Why Recruiting Is Broken (and How We Can Fix It)

Recruiting, at its core, is a human-centric process. It’s the art of connecting talent with opportunity, of aligning skills and aspirations with organizational goals. But despite its noble intent, recruiting often feels deeply flawed. Why? Because recruiting is built on the foundation of human beings—and humans are imperfect by nature.

In this article, I’ll explore three key reasons why recruiting is broken and share thoughts on how we can begin to address these challenges.

1. Humans Are Imperfect—And That’s Okay

Recruiters, hiring managers, and candidates are all human. We bring our experiences, emotions, and blind spots into every interaction. While our humanity enables us to connect, empathize, and inspire, it also makes us fallible.

? Errors in Judgment: We’ve all seen instances where “gut feelings” lead to hiring decisions that later prove wrong.

? Inconsistent Standards: What one interviewer values, another might disregard entirely, leading to unpredictable evaluations.

? Emotional Factors: A stressful day or a last-minute rescheduling can unintentionally influence the tone of an interview or evaluation.

The Fix: Acknowledge our imperfections and mitigate their impact through structured processes. Standardized interview frameworks, clear rubrics, and continuous training can help reduce the variability that comes from relying solely on subjective judgment.

2. Bias Exists—Even When We Try to Avoid It

Bias is pervasive, often invisible, and deeply ingrained. Even when we work to be fair, unconscious biases can influence our decisions:

? Affinity Bias: Favoring candidates who remind us of ourselves.

? Confirmation Bias: Seeking evidence to validate initial impressions, whether positive or negative.

? Cultural Fit Bias: Mistaking shared interests for alignment with organizational values.

Bias doesn’t make us bad people; it makes us human. But when unchecked, it limits diversity, perpetuates inequity, and prevents us from seeing the full potential of candidates.

The Fix: Awareness is the first step. Companies must invest in bias training and implement systems to guard against it. Tools like anonymized resumes, diverse interview panels, and structured scorecards can ensure more equitable evaluations.

3. Processes Are Only as Good as the Humans Running Them

Even the most carefully designed hiring process can falter because it’s operated by humans. A perfect system on paper can collapse under the weight of miscommunication, rushed timelines, or competing priorities.

? Inconsistent Execution: One interviewer may follow the process diligently, while another skips steps or improvises.

? Misaligned Expectations: Hiring managers may lack clarity on what they’re looking for, leading to confusion and frustration.

? Burnout: Overworked recruiters juggling too many roles can unintentionally cut corners, impacting candidate experience and decision quality.

The Fix: Build a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Recruiters and hiring managers need clear training, regular check-ins, and tools that make it easier to adhere to the process. Feedback loops from candidates and employees can also identify breakdowns and opportunities to refine the system.

How Do We Begin to Repair Recruiting?

1. Lean into Humanity, Don’t Escape It: Technology is a helpful tool, but recruiting is, and always will be, about people. Let’s focus on improving human connection rather than automating it away.

2. Create Space for Reflection: Regularly audit processes to identify gaps and biases. What’s working? What isn’t? What can be improved?

3. Embrace Humility: We won’t get everything right. But admitting our flaws—and striving to do better—is the first step toward meaningful change.

Recruiting may never be perfect, but it can be better. By understanding that human imperfection is both a challenge and an opportunity, we can create hiring systems that are more inclusive, consistent, and impactful. It starts with acknowledging that we’re all works in progress—and that’s okay.

Let’s fix what’s broken, together.

Your Thoughts?

Have you seen examples of these recruiting challenges in your own career? How have you worked to overcome them? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!