenges. As the saying goes, “Le bon marché coûte cher”—cheap solutions are costly in the long run. These outdated practices damage the integrity and effectiveness of the hiring process.
Something must change, urgently. We all have a responsibility to act. There are smarter, more efficient, and more effective ways to recruit that prioritize meaningful partnerships, candidate experience, and true quality.
Clients often share their frustration about investing significant time tailoring cover letters and resumes to roles they’re genuinely qualified for, only to receive an impersonal rejection within minutes or experience absolute silence. Equally concerning are situations where candidates undergo multiple interview rounds and then face complete silence from employers. Ghosting candidates after investing their time is not only disrespectful but also harmful to your employer brand.
Something urgently needs to change
We need to rethink recruitment, placing empathy and human dignity at the center. The candidate’s initial experience with your company shapes their perception of your entire organizational culture. We must move away from the impersonal “hope for the best” approach and refocus our efforts on meaningful human interaction.
Recruitment is inherently about people. We must treat job seekers as individuals with unique stories and ambitions, empowering them to express what truly matters in their careers. Effective hiring decisions can’t be made through brief, transactional interactions alone. Deep understanding requires genuine conversations and authentic engagement.
I still vividly remember when Jobprofile transitioned from paper files to an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) in the early 2000s. While productivity instantly improved, we initially lost depth, sensitivity, and nuanced insights into our candidates. We overcame this by prioritizing phone interactions and face-to-face interviews, ensuring candidates aligned not just with job responsibilities but also company culture, personality, teamwork, competencies and organizational culture.
Candidate nurturing makes the difference
Traditional recruitment methods simply don’t suffice anymore. This is precisely where candidate nurturing makes the difference. Candidate nurturing—building meaningful relationships, understanding individual needs, and genuinely investing in career growth—is essential. This approach creates positive candidate experiences, strengthens future relationships, and ultimately saves time and resources in future recruitment efforts.
Effective candidate nurturing means personalized communication—tailored specifically to each individual’s interests and aspirations. It’s about humanizing the recruitment process, building trust, empathy, and mutual respect, making the entire journey from application to employment truly rewarding.
Let me challenge you
I invite all CEOs, CFOs, CRHO, COOs, CPOs, and senior decision-makers to anonymously apply to their own company’s open roles. Experience firsthand what your candidates endure. You might be surprised by what you discover—and motivated to initiate genuine change. I’m available for debriefs to discuss your insights and potential improvements.
At Jobprofile, we’re proud to support Swiss companies, ensuring exceptional experiences for every candidate. Ready to see how we can make a difference for your company?
Take action now—book your personal debrief. Let’s work together to transform your hiring process, making it efficient, empathetic, and truly impactful. Schedule your session today and start making meaningful changes immediately.
