Episode 33: The Recruitment System is Broken - Now What?

Applying for a job shouldn’t feel like shouting into a void. Yet for many candidates today, the recruitment process is defined by silence, redundancy, rigid requirements, and being ghosted after investing real time and effort. Organizations claim they can’t find talent, while candidates quietly opt out of systems that feel dismissive and disconnected from human reality.

In this solo episode of Unboxing OD, Kenneth Pearson takes a hard look at what’s broken in modern recruitment -- and why this is not a candidate problem, but a systems problem. From bloated job descriptions and preferred qualifications treated as requirements to algorithmic screening and months-long interview cycles with no closure, the hiring process has drifted away from the people it’s meant to serve.

This episode challenges Organizational Development Professionals and I/O Psychologists to step into their responsibility as systems thinkers and designers. 

It's important to note that not all recruitment processes are broken -- some organizations still balance efficiency with human interaction -- but those examples are becoming the exception rather than the rule.

The question is simple and uncomfortable: if your organization says it can’t find talent, but your recruitment system is quietly repelling it, what exactly needs to change?

This is not an episode about blame. It’s an invitation to rethink what we’ve normalized -- and to decide what kind of systems we’re willing to keep defending.