The Job Hunt: Built to Harvest Data, not People?

The Job Hunt: Built to Harvest Data, not People?

Author: Gareth King August 31, 2025 Duration: 43:33

It was once a very human-centric process. But has the internet transformed looking for work into an automated, opaque, and intensely competitive digital gauntlet - where algorithms screen you out before a human ever reads your name?

We're joined by Edan Haddock - Global Head of Talent and People Experience at Movember - who works at the meeting point of human connection and hiring technology, and is exactly the right person to ask about what happens if recruitment becomes a purely digital process.

Welcome to Ruined By The Internet? - the show where we examine how technology is shaping modern life - whether we want it to or not.

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In this episode we investigate how AI and automation have reshaped the recruitment process from both sides, examine the ethical implications of algorithmic hiring and the biases it encodes, explore what it takes to maintain genuine human connection in a virtualised hiring environment, and ask whether the future of recruitment will be more human than ever - or less.

00:00 - Introduction to Movember and Edan's role in talent and people experience

03:07 - The evolution of talent acquisition: how technology changed everything

05:20 - The impact of digital communication on interviews and what gets lost

08:12 - Building genuine human connections in a digitalised hiring process

10:55 - The application process: quality versus quantity and who wins

13:21 - The biggest misconceptions in talent acquisition today

15:49 - The role of AI in recruitment: where it helps and where it doesn't

18:34 - The AI arms race in hiring: candidates versus algorithms

22:47 - Addressing bias in AI recruitment: can it ever be truly fair?

26:56 - How AI can enhance rather than replace the candidate experience

32:36 - Practical strategies for candidates trying to stand out in a digital pile

35:09 - Creative approaches in recruitment that cut through the noise

37:16 - The future of job searching and recruitment: more human or less?

Guest links - Edan Haddock

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/edan-haddock-total-talent/id1833735442


It’s a question that nags at anyone who’s ever felt a pang of nostalgia or a wave of digital fatigue: are we better or worse off because of our constant connection? Hosted by Gareth King, Ruined By The Internet? digs into that uneasy feeling, moving beyond simple headlines to explore how our online world actively moulds society, culture, and the texture of daily life. This isn’t about reviewing apps or gadgets; it’s about treating the digital realm as the pervasive environment it has become. Each episode features thoughtful conversations with leading thinkers and researchers from around the world, dissecting the real evidence behind our shared anxieties and hopes. You’ll hear nuanced discussions that ask whether the casualties we often blame on technology are inevitable, or if we’re simply misdiagnosing deeper societal shifts. This podcast provides a space for considered reflection, offering listeners a clearer lens through which to view their own place in a world that is, for better or worse, thoroughly wired.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 30

Ruined By The Internet? | Uncovering the human cost of our digital world
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