Listen up, engineering teams of all sizes! I’m fed up with this trend of “black boxing” the recruiting process. You know what I’m talking about, those shiny, VC-backed platforms promising to “streamline” hiring by shoving candidates through an algorithm like they’re widgets in a factory. They claim it’s efficient, unbiased, and cost-effective. Spoiler alert: it’s none of those things. It’s a reckless gamble that’s killing the heart of recruiting, relationships, and setting companies up for failure.
Recruiting isn’t about tossing resumes into a mysterious AI void and hoping for a unicorn to pop out. It’s about knowing who you’re hiring. When you black-box the process, you’re essentially buying a mystery box. You have no clue what’s inside until you open it, after you’ve already spent time, money, and resources. And it’s not cheaper, those platforms charge hefty fees. It doesn’t save time, sifting through bad fits wastes more hours than building a proper pipeline. And don’t get me started on how these systems screen out phenomenal candidates just because they don’t tick every box in some rigid, soulless algorithm.
Then there’s this absurd myth that abstracting HR from recruiting magically eliminates bias and solves diversity issues. Are you kidding me? The opposite is true! These black-box systems codify bias into their algorithms, garbage in, garbage out. If the data feeding the system reflects historical hiring patterns (spoiler: it does), you’re just automating the same old inequities. And the numbers will expose you. DEI and “woke” debates aside, excluding legally eligible candidates based on immigration status or other arbitrary filters isn’t just morally wrong, it’s a legal and ethical disaster waiting to happen. I saw this firsthand today with a well-known, VC-backed agency. They filtered out a brilliant engineer over a visa status that was perfectly valid. Disgraceful. Shame on them.
Here’s the truth: recruiting is, and always will be, relationship-driven. That’s the point of a recruiter. A good recruiter doesn’t just push paper, they put their reputation on the line with every recommendation. They build rapport, dig deep, and sometimes even become friends with candidates to understand their skills, values, and fit. That’s how you find the gems, the engineers, innovators, and leaders who don’t just fill a role but elevate your entire company. No algorithm can replicate that. No black box can match the human intuition of a recruiter who’s spent years honing their craft.
Engineering teams of all sizes, wake up! Stop falling for the hype of these flashy platforms. You’re not buying efficiency, you’re buying a lawsuit, a bad hire, or a missed opportunity. Invest in real recruiters who know your industry, your culture, and your goals. Build relationships, not firewalls. The future of your company depends on the people you hire, don’t leave that to a soulless machine.
https://topengineer.net
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