We get it: recruiting seasonal workers is tough. Ski and beach resorts are churning through a lot of young highly mobile workers, and each season you need to find new staff.
The big question is, are your recruiting strategies still fit-for-purpose?
If a job seeker can apply for your position in under a minute, the answer is a hard no.
Young seasonal job hunters already play the numbers game, blasting out large numbers of resumes to get multiple job interviews and job offers. Gen Z job hunters often accept multiple jobs and then only show up for one of them.
Hiring managers have to deal with huge applicant numbers, and then operations managers have to pick up the pieces when the “successful” candidates don’t show up.
When I hear employers complain about unreliable staff, my first question is “”where did you find them?”. Facebook. “And what was your call to action on the job ad?”. “Email me your resume”. Ah ha. I think I’ve spotted the problem here.
Yes it is a mess, that is only going to get worse as job hunters use AI more deeply.
Young job hunters are now going well beyond AI templates, spell checks, and increasing or decreasing the level of formality in their resumes.
It takes less than a minute to generate a cover letter, customised resume for a job description, and a follow up email. Those AI companies are also encouraging “resume slop” – the mass distribution of junk resumes.
Their ads say:
- “watch how easy it is to send 247 resumes”
- “If a company only spends a few seconds on my application, I’m only spending a few seconds on their’s”.
- “Does this mean I can get any job I want? – here’s the hot tip – It’s how you present yourself that matters”
- “Our technology will seamlessly apply for hundreds of jobs on your behalf instantly”. Great.
Job hunters can also get live AI assistance during interviews. This technology can make tech-savvy unqualified people look competent and employable. The problems start when those new employees have to live up to their AI generated resumes and the interview they “nailed”.
This post is being written 1 month into the Australian ski season, and employers are re-posting their ads for really important skilled roles like resort electricians, heavy diesel mechanics and executive chefs. So many employers told us in March that they “have so many great candidates this year”. Here’s the point, there are a lot more great looking resumes getting sent. That doesn’t mean there are more great candidates looking for work, and it definitely doesn’t mean your hiring is on track.
AI is guaranteed to deliver two things for HR departments looking for seasonal staff:
- An exponential growth in the numbers of resumes received.
- More difficultly in determining good candidates from tech savvy people who are just widely distributing resume slop.
So what is the solution? (or maybe what is the least worst option?)
- Fight AI with AI. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs) have been around for a long time and they drive up the use of AI to get around ATSs. It’s build a bigger ladder to get over a bigger wall stuff. Yes this type of software can help HR departments manage the resume slop, but there’s very little evidence it actually results in better candidates showing up for work at the start of the season.
- Pivot to recruiting strategies that focus on quality not quantity. eg word of mouth recruiting, odd school job fairs that require effort to attend, and of course SEE YOU NEXT SEASON.
One thing that is absolutely certain is, business-as-usual recruiting strategies that allow people to become candidates with very little effort are no longer fit-for-purpose.
For more information about the use of AI in job hunting and recruiting see this interesting article about the death of resumes.