The Digital Hiring Environment: Keeping The Human In Human Resource Recruiting


Though the internet has made it easier for job seekers to locate openings, technology has also made those posted positions more difficult to obtain. Whether reentering the workforce with experience, or making a debut after graduation, applicants may have more in common than they know when it comes to applying in the digital hiring environment. While the former may fall short on educational requirements, and the latter may lack experience, it’s equally possible that neither’s application will be seen by human eyes. With more exposure from online resources, Human Resource and recruiting personnel had to improve screening and applicant processing efficiency out of necessity. As anonymously published on LinkedIn, “Today many companies often receive thousands of RESUMEs and applications for vacancies they advertise, as the job market is competitive and the use of internet advertising spreads the word far and fast.”[1] [SIC]
Consequently, technology for Human Resources has advanced. According to HR Dive columnist Alison Doyle, “Many employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS), also known as talent management systems, to process job applications and to manage the hiring process.”[2] Intended to streamline recruiting, the application processing, and the soft-side of new employee onboarding, data is uploaded, organized, and stored digitally. Per CareerMetis.com, “Applicant tracking systems offer integration with other online forms, such as job boards…Candidates apply on the job board sites, and their information is parsed into the software.”[3] However, the limitations of technology can cause qualified candidates to be overlooked if keywords or other specified indicators in an application are not found by the software. This oversight may be due to technical issues (such as formatting compatibility) or over-exaggerated position requirements. Nevertheless, the software is configured to sort CVs by specified elements, and each application is either discarded or retained as a result of the advertised position’s exact parameters within the ATS.  
It’s no surprise that applicants have become aware of this automated sorting hat’s existence. In fact, of 2,100 adults surveyed by the American Staffing Association, 69% “feel the job-hunting process is impersonal,” and 80% “feel their applications and resumes end up in a black box."[4] Furthermore, 83% of respondents confirm that though finding job postings is easier than ever, “emerging technologies (e.g., big data mining of résumés and job-on-demand apps) actually make it more difficult to land a job.”[5] With hours invested tailoring resumes and preparing cover letters, applicants may be caught off guard by checkboxes well into the application process. Though the candidate’s cover letter may illustrate their ability to perform the requested job functions, and their resume may highlight all applicable skills, their application is discarded; is the applicant one month shy of the required experience and/or one class short of a required degree? No human ever sees this candidate’s potential, and applicants are facing ethical dilemmas as a result.
In a 2017 HireRight survey of HR professionals, “85% of survey respondents uncovered a lie or misrepresentation on a candidate’s resume or job application during the screening process – up from 66% five years ago.”[6] These exaggerations, misrepresentations, and falsifications most commonly pertain to education, experience, and job duties.[7] Perhaps applicant tracking systems are to blame, at least in part, for candidates doing what is necessary to get their resumes in front of recruiters. This, in turn, is causing HR professionals to seek even more advanced systems to sift through a plethora of resumes. A virtual circle of watch-dog software and applicants’ countering strategies has created the need for change in digital recruiting and hiring.
Advocates for increasing automation, efficiency, and cost savings are considering the addition of verification software (or blockchain technology) to the process. Per Julio Alejandro, founder and CEO of Humanitarian Blockchain, “Blockchain is a ‘magical notebook’… Everything written can be eternally reproduced. It’s public for everyone to access and available so you can verify its authenticity at any time.”[8] In theory, schools and employers would upload employment details, educational accomplishments, and other virtual credentials. The applicant would then authorize a potential employer to access his or her associated files directly. Allegedly, these databases would remain secure, records would remain available, and credentials would remain accessible regardless of hacking or issuing institution closure. Per Danny King, CEO of Accredible, which provides online certification and verification services, “Although blockchain cannot guarantee all exaggerations or flaws will be detected, it does dramatically reduce incidents of fraudulent points and helps employers get the most accurate picture of their candidate’s credentials before hiring."[9] Presently, blockchain technology lacks both a common platform and wide adoption, but innovators imagine verification software fully integrated within applicant tracking systems.
While positive results may include the redistribution of HR bandwidth to better support current employees, drawbacks may be the potential downsizing of company HR departments and the further reduction of human in Human Resources. The wide adoption of blockchain technology (and potential abuses thereafter) would create new challenges for HR professionals, legislators, and law enforcement alike. Per Adam Bridgers, an attorney with workplace law firm Fisher & Phillips LLP, “Previous employers could put past performance reviews on a chain," but no mention is made of the subjective nature of annual performance plans. Consequently, a disgruntled former supervisor could black-list a former employee on an industry-wide level; modern-day cyberstalking and trolling would seem amateurish in comparison. Bridgers then wonders in a HR Dive interview (almost as an afterthought) about the ethical implications of blockchain access as compared to today’s social media platforms: "Will we be asking whether we should ask candidates for access to blockchain in the future?"[10] Perhaps, that is not the question we should be asking.
After the 2017 Equifax cybersecurity breach, storing a vast quantity of personal and professional information in a single location (with blockchain technology or any other) should be a disturbing concept for any sentient being above room temperature. It is not just about asking if leaders can possess the technology, but asking if they should. “In today’s modern employee tracking ecosystem, HR is both people manager and data ethics steward; the two functions are now blended.”[11] Yet, if the United States Office of Personnel Management was able to fall victim to a data breach, impacting approximately 21.5 million current and former government employees or applicants, how can a single central data repository (or any HR Department) be fully trusted?[12] Further, if not HR, then who? Above all other departments, HR is used to dealing with sensitive information, but if HR employees are incapable of understanding the complexities of cybersecurity, how can they ensure that personally identifiable information remains confidential?
Does the future of HR require more programming than people skills? Will the human element be reduced to mere ones and zeros? One need only view James Cameron’s 1984 science-fiction action film The Terminator to envision a worst case scenario of humanity’s dependence on technology and artificial intelligence (AI). Per author Riia O'Donnell, “In the era of ATS, AI and algorithms, tech promises to make recruiting easier for business — but the personal touch maybe getting lost in the digital shuffle.”[13] Though applicant tracking systems and blockchain are currently far from Cameron’s “Skynet,” concerns of data security, AI, and technology’s impact on the workforce remain hot topics in HR related news. As stated by Hoyong Jung in his LinkedIn article, The Need for AI Development, “Now we need to decide whether to develop AI or fear it.”[14]
However, fear need not wind the clock back to manual entries on paper. Instead, balance must be found between recruiting tools and the human-element of the process.  But how can Human Resource personnel provide personalized experiences for each applicant when, as explained by Rob Rawson, Chief of Staff at Staff.com, “they receive dozens or hundreds of applicants with 95-100% of them not qualified or adequately skilled for the job.”[15] Interestingly, Jeanne-Elise M. Heydecker, Senior Vice President of iPlace USA, responds to Rawson and illuminates the real problem in a subsequent blog response:
Many hiring managers … don't know how to write a proper job description…They may require that the person come from only Ivy League schools, or require 5 years of experience in a technology that's only been available for the past 3…HR departments in many companies now use Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) to track applicants… If you are a qualified applicant, but used different terms than what's being searched for, you will never be found.
Consequently, the job description and requirement parameters, as entered into an ATS by HR personnel, are revealed to be a root cause of resume misrepresentation and the subsequent need for verification software.
The connections between blockchain, applicant tracking systems, and job requirements become linked (even entangled) when job postings are reviewed in quantity. Are the experience and educational requirements actually interchangeable for the right candidate? Are they remotely realistic for the compensation being offered? For example, should a bachelor’s degree really be required for a job with a $12 an hour pay rate? Do we still wonder why there is a student debt crisis? As stated by author Alison Doyle, job requirements “are deemed by the employer as essential to satisfactory performance in that job,” but are they intentionally inflated to reduce the number of applicants and streamline the process for HR staff?[16] Doyle continues, “When creating a job listing, employers imagine an ideal candidate, but they may never find someone who meets all of their requirements.” She even recommends applying for “attractive positions” even if “most, but not all, of the requirements” are met. Doyle’s colleague at The Balance, Madeline Burry, agrees, “It's not a deal-breaker if you do not have all of the qualifications listed, but ideally, you'll have most, and the majority will be at least familiar to you.”[17]
However, should an ATS be in use (with YES/NO checkboxes inevitably three-quarters of the way into an online application), is the candidate being encouraged to be dishonest? They have, after all, already invested time and effort into the application process. It is absurd to expect honesty from applicants (and subsequently hired employees) when even the employer’s job posting lacks integrity. Should greater transparency as to realistic position requirements and acceptable equivalencies be required? Would blockchain be needed for credential verification if posted requirements were not over-inflated to reduce applicants? Gad Levanon, Ph. D. and Frank Steemers, Chief and Associate Economists (respectively) for The Conference Board confirmed this hypothesis in a February 2018 blog. After the Great Recession, “employers took advantage of market conditions and up-skilled the positions (raised the educational and experience qualifications for job openings). Employers got used to these higher qualifications and were somewhat reluctant to down-skill as the labor market got tighter.”[18] Potential employees knew they were capable of performing the duties and responsibilities listed, and consequently felt that embellishing would be the only way a CV would be seen by human eyes.
Honesty in both job requirements and acceptable equivalent experience, a human touch in Human Resources, and empathy during the recruiting process will prevent the need for a cloud in the sky to verify virtual credentials. Liron Panaczuk, VP of People Operations at Wibbitz, reminds HR professionals to “put yourself in the candidate's shoes, remember how it feels to go through the interview process, and follow the “Golden Rule” by treating them the same as you would want to be treated.”[19]


[1] “The Benefits and Drawbacks of Using Applicant Tracking Systems for Recruitment.” LinkedIn. 28 Oct. 2015. www.linkedin.com/pulse/benefits-drawbacks-using-applicant-tracking-systems-appliview-the-ats/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2018.
[2] Doyle, Alison. “Learn the Basics of an Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) How Employers Use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).” The Balance. Jan. 2018. www.thebalance.com/what-is-an-applicant-tracking-systems-ats-2061926. Accessed 20 Feb. 2018.
[3] Cameron, Amanda. “7 Applicant Tracking System Benefits You Need to Cash in On.” CareerMetis.com. Sept. 2017. www.careermetis.com/applicant-tracking-system-benefits. Accessed 1 Mar. 2018.
[5] “Hiring? Make the Process Personal.” Cision PR Newswire. Feb. 2018.  www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hiring-make-the-process-personal-300595984.html. Accessed 1 Mar. 2018.
[4] Bolden-Barrett, Valerie. “Workers say they feel like they're sending resumes to a 'black box'.” HR Dive. Feb. 2018.  www.hrdive.com/news/workers-say-they-feel-like-theyre-sending-resumes-to-a-black-box/516804/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2018.
[6] “10th Annual HireRight Benchmark Survey Finds 48 Percent of Employers Do Not Rescreen Employees, Despite Prevalence of Organizational Risk.” Business Wire. Apr. 2017. www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170419005191/en/10th-Annual-HireRight-Benchmark-Survey-Finds-48. Accessed 1 Mar. 2018.
[7] O'Donnell, Riia. “Could blockchain bring the end of resume exaggeration?” HR Dive. Feb. 2018. www.hrdive.com/news/could-blockchain-bring-the-end-of-resume-exaggeration/516546/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018.
[8] Alejandro, Julio. “Blockchain for good – a beginner’s guide”. NS Tech. June 2016. tech.newstatesman.com/guest-opinion/blockchain-for-good-beginners-guide. Accessed 27 Feb. 2018.
[9] O'Donnell, Riia.  “Blockchain: What is it and how is HR using it?” HR Dive. Dec. 2017. www.hrdive.com/news/blockchain-what-is-it-and-how-is-hr-using-it/513229/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2018.
[10] O'Donnell, Riia.  “Blockchain: What is it and how is HR using it?” HR Dive. Dec. 2017. www.hrdive.com/news/blockchain-what-is-it-and-how-is-hr-using-it/513229/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2018.
[11] Moody, Kathryn. “As rules change, HR managers ask: Should employees have access to data on themselves?” HR Dive. Feb. 2018. hrdive.com/news/as-rules-change-hr-managers-ask-should-employees-have-access-to-data-on-t/516901/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2018.
[12] Sciutto, Jim. “OPM government data breach impacted 21.5 million.” CNN. July 2015. www.cnn.com/2015/07/09/politics/office-of-personnel-management-data-breach-20-million/index.html. Accessed 27 Feb. 2018.
[13] O'Donnell, Riia. “How to ensure the human touch isn't lost in the digital recruiting revolution.” HR Drive. Feb. 2018. www.hrdive.com/news/how-to-ensure-the-human-touch-isnt-lost-in-the-digital-recruiting-revoluti/517414/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2018.
[15] Ostler, Andrew. “Pros and Cons of Job Posting in the Technology Age.” Employment Crossing. www.employmentcrossing.com/employers/article/900018232/Pros-and-Cons-of-Job-Posting-in-the-Technology-Age/ Accessed 9 Feb. 2018.
[16] Doyle, Alison.  “What Are Job Requirements?” The Balance. July 2017.  www.thebalance.com/what-are-job-requirements-3928054.  Accessed 10 Feb. 2018.
[17]Burry, Madeline. “How to Decode a Job Advertisement.” The Balance. Aug. 2017.  www.thebalance.com/how-to-decode-a-job-advertisement-2061002. Accessed 27 Feb. 2018.  
[18]Levanon, Gad & Steemers, Frank. “Downskilling: Employers can no longer have their cake and eat it too.” The Conference Board. Feb. 2018.  www.conference-board.org/blog/postdetail.cfm?post=6706&blogid=7. Accessed 27 Feb. 2018.
[19]Panaczuk, Liron. “The best way to break up with your candidates.” HR Dive. Feb. 2018. www.hrdive.com/news/the-best-way-to-break-up-with-your-candidates/517232/. Accessed 25 Feb. 2018.

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