Per My Last Email Inside the Recruiter’s Brain: How to Get Hired in the Age of AI
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Mar 23, 2026 Sam DeMase, author and career expert who taught recruiting for over a decade, breaks down hiring in the age of AI. She discusses how recruiters work, why the resume upper third matters, and the shift to skills-based resumes. Learn how to get noticed on LinkedIn, when cold-applying still helps, and where AI fits into the process.
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Recruiters Are Overloaded With Many Requisitions
- Recruiters juggle many roles and typically manage 12–20 open requisitions at once, making them time-constrained.
- That workload means recruiters are squeezed and unlikely to give long attention to unremarkable candidates, so initial signals must be strong.
Hidden Job Market Means Poaching Beats Job Ads
- Many companies hire through the hidden job market by proactively poaching talent instead of relying on posted applications.
- Recruiters target competitors (e.g., Meta hiring from Snapchat) and often never fully rely on inbound applicants.
Niche Your Search And Own Specific Strengths
- Niche your job search by defining non-negotiables (team size, remote policy, leader type) and list core strengths in specific, results-focused language.
- Replace vague claims like "good communication" with concrete descriptors and outcomes.