It usually starts with a friendly email from a client. “Hey, Mark—appreciate your
help on this role, but I think we’re good. We’ve got about 300 resumes to comb
through. We’ll circle back if anything changes.”
I know the tone. I know what they mean. And I know I’ll probably hear from them
again in a few weeks—because the reality of hiring in 2025 isn’t about how many
resumes you get, it’s about how many matter.
Let me tell you why the myth of “300 good resumes” needs to die—and what I’ve
learned about the gap between the illusion of volume and the reality of value.
The Resume Avalanche
A few years ago, if a client said they had 300 applicants, I’d raise an eyebrow but
also think—okay, decent shot there’s a handful of solid people in that pile. Back
then, you could scan resumes and quickly knock out the 75% who weren’t
remotely close. Maybe they had the wrong industry experience, maybe their
location wasn’t workable, or maybe they were career switchers trying something
new with no real runway yet.
But in today’s world? That 75% number has completely collapsed.
We’re seeing resumes now that look nearly perfect. The job description lines up,
the skills are all there, and the format is clean, modern, readable. On paper, you’d
think—this person checks every box.
Until you get them on the phone.
That’s when you realize you’re not just interviewing the candidate—you’re
interviewing ChatGPT’s version of the candidate.
When AI Fakes It Better Than People
Look, I’m not anti-AI. I use automation all the time. In fact, I think it’s smart to
leverage the tools that make you more efficient. But the double-edged sword
we’re dealing with in recruiting today is this: automation has made it way too easy
to look employable.
Now, any job seeker can paste a job description into ChatGPT, paste their old
resume into another prompt, and ask the machine to make them match up. The
result? A new resume that mirrors the job requirements almost too well—one
that’s optimized to get through your ATS, through the initial screen, and right into
your inbox.
And when you’re the one combing through 300 of those—trust me, you feel it.
You start to hear the same recycled phrases. You hear hesitation when you ask
basic questions about stack familiarity or project ownership. And every so often,
you hear typing in the background. Because they’re still prompting the AI
mid-interview.
I’ve had candidates pause 10-15 seconds after a question, and you just know
they’re searching the answer. You can practically hear them whispering, “Okay,
ChatGPT, what is the difference between a microservice and a monolith?” And
while I love technology, I also love when a developer can speak confidently
without consulting an oracle.
The Great Screening Time Sink
If you’ve never been on the recruiting side, it’s easy to underestimate how draining
the resume avalanche really is. Let’s say you actually do get 300 resumes. Now
assume even 10% of those are genuinely worth a deeper look—that’s still 30
screening calls. Thirty conversations where you need to assess not only technical
skill but personality fit, culture alignment, communication skills, and motivation.
And let’s be honest: you rarely get 10% these days.
So, you might spend hours sifting through profiles that looked great in a PDF but
fall apart in conversation. And in that time, the real candidates—the ones who
didn’t AI-hack their resume, the ones who are actually in-demand—are already talking to someone else. Someone faster. Someone who knows how to find them
without wading through the digital noiseWe’re not just sorting resumes anymore. We’re decoding whether what we’relooking at is even real.
The 1,100 Resume Week
Here’s a story that sums this up perfectly.
Right now, we’re helping fill a CIO role for one of the largest hospital systems in the
country. It’s a huge job. Strategic. High-visibility. The kind of position where you
expect applicants to be carefully considered, thoughtfully curated.
We posted the job, and within three days—three days—we had 1,100 resumes.
Now, let’s think about that.
There probably aren’t even 1,100 CIO-level professionals in the U.S. who match this
specific blend of healthcare experience, executive presence, and enterprise-level
system management. Yet here we are, looking at a spreadsheet that reads like an
AI-generated fantasy roster.
What do you do with 1,100 resumes? You roll up your sleeves. You screen, sort, and
validate. And it takes days—if not weeks—to separate what’s possible from what’s
plausible. Because once again, the automation that helps candidates is slowing
down hiring teams.
I don’t blame job seekers. They’re playing the game with the tools they have. But
companies need to realize that the game has changed.
Why the Search Starts Too Late
Another side effect of this resume inflation? The delayed ask for help.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been looped into a search after the company
already feels exhausted. They spent weeks looking through every resume, maybe
conducted a handful of interviews, and now they’re back at square one. That’s
when I get the call.
“Mark, we tried. But no one’s really landing. Can you jump in?”Sure. I’m always happy to help. But we could’ve started this conversation a month ago—and maybe that ideal candidate would already be on the team.
I get it. It feels wrong to ask for help when you’re staring at 300 people who all seem interested. But if they’re not qualified, not vetted, not actually ready to contribute—that’s not a search. It’s just a delay.
Why Fewer Candidates Make for Better Hires
One of the best placements I made recently didn’t start with a long search. It
started with one name.
There was a developer I’d been keeping in touch with for three years. Great guy.
He’d taken a remote job with a company that eventually switched to a low-code
tech stack, which wasn’t his thing. So, he was ready to move.
We explored ten or twelve companies together—he turned some down, some
turned him down. But eventually, we found the right fit. It was an e-commerce
business doing automotive gear, similar to his last role. They didn’t even have an
open role when I called. I just said, “Look, this guy’s got the skills, the mindset, and
he reminds me of someone else you loved. Just talk to him.”
They did. A week later, they offered. He starts soon.
No 300 resumes. Just one well-matched introduction that turned into a win for
both sides.
Stop Believing Volume Equals Value
It’s easy to be dazzled by big numbers. It feels like momentum when a job posting
racks up hundreds of applicants. But hiring isn’t about momentum—it’s about fit.
And fit doesn’t scale easily.
What matters is getting to the people who truly match your need—technically,
culturally, temperamentally. That doesn’t happen in a resume flood. It happens in
the quiet work of relationship-building, referrals, real conversations.
The best candidates I know? Most aren’t actively applying to jobs. They’re talking
to recruiters they trust. They’re open to a conversation, not a cattle call. And
they’re not adjusting their resume with a chatbot to mirror whatever’s trending.
They’re busy. They’re good. And they get snatched up quickly.
So, What’s the Answer?
It’s not about building better ATS filters or writing job descriptions that sound like
startups and Fortune 500s had a baby.
It’s about recognizing that technology has changed the signal-to-noise ratio in
hiring. And to beat that system, you have to lean into the stuff tech can’t do:
intuition, conversation, context.
Hiring is human work.
It’s messy, and nuanced, and sometimes frustrating. But it’s also where you find the people who change your company. And they rarely show up in resume 197 of 300.
Let’s Be Honest: You Don’t Need 300 Resumes. You Need Three Great Ones.
That’s what recruiters like me are here for. Not to swamp your inbox, but to filter
the noise. To bring you people—not paper.
So the next time you post a role and feel tempted to ride the wave of applications,
ask yourself: do I want to be busy, or do I want to be done?
If it’s the latter—let’s talk.
Need help navigating your career path? Check out our website.
About The Author:
Mark Krusinski is a senior recruiter at Emerald Resource Group, specializing in IT, tech, and executive
placements. With nearly a decade of experience, he’s built a reputation for cutting through the
noise of AI-inflated resumes to find real talent that fits. Mark is passionate about building lasting
relationships with both clients and candidates, and when he’s not making great matches, you’ll
probably find him on the golf course or working on his latest real estate side hustle.
