Episode Overview
A leaked internal memo shows Google’s own recruiting team doesn’t fully trust the company’s AI screening tool. The memo, marked “do not share widely” and shared widely within hours, admits a “non-trivial possibility” that the AI is ignoring or ruling out qualified candidates, and now Google is asking applicants to fill out a separate form so a human can manually review their resume. Pete and Peter dig into why that matters beyond one company: average applications per job jumped from 115 in 2022 to 244 in 2025, which is exactly the volume problem AI screening is supposed to solve.
They also cover new SHRM data showing 85% of recruiting leaders expect to increase their use of AI screening, and 63% of job seekers report already being screened or interviewed by AI, up 13 points in six months. One number Pete calls inexcusable: 70% of candidates say they were never told AI was involved in their application. Pete and Peter disagree a bit on how far the technology has come (Pete calls well-built AI screening close to ideal, Peter still calls it a necessary evil), but they agree on one thing: candidates should be told upfront.
The leaked Google memo also warned that human reviewers get tired of resumes that all sound alike from AI-generated answers. Pete and Peter’s advice for candidates: let AI handle formatting, but keep the actual content and voice your own.
From there, a new Monster survey found 54% of workers would take a pay cut for job security, and 61% would give up some part of their pay or work arrangement just for stability, even though the data still shows roughly one job opening for every job seeker. They also cover a slowdown in ADP’s weekly hiring numbers, a three-year high in NFIB’s small business hiring plans, and an MIT report on what it calls “disposable workers,” which Pete and Peter push back on hard when it comes to contract employment.
Key Takeaways
- Google’s leaked memo admitting its AI screening tool may wrongly reject qualified candidates
- Applications per job jumped from 115 in 2022 to 244 in 2025
- SHRM: 85% of recruiting leaders expect more AI screening, but 70% of candidates aren’t told AI is involved
- Whether it’s okay for candidates to use AI to write their resumes
- Monster survey: 54% would take a pay cut for job security
- Why the job market is healthier than most people believe
- ADP’s hiring slowdown, and NFIB’s three-year high in small business hiring plans
- MIT’s “disposable workers” report, and why Pete and Peter disagree with the framing
44 minutes
