UAE: Is Our Hiring Process Outdated? Here's Why Young People Are Struggling To Land Jobs

Some younger job-seekers are becoming increasingly frustrated with the recruitment process as they often find themselves overlooked by employers despite meeting basic qualifications. According to experts, outdated hiring practices, reliance on AI-driven filtering systems, and rigid job descriptions are largely responsible for this.

"The current systems are designed for speed, not for recognising talent,” said recruitment expert Dmitry Zaytsev, Founder of Dandelion Civilization.

One major challenge is that hiring processes prioritise efficiency over engagement. While younger employees may meet formal qualifications, the systems evaluating them often fail to assess their potential, adaptability, or mindset. As a result, capable and motivated applicants frequently find themselves filtered out or ignored.

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Zaytsev added,“It's essential for employers to recognise that engagement should be at the forefront of hiring practices.”

The communication gap exacerbates the issue. Candidates apply and often receive no feedback, which creates an impression of dismissal before they even get a chance to demonstrate their abilities.“When candidates don't hear back, it feels like their efforts are in vain,” noted career coach Lubein Johnson.

“This can lead to a sense of hopelessness among young job seekers.”

AI systems in hiring are typically trained to identify success patterns based on CVs, job titles, and institutional affiliations. This often leads to a bias in favour of traditional career paths. When applied to early-career candidates, these systems can be especially harsh. Since younger employees may not have the "right" experience labels, they risk being overlooked despite their potential.“AI can be a double-edged sword,” warned Zaytsev.“While it streamlines the process, it often misses the nuances of a candidate's true capabilities.”

Adding to the discontent, these systems rarely provide feedback on why a candidate was filtered out. This lack of explanation isn't just a technological oversight; it's a failure in communication that undermines trust.

Some job descriptions remain unchanged for years and are still asking for 3–5 years of experience for entry-level roles, which is unrealistic for recent graduates. This disconnect makes it difficult for young professionals to enter the workforce and suggests that companies are not willing to invest in onboarding or early career development.“We need a paradigm shift in how we evaluate candidates,” Zaytsev emphasised.“Holistic assessments can reveal qualities that rigid job descriptions miss.”

This issue is particularly pronounced in fast-evolving industries such as tech, marketing, logistics, and digital services, where hiring demand is high but processes lag behind. While these sectors depend on adaptability and soft skills, hiring systems often emphasise technical experience. However, there is a growing recognition across industries that future competitiveness relies on nurturing adaptable talent.“Employers are beginning to understand that adaptability is key in today's fast-paced environment,” points out industry analyst Rachel Moore.

To improve the recruitment process for early-career talent, employers need to recognise that many current systems were built 10 or 15 years ago and haven't evolved to meet today's dynamic job market. Companies should modernise these systems to reflect how work and the workforce have changed. Offering alternative methods for candidates to demonstrate their abilities, such as gamified assessments, practical challenges, or scenario-based simulations, can provide a more interactive and inclusive way to evaluate potential. These tools help assess qualities like collaboration, creative thinking, and resilience, which are often difficult to measure through traditional CVs.

Dmitry Zaytsev emphasises,“Talent selection should focus not just on hard skills but also on values alignment. A modern, data-informed approach allows companies to form 'winning teams' by evaluating both competencies and shared values in an objective and structured way, rather than relying on intuition or guesswork.”

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