The Enshitification of Talent Acquisition: How We Lost Our Way in the Pursuit of Efficiency

Introduction: The Shifting Landscape of Talent Acquisition

The story of talent acquisition over the past few decades reads like a cautionary tale of prioritizing process over people. What began as a high-touch, relationship-driven function has gradually morphed into a metrics-obsessed machine that paradoxically leaves all stakeholders - candidates, recruiters, and hiring managers - increasingly dissatisfied. How did we get here, and more importantly, where do we go next?