We’ve spent many hours debating when, where, and how AI should fit into our hiring process. As a small team with a lot of ambition, we are trying to level up, and hiring is ripe for this level of innovation. At the same time, we want to keep a high level of human touch and judgment in hiring. It’s such a key area, when each hire has a huge impact on our goals and culture.

For a long time, our process rested on the idea that a Buffer teammate would carefully read every application. That came from a good place, and we’re proud of it. At today’s volume, though, it has meant long waits for candidates and stretched-thin hiring managers. We know we need to modernize our process so we can do better, both for the people applying to Buffer and for our hiring managers.

On the flip side, if you’ve looked for a job lately, you know the market is tough right now. It can be incredibly competitive, and at times fairly inhuman. And, it’s been tough to be on the hiring side in its own way. More and more of the applications we see are largely written by AI. We understand why; applying to a job (or many) can be draining, and job seekers need to preserve their time and mental health. But that has made it harder for us to spot the thoughtful and personal applications, and get back to people in a reasonable amount of time.

Source link