The Job Application Process Should Be More Challenging. Seriously.

Three years ago, Andrew Stockwell had his recruitment process finely tuned.

As the head of people at the software-buying firm Vendr, Stockwell would post a job listing, wait a few days, and then sift through dozens of applications—often reaching up to 100. Recruiters suggested additional candidates, adding to the pool. Stockwell reviewed résumés, conducted interviews, and recommended top candidates to hiring managers.

“It was truly about discovering great talent, engaging with that talent, and pinpointing the best individuals,” Stockwell shares with WIRED.

However, in the past year, Stockwell notes, everything shifted. While the process began similarly, in just a day or two, he found himself not managing 100 candidates but rather inundated with hundreds—sometimes even exceeding a thousand. Many were “total bogus,” says Stockwell—fake applicants. Additionally, numerous submissions seemed to be AI-generated, exaggerating qualifications and making it challenging to differentiate between candidates. The overwhelming volume became burdensome. “I’m paying my talent-acquisition professionals—who are well-compensated—to simply sift through applications all day,” Stockwell explains.

Stockwell is among numerous recruitment experts who feel the job-searching process is fundamentally flawed. By 2026, seeking a job has become as effortless as online shopping: AI can produce tailored résumés and cover letters in moments, and browser extensions can automatically fill out applications without human input. LinkedIn presents users with many job options daily, many allowing “just a few clicks” to apply.

“A year ago, every recruiter would express a desire to simplify the application process,” emphasizing a “seamless experience,” Ophir Samson, head of voice AI for Greenhouse, tells WIRED. Samson joined the recruiting platform earlier this year when it acquired his startup that employed AI for conducting job interviews. “What resulted was 2,000 applicants in 24 hours for a single position. That’s a poor experience for everyone involved.”

Strong candidates find it difficult to stand out, while weaker applicants manage to slip through unnoticed. “Recruiters face the arduous task of evaluating thousands of candidates daily,” Samson points out. Instead of scouring LinkedIn for ideal candidates, they are stuck in applicant tracking systems for hours, adjusting filters to identify applications worthy of a brief review.

Currently, recruiters are telling Samson, “actually, we kind of want friction,” he comments. “A bit of friction is beneficial. We’d prefer to make the process harder.”

The intention to alleviate challenges in the application process is logical: The more qualified candidates that apply, the greater the chance for a company to find the best fit. For years, recruiters have advertised on job boards and LinkedIn; they embraced LinkedIn’s “Easy Apply” feature; they offered candidates a “one-click” application journey. In the post-pandemic environment, recruiters intensified their efforts to streamline applications as employers grappled with filling vacancies.

“Everyone was hopping between jobs because you could literally receive three offers in a single afternoon,” Jane Curran, chief transformation officer at real estate firm JLL, shares with WIRED. Now, “the situation is the complete opposite.”

Job openings peaked at an unprecedented 12.3 million in March 2022, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, followed by a two-year downturn. Since mid-2024, openings have fluctuated around 7 million, give or take 500,000.

Yet, even as the number of job openings has diminished, the barriers to applying have lowered further. AI, which gained mainstream traction in late 2022 with the public debut of ChatGPT, enables candidates to quickly revise résumés and monitor new postings. Services like JobAssist, Sonara, and Ladder’s Apply4Me assure applicants that their technology will manage all the tedious aspects of job applications, allowing users to submit “10x as many applications with less effort than one traditional application.” If desired, one could apply for countless jobs daily.