Essay plan: advantages and disadvantages

Automated screening tools now sift through thousands of resumes before a human recruiter ever sees them, a practice that brings clear efficiency gains but also raises serious concerns about fairness and accuracy. On balance, I believe the drawbacks of relying too heavily on algorithms outweigh their benefits unless they are carefully supervised by trained staff. The main advantage of automated screening is speed and consistency. A large company such as Amazon or Unilever may receive tens of thousands of applications for a single graduate scheme, and no team of recruiters could realistically read each one carefully. Software can quickly filter candidates based on keywords, qualifications, or test scores, allowing companies to shortlist applicants within hours rather than weeks. This also removes some forms of human inconsistency, such as a tired interviewer giving harsher marks late in the day than in the morning. However, these systems bring significant risks. Algorithms are trained on historical hiring data, which often reflects past biases. Amazon itself famously scrapped an internal recruiting tool after discovering it downgraded resumes containing the word "women's", because the training data came from a male-dominated industry. Such systems can therefore entrench discrimination rather than eliminate it, while appearing neutral and objective. Additionally, automated keyword matching often rejects strong candidates whose experience is described in unconventional language, such as career changers or those with international qualifications, even when they would perform the job well. A further disadvantage is the loss of nuanced human judgement. A hiring manager might recognise potential in a candidate whose passion and communication skills come through in an interview but not in a resume, whereas an algorithm cannot detect enthusiasm or cultural fit. Reducing hiring to numerical scores risks producing a workforce that is technically qualified but lacking in creativity or interpersonal strength. In conclusion, while automated screening offers undeniable efficiency for large-scale recruitment, its tendency to replicate bias and overlook human qualities means it should support, rather than replace, human decision-making in hiring.