A screen flattens everyone
New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has told employers to think again about screening people with AI and interviewing them over Teams. His worry is that young people with raw talent, and none of the polish, get filtered out before anyone actually meets them. He’s right. I would only widen it, because this is not just a problem for the young.
A screen flattens everyone. It strips out the things a CV or automated application via LinkedIn cannot hold; curiosity, or the way someone leans in when a subject excites them. In short, their humanity.
The research is blunt about the cost. A meta-analysis of employment interviews found candidates are rated lower over video than in person and appreciate the experience less than hiring managers like to think. Many organisations have now built a hiring process that suits their diaries and location which works against the people we say we are looking for.
By all means follow up online but meet people face-to-face first. I guarantee you will learn more in ten minutes across a table than in an hour of buffering and asking whether they can hear you.
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