More than 70% of job seekers take the first job offer they receive. This reality, recently discussed by Recruitics CEO Adam Stafford on Nirit Cohen’s The Future of Less Work podcast, exposes a fundamental flaw in how hiring works today.
When economic pressure forces people into jobs they wouldn't otherwise choose, the result is widespread job dissatisfaction, higher turnover rates, and organizations filled with employees already planning their exit.
The good news is that companies can use this moment to their advantage. As AI reshapes how applications are submitted and screened, organizations can rethink their approach and focus on creating mutually beneficial matches between people and roles.
Watch the full conversation between Adam and Nirit:
Keep reading for:
- Why traditional job boards are losing quality candidates
- Three strategies for finding talent in professional communities
- What the future of AI-driven hiring looks like
The hidden cost of survival hiring
When rent is due and bills are piling up, career fulfillment becomes a luxury most can't afford. According to Stafford, "A lot of people are unhappy in their work and it's because of that economic pressure and incentive that comes along with work."
This creates a predictable cycle: candidates accept positions that don't align with their skills or interests, and employers get employees who are already looking for the exit before they've even started. Both sides lose, but the underlying economics make it difficult to break the pattern.
Traditional hiring cycles can aggravate this problem: today, talent leaders will often post a job, hope the right people apply, and compete on who can process applications fastest. When speed drives decisions more than genuine fit, the system breaks down for everyone.
How AI amplifies hiring mismatches
While advances in AI have multiplied opportunities for talent acquisition leaders, they’ve also posed new risks. AI tools now allow candidates to apply to hundreds of jobs with perfectly tailored applications, creating new challenges for employers trying to identify genuine interest and capability.
As a result, candidates using AI tools can produce applications that are well-tailored to positions, but sometimes result in complete mismatches, such as truck drivers representing themselves as qualified for nursing positions.
The numbers tell the story: as Stafford relays, "Applicant counts are going up, but applicant quality is going down." As AI adoption continues, application volume increases dramatically, but the signal often gets lost in the noise.
Finding candidates who aren’t looking
A major shift is happening in hiring that’s bringing candidates away from mainstream job sites: for many ambitious professionals, communities have become as important as job boards.
Effective talent acquisition leaders are adapting their sourcing strategies accordingly. Instead of waiting for applications to come in, they're actively engaging with candidates in these communities, building relationships before roles open up.
Rather than responding to job postings, quality candidates are demonstrating their capabilities in:
- Open source projects and technical forums
- Industry-specific communities and professional groups where they share expertise
- Specialized platforms where they showcase work
- Networks where they build relationships before roles become available
Building authentic touchpoints at scale
As automation increases across the recruitment cycle, human connection becomes more valuable. As Stafford points out, "The importance of human-to-human moments is increasing because the frequency of those moments is decreasing."
How does this change recruitment? Forward-thinking talent acquisition leaders are restructuring their approach by using AI for administration while preserving human judgment for decision-making. They let technology handle resume parsing, initial screening, and scheduling, but reserve human interactions for understanding motivation, cultural fit, and genuine enthusiasm.
This human-centered approach serves a larger purpose: ensuring that when organizations do find the right people, they're making connections that truly matter.
The real ROI of better matches
Stafford presents a different vision for recruitment success: connecting people with work that creates fulfillment and purpose.
He argues that work, at its best, is creative expression: "As humans, we tend to like to create, and creation is work. When work is that actual creative exercise where we get to fully express ourselves, it can be the most fulfilling thing in our lives."
This reframes the entire hiring conversation. In addition to filling positions quickly, organizations should consider: Are we creating opportunities for people to do their best work? Are we connecting capability with challenge?
The future of AI-powered screening
It’s likely that the next evolution in screening will see job seekers "train agents to have interactions with other agents" rather than just automating application submissions.
In this future, the first interview might happen between a candidate's AI agent and an employer's AI agent. This could improve matching by allowing richer information exchange instantly, leaving human interactions to focus on what matters most: cultural alignment, shared values, and genuine enthusiasm for the work.
Hire for staying power
Companies that retain top talent understand the importance of employer branding that goes beyond marketing speak. Organizations that misrepresent their culture or opportunities will see it reflected in retention rates. As Stafford puts it, "You can't market something that isn't there."
The recipe for better employee retention starts with hiring: be transparent about the role, team dynamics, and growth opportunities. Create work that genuinely uses people's capabilities rather than just checking boxes, and align with employee values from day one, focusing on long-term relationships alongside immediate hiring needs.
The companies getting this right aren't just filling positions—they're building teams of people who choose to contribute because the work itself is meaningful.
Preparing your team for the shift: three actionable steps
The data is clear: quality candidates are moving away from traditional job boards toward community-based platforms. Early adopters are already seeing the benefits, with companies reporting higher-quality applications and better retention rates from community-sourced hires.
Here's how talent teams can position themselves for this shift:
Step #1: Audit your current sourcing channels Document where your best hires actually come from. Track application-to-hire ratios by source, 90-day retention rates, and performance ratings. This data will guide where to invest your time and budget.
Step #2: Build community engagement capacity Identify the professional communities where your ideal candidates spend time. Start contributing valuable content, participating in discussions, and building relationships before you need to hire. This requires consistent effort over time.
Step #3: Design for human connection at scale Create screening processes that use AI for efficiency while preserving meaningful human touchpoints. Focus your technology investments on eliminating administrative work so your team can spend more time on the conversations that actually predict success: understanding motivation, assessing cultural fit, and building relationships with candidates who might not be ready to move today but could be perfect for future roles.
The bigger picture: better matching at scale
The ultimate goal Stafford describes is straightforward: "We're getting closer to a moment where someone can get connected with the right job, not just any job. The amount of human impact that we can have on the world with that technology is substantial."
This represents a fundamental shift from transactional hiring to strategic talent alignment. The future isn't just about filling positions faster or cheaper—it's about using talent more effectively by connecting people with work that energizes rather than drains them.
