Rethinking Early-Career Hiring: Why More Applications Don’t Mean Better Candidates
The Problem with One-Click Job Applications
In theory, one-click job applications should make campus recruiting easier. The reality: they've actually made it harder for both recruiters and students.
Recruiters are now flooded with applications, many from candidates who do not fully understand the role, are not genuinely interested, or simply clicked “apply” because it was easy. With online applications becoming more standardized, it's easier than ever for candidates to apply to dozens of jobs in seconds—often with little thought about fit.
Meanwhile, students struggle to stand out in a sea of automated rejections, keyword-optimized resumes, and impersonal hiring processes.
The result is more noise, more inefficiency, and missed opportunities for great candidates to connect with the right employers.
The 92% Drop-Off: A Problem or an Opportunity?
One-click applications may flood recruiters with unqualified candidates, but the alternative isn’t much better. A past SHRM report found that 92% of candidates abandon lengthy online job applications. At first glance, this might seem like a major red flag for hiring teams. But what if it’s actually an opportunity to rethink how we engage and assess talent?
Rather than relying on traditional job applications that often filter out great candidates, forward-thinking recruiters are shifting to alternative ways to engage students that make it easier to assess skills, motivation, and real interest.
Why Micro-Internships Are a Smarter Approach
Instead of screening candidates based on resumes and GPA alone, Micro-Internships offer a more effective and less time-consuming way to evaluate early-career talent.
💡 A simple short-answer question like “Why should we pick you for this Micro-Internship?” can reveal far more than a resume. Employers gain insight into a candidate’s communication skills, motivation, and problem-solving abilities in just a few minutes.
And you still get plenty of applicants. I recently posted a marketing Micro-Internship and had 55 applicants in just a few days. But instead of sifting through stacks of resumes, I could quickly review their short-answer responses, checking for thoughtfulness, attention to detail, and genuine interest. It felt far less overwhelming while giving me real insight into who would be a great fit.
Why This Works
✔️ Real insights, not just keywords. Resumes can be optimized by AI, but short-answer responses show genuine communication skills.
✔️ Quality over quantity. Students who take a few minutes to articulate their interest are more likely to be engaged candidates.
✔️ Less work for recruiters. Reviewing short responses is actually faster and more insightful than sifting through hundreds of applications.
Making Hiring Easier and More Effective
More applications do not necessarily mean better candidates. By rethinking early-career hiring through Micro-Internships and skill-based assessments, recruiters can find high-potential talent faster and with less frustration.
Want to See This in Action?
Let’s make hiring easier for you and for students. Request a demo of Parker Dewey+ to see how skills-based hiring can help you engage and identify top early-career talent.
