Is the modern hiring process broken?
What if the way we're hiring is actively undermining the very cultures we hope to build?
If you've recently navigated the job market, you might have noticed a distinct shift. I hadn't formally applied for a job in nearly a decade. Most of my opportunities came through networks, referrals or word-of-mouth contracts. When I recently re-entered the hiring market, I anticipated a few new tools or updated processes. I did not anticipate a complete cultural shift in what it means to hire (and be hired).
What I encountered wasn't an upgrade of tools; it signalled a profound cultural shift. It was one that increasingly prioritized efficiency over genuine human connection and long-term organizational health.
TREND 1
Applying for jobs is an automation trap: apply, wait, auto-reject
Most application journeys now unfold like this:
Submit your resume and cover letter along with filling out a multi-page form that includes demographic questions about race, gender and disability.
Wait a bit. Receive an automated thank you.
Wait a few hours or days. Receive an automated rejection from a "noreply" email address.
It's hard not to wonder if a real human even glanced at my application. Odds are, they didn't. According to a 2024 CareerBuilder Survey, 75% of resumes are never seen by human eyes, filtered out by AI tools and Applicant Tracking Systems. This trend directly impacts organizational culture. When candidates feel undervalued during hiring, it sets the stage for a lack of trust and engagement if they are hired. How can an organization truly foster a culture of respect if its entry point lacks that very quality?
While I understand the need for efficiency, there's a difference between streamlining and stripping out basic human respect. When job seekers are investing 1–2 hours per application, receiving an instant "no" isn't just discouraging, it's demoralizing.
TREND 2
Job interviews have started feeling like paid client work
Let's say you're lucky enough to get an interview. And then they like you. Suddenly you're hit with: "We’d love for you to complete a short assignment..." A recent poll career poll showed 85% of respondents had encountered requests for unpaid work during job interviews varying in scope.
In agency, we had largely moved away from speculative creative. It's an industry where we sell intellectual labor, we can't give it away for free. Why are companies comfortable asking candidates, many of them unemployed, to think strategically, offer solutions and essentially do just that?
I was sent a "proficiency assessment" with six in-depth scenario questions. I spent 8 hours, over two days, completing it. That's a full day of unpaid labor with no guarantee of a job offer. I allowed them to tap into almost 20 years of industry experience (something I have charged clients for as a consultant) for free. While I appreciated the opportunity to showcase my skills, there's a line that’s being crossed here. This trend demonstrates a broader issue of undervaluing candidates' time and expertise, and it’s bordering on exploitation. This trend also raises a key question: what does this say about the company’s value system?
But… here’s the thing. I found the 2.5-hour meeting that followed the assessment interesting. Collaborative. Even insightful. It was a great way to learn more about each other and the way we work without reading from a list of questions. There has to be a middle ground between thoughtful hiring and unpaid consulting. The hiring process should be a two-way street, where both employers and candidates have an opportunity to engage in a respectful and transparent evaluation.
TREND 3
There’s a new kind of boss with really great intentions… but they need operational support
In an interview, I spoke with a founder who was clearly driven, deeply kind and trying to build something. She started her agency in her 20s. She's grown it over a decade and continues to be in rapid growth mode. She wants her team to like her and is eager to build a positive work culture. She's doing her best with what she's learned, but like many founder-led companies, her business is scaling faster than her leadership systems.
This scenario highlights a growing issue: many businesses are scaling quickly, but the leadership skills required to support that growth haven’t kept pace. A number of interview processes revealed a few things about this "New Boss".
They’re inexperienced with senior staff. She had never hired a senior team member before, relying instead on promoting junior staff who started in customer service roles. The compensation for a Director-level role included two weeks vacation and five personal days. Great for someone starting their career, far less desirable for someone having invested nearly two decades. Are these new bosses more comfortable hiring junior employees they can mold, rather than experienced professionals they might have to actually listen to?
There are blurred professional boundaries. Her husband served as the director of finance outside of business hours (side gig?), indicating a lack of separation between personal and professional spheres and not giving that critical role the priority it warrants.
The vision and purpose are unclear or lacking. When asked about the company's five-year plan and bigger purpose, her response was, "I want the business to be more functional without me, and to pay my people well. And I want to do some cool projects." There’s a generation of small businesses out there right now that are well-intentioned, scrappy, and energetic, but they’re quietly operating without a real sense of purpose. And while passion can fuel early growth, will it be enough to sustain the team?
The line between expectations and reality are blurred. Despite wanting to foster a fun, supportive workplace, the expectations set for staff tell a different story. Junior team members are expected to be 90% billable, a number that leaves virtually no room for professional development, internal projects, or the kinds of collaborative breathing space that make team culture thrive. Strategic direction is vague, with goals and KPIs either unclear or impossible to meet. And when it comes to money, candid conversations with clients are avoided, even when scope creep is obvious.
They’re unclear on what really sets them apart. When asked about the agency’s differentiator, the answer was: “We meet customers anywhere in the buying journey.” This phrase, while technically true, could apply to nearly any agency in the field. This isn’t a knock on her ability, she’s clearly built something real and growing. But it raises the question: does she understand how crowded the landscape is? Or is she simply unaware of how much power a clearly articulated purpose could hold, not just as a differentiator, but as a driver for team alignment, client relationships, and long-term strategy?
What Does This Say About the Future of Work?
We’re living through a shift where ambition is still expected, but trust is harder to find. Where companies want top-tier results, but not necessarily the operational structure or leadership maturity to support it.
Hiring doesn’t have to be extractive. Candidates don’t need to be tested to the point of exhaustion to prove their worth. And organizations don’t need to trade humanity for efficiency.
We need to build systems that prioritize clarity, fairness and leadership that actually supports people. That includes how you bring new team members in, not just what you do once they’re here. If the process of getting hired already feels broken and exhaustive, what does that say about what’s waiting on the other side? How can we ensure the entry point to our organizations reflects the culture we aspire to create?