Key Takeaways
- Pakistan faces a hiring infrastructure problem rather than a talent shortage.
- Recruitment processes are inefficient, leading to missed opportunities for both employers and jobseekers.
- Modern technology has increased job applications but has not improved the quality of hiring.
Pakistan's hiring system is broken, according to industry experts, who argue that the country does not have a talent shortage but rather an inefficient process that fails to match skilled candidates with suitable job opportunities.
After years of working in human resources, operations, and business leadership, the author has observed a common frustration: employers complain of a lack of good candidates, while jobseekers express a lack of good job opportunities. This mismatch is not due to a lack of talent, but rather a flawed hiring system.
In a typical hiring scenario, a company posts a single vacancy and receives 500 applications. While this may seem like an abundance, it often turns into a filtering problem. A recruiter spends only two minutes reviewing each CV, which amounts to almost 17 hours of work before a single proper conversation takes place.
The process is further complicated by shortlisting, scheduling interviews, dealing with no-shows, taking interview notes, and follow-ups. This makes the cost of hiring one candidate look significantly higher than it appears at first glance.
Technology has made it easier for candidates to apply, but it has also created noise. Employers now receive more applications than ever, while candidates still feel invisible. The old recruitment model was built around distribution, but the next model must focus on decision-making, helping employers identify the few people worth speaking to faster and with better information.
A curriculum vitae (CV) is a useful tool, but it should not decide everything. The author has seen excellent candidates with average CVs and average candidates with beautifully optimized CVs. This is not a criticism of candidates but a limitation of the tool. Today, candidates are taught how to beat Applicant Tracking System (ATS) filters, insert the right keywords, and redesign their profiles for algorithms. There is value in learning how to present oneself, but we should also ask a harder question: are we teaching people how to become better candidates, or simply how to pass the system?
A better hiring process should bring more signals forward earlier, such as relevant experience, structured responses, communication, availability, salary expectations, practical knowledge, and role-specific understanding. The CV should remain part of the hiring process but should not carry the whole burden.
The author cites an example of a 30-minute first-round screening with 20 candidates, which takes 10 hours of interviews before serious evaluation begins. Much of that time is spent asking the same opening questions: 'Tell me about yourself. Why this role?' This inefficiency is one of the reasons that pushed the author deeper into recruitment technology.
