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Automated hiring software is rejecting millions of suitable job candidates

According to the survey, millions of applicants looking for jobs in the United States are denied entry not because they are unfit for a post but because the software automatically rejects applicants based on poor or too simplified criteria. 

According to reports, about 75 percent of employees in the country already utilize such job hiring software, with the number rising to 99 percent for Fortune 500 organizations. Although utilizing technology to sort through many applications saves organizations time, the researcher jobs believe it leaves an alarming number of applicants on the shelf. They claim that there is presently a labor shortage. 

The irony that companies consistently bemoan their inability to find talent jobs while millions remain on the fringes of the workforce led us to seek an explanation,” said the authors of the report. They added that some 27 million job aspirants in the U.S. remain “hidden” because of the software, with Germany and U.K. also having a similar problem. 

One of the most common reasons why a company can lose out on a potentially exceptional individual is that they have been "absent from the workforce," which means they haven't worked or looked for a job for a period of time. This may include applicants taking time off to publish a book or being absent from work due to a pregnancy. 

According to the Wall Street Journal today, some applicants have been turned down for not having "computer programming" qualifications while the job at hand was simply data entry. Other businesses have realized their mistakes. According to the Wall Street Journal, IBM has ceased imposing college degree requirements to professions that aren't explicitly required. “Strategically, we believed that if you have the talents, it shouldn't matter how you earned them,” the corporation stated. 

Nonetheless, even if the job isn't rocket science or the candidate is a bright autodidact, a huge majority of applicants are turned down because they lack traditional qualifications. This reminds me of a catchphrase from a British comedy sketch show that mocks workplace automation: “Computer says no” is the reaction when a person should know better. 

What's more startling is that nine out of ten CEOs polled indicated they were well aware that automated methods prevented many qualified candidates from being interviewed. Some stated it was a source of concern and something they wished to alter, though the researchers believe it would require a complete revamp of the hiring system. 

Source: Industry News