The Signal Lab Podcast

Every hiring system in the world depends on one assumption:The information applicants submit tells employers something meaningful about what they can actually do.That assumption is beginning to collapse.Artificial intelligence now allows job seekers to generate customized resumes in seconds. Employers are using AI to generate job descriptions. Applicant Tracking Systems are using AI to rank candidates. Meanwhile application volumes are exploding.The result?Everyone looks qualified.Recruiters are drowning in applications.Employers are adding more requirements simply to reduce the number of people they have to review.And the signals that hiring systems have relied on for decades are becoming increasingly difficult to trust.In Part 3 of In Search of Signals, Ian Davidson sits down with Andrew Cunsolo, Principal Customer Solutions Partner at Employ, one of the world's largest Applicant Tracking System providers. With more than twenty-five years spent building recruiting technology—including some of the earliest resume parsing systems—Andrew has watched hiring evolve from keyword searches to AI-powered ranking.His conclusion is surprisingly simple.The problem isn't AI.AI is exposing weaknesses that were already built into hiring.Together, Ian and Andrew explore why applicant tracking systems behave the way they do, how employers actually use resumes, why application volumes are skyrocketing, and what happens when every candidate begins looking equally qualified.More importantly, they explore what comes next.Throughout the conversation they discuss how trusted, verifiable information—from digital credentials to Learning and Employment Records to the Trusted Career Profile—could fundamentally change how hiring systems understand people.Rather than asking recruiters to work harder, the future may depend on giving systems better information.This episode is part of In Search of Signals, a five-part investigation from Signol Labs examining how employers, recruiters, technology platforms, and marketplaces evaluate human potential.Each episode follows another layer of hiring infrastructure.Together they reveal a much bigger question:If our systems can't reliably understand people today, how will they understand human potential in an AI-driven economy?GuestAndrew Cunsolo Principal Customer Solutions Partner EmployLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/acunsolo/Employ: https://www.employinc.com/About Signol LabsSignol Labs helps organizations design the infrastructure of opportunity by connecting learning, work, skills, credentials, identity, and workforce technology.Learn more: https://signollabs.comSignal Mapping: https://signollabs.com/blog-signal-mapping/Connect with Ian Davidson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianwdavidson/If your organization is exploring skills-based hiring, workforce strategy, digital credentials, Learning and Employment Records, talent marketplaces, or trusted hiring data, we'd love to hear from you.https://signollabs.com/contact-us/