Large application numbers can create the impression of choice while making it harder to see the genuinely relevant people. Two hundred applications do not equal two hundred candidates.
Why quality can appear lower
- One-click applications encourage volume without relevance
- Job descriptions can be too broad to self-select the right market
- Strong passive candidates are not applying at all
- Automated CVs make surface-level applications look more polished
- Slow feedback causes the best people to leave the process
The hiring answer is not more applications
Start with the commercial outcome, define the evidence required and map the relevant market. A smaller, properly assessed shortlist is far more valuable than a large pile of loosely matched CVs.
Candidate quality has not disappeared. The strongest people are simply less likely to arrive through the easiest route.