Why are we job hunting like it's 2005?

As I write this, a rocket is taking off from Earth. I have a supercomputer in my pocket. Large language models are passing the Turing test. Yet somehow, job hunting still feels like an outdated ritual, spamming resumes across job boards and hoping you get lucky. It's a digitized job fair that hasn't truly evolved. And frankly, it's baffling that we've settled for this.

Job boards have gotten prettier. Applications are easier and faster to submit. There are better filters, smarter keyword matching, and AI is everywhere in the process. But we're just climbing higher up the same hill, when there are mountains nearby.

The problems with job hunting existed long before AI came into play. Job boards are essentially human-powered search engines, where a job listing acts as a search query for talent. It's up to individuals to self-assess if they're a good fit for the position. This approach encourages candidates to apply widely, regardless of fit, which means they're often wasting time on jobs they're not qualified for, while recruiters sift through hundreds of irrelevant applications. These inefficiencies are clearly reflected in the statistics:

• Only 2% of applicants who apply through job boards ever get an interview.
• Recruiters spend just 6 seconds reviewing most resumes before moving on.
• The average job seeker spends 6.5 hours per week sending applications, typically taking 4 months to secure an offer.

To be clear, it's not that job boards don't work, they do. But we've hit a ceiling. We're optimizing a process that might not be worth optimizing anymore.

I want to ask a different question. Instead of trying to make job boards more efficient, what if we reimagined how talent and opportunities connect in the first place? What if it worked more like a search engine for talent, focused on quality matches instead of endless applications?

Here's what needs to change:

• Automate the basics. Let candidates pick the type of work they want, and let recruiters search for what kind of candidates they want, straight away.
• Eliminate repetition. Taking action should be one and done, not a continuous trial and error game. Make the process linear, candidates set up their profile once, and recruiters can instantly find the right matches without ongoing adjustments
• Get rid of the noise, focus on quality. Instead of overwhelming both sides with options, focus on surfacing high-quality, actionable matches. Save on time and effort.

Job hunting isn't just an annoyance, it's a bottleneck for human potential. Every wasted application represents someone's time, effort, and hope. Every unfilled position represents lost productivity and innovation.

If we can optimize something as trivial as food delivery, we owe it to ourselves to optimize something as critical as connecting people to meaningful work.

It's time to leave 2005 behind and build something better.