The early hiring funnel is now breaking on both ends

State of Tech Hiring (Pre- and Post-AI)

• Many argue hiring was broken long before AI: low signal from interviews, overreliance on vibes, credentials, and logo prestige.
• Others say AI hasn’t created new problems so much as scaled them and exposed how bad practices always were.
• High-performer fit is seen as contextual (big company vs startup, stage of company evolution).

AI, Resumes, and the Arms Race

• AI-generated resumes and cover letters have raised the “polish floor” while making it easier for unqualified candidates to sound perfect.
• Recruiters report huge volumes (hundreds to thousands of resumes) with near-identical, job-spec-mirrored content, often inconsistent with LinkedIn.
• Some say AI filters came first, forcing candidates to use AI to get past them; others dispute that automated rejections are widespread yet.
• Concern that proof-of-work barriers will rise, making cold applications nearly useless and pushing hiring back to referrals and in-person contact.

Filtering, Signal, and Interviews

• Leetcode / timed tests are widely criticized as weak signal and now easily cheated, selecting for grinders and cheaters.
• Many think early funnel signals (CV, cover letter) are close to zero value; live work samples, debugging existing code, or short tech screens give better signal.
• Trial periods and apprenticeships are praised but seen as hard to scale and risky for candidates, especially those leaving stable jobs.
• Disagreement over whether in-person interviews are worth the cost; some see them as necessary friction, others as applicant-repellent.

Referrals, Networking, and Nepotism

• Strong consensus that referrals are currently the highest-signal source; internal data in some orgs reportedly confirms much better outcomes.
• Worry that overreliance on referrals entrenches “old boys’ clubs” and biases, but many see no better scalable alternative under AI spam.

Candidate Experience and Power Imbalance

• Candidates describe dehumanizing funnels: ghost jobs, one-way video interviews, AI “interview bots,” no feedback, and long processes.
• Some talented people report opting out of the market or starting businesses rather than endure the process.
• Multiple commenters say they now judge companies by how much reciprocal effort and respect they show during hiring.

Proposed Fixes & Open Questions

• Ideas: more in-person interviews, small realistic tasks on company code, short manual tech screens, clearer timelines and guaranteed responses, better HR–engineering collaboration.
• Others argue that with low inherent signal and massive scale, hiring will remain a noisy gamble; AI may ultimately need to be part of both the problem and the solution.