Mo’ Platforms, Mo’ Problems: The Efficiency Trap No One Talks About
In 2025, there is a platform for EVERYTHING! A tool to source candidates, a tool to post jobs, track performance, manage onboarding…even a tool to tell you how to use the tool. All of this, although “resourceful”, is meant to create efficiency. But somewhere along the way, companies fall into what I call, the efficiency trap.
The efficiency trap happens when organizations chase the shiny new platform on the market with the promise of faster, better, more efficient work arounds without stopping to assess: Do these platforms actually make the work easier? Will our current platform(s) integrate with what we currently have? Can it replace what our company currently has? Does this platform prioritize the employees who will use it the most? What is the downstream impact?
Too often, the answer is no.
When Efficiency Becomes Inefficient
I’ve lived this firsthand. At a previous company, we used BrassRing as our applicant tracking system (ATS). On the surface, it did what it was supposed to do…house applicants’ resumes (efficiently? Questionable). As an illustration, let’s say one of our hiring managers wanted to post a role in 5 or 10 different states, we would have to post 5-10 job postings for each state! What should have been a five-minute task turned into an administrative burden, misusing time that could have been spent engaging candidates or other internal strategic work.
That’s the trap my friend! A system platform designed to help ends up hurting. Now is Brassring outdated? Of course. But that’s exactly the point. This is why it’s critical for companies to also regularly assess the longevity of the platforms they select. Will/can this system serve the company’s needs two years from now? Five years from now? Or is it good for right now, leaving you stuck with a tool that struggles to adapt as your business and market evolve?
Shiny Tools Don’t Replace Broken Processes…They Patch Them!
The trap deepens when companies run to the next shiny thing. The kids are obsessed with AI; and by the kids I mean er’body and they mama! Leaders assume that because a platform or a tool is “intelligent” or digital, it’ll fix and solve everything with minimal effort. NEWSFLASH: AI is only as strong as the instructions it’s given.
Whether it’s an IT partner writing the script or a recruiter prompting the system, the output depends on the human behind it. If the process is unclear, if the data is messy, if the workflow hasn’t been thought through; AI won’t magically fix it. At best, it’ll scale the inefficiency faster, especially when the human and the technology aren’t aligned.
Integration and the Candidate Factor
When we talk about efficiency, related to recruiting, most companies stop at the internal users such as recruiters, hiring managers, and employees. And yes these groups matter, but the main priority has to be the candidate as well. Remember in the previous blog, when we discussed how poor processes often get disguised as a recruiting problem? The same applies here. When the candidate isn’t prioritized, no amount of PR or branding can cover the cracks in your process.
Think about it. The candidate is often the first to feel the impact of a clunky system. How many great candidates have not even applied to a role just because there’s one too many clicks or steps to view the job description? Or the application required a specific browser? And don’t let a candidate get locked out of their account after a system update. And by the time the candidate jumps through those hoops, they’ve already moved on!
Recruiters will usually take the hit to make the process work because good recruiters know the candidate experience is everything. Hiring managers, in many cases, are bottlenecks we can work around with the right tools (i.e., bulk resume sharing, formatted lists, etc.) while internal candidates/current employees applying to a role tend to have a smoother ride.
But external candidates? They’re the ones most likely to walk away when the process is too disconnecting, too complicated or frustrating. And that’s the true cost of inefficiency. Not just wasted recruiter hours, but missed talent. Candidates don’t care how many tools you have. They care how easy it is to apply, prepare, and get hired!
The last time I checked, there are a plethora of job openings with companies claiming they can’t find talent…maybe it’s your process? Maybe it’s your wishlist of a job description? Maybe it’s time to think outside the box? Maybe it’s time to hire The Dezonie Collective!
The Future of Efficiency Belongs to Lifelong Learners
I’m reminded of the book, The Internet of Things by Samuel Greengard, which ends with a powerful view: technology will continue to evolve, but the people who remain relevant are those who stay curious, ask (multiple, different) questions, and know how to direct the tools. Not the other way around.
That’s the real partnership with AI and every other platform out there. It’s not about expecting the system to do the work for you; it’s about building sustainable processes that guide the system to work smarter for your people by making their job efficient.
This is where many organizations fall into the trap. Last week, I shared why Recruiting Isn’t Broken. Your Process Is. This week, it’s the same truth on a bigger scale: your efficiency doesn’t live in another platform. It lives in the clarity of your process, the integration of your tools, and the experience you create for the people moving through them.
At The Dezonie Collective, we help organizations step out of the efficiency trap by realigning people, process, and technology. Because having more platforms doesn’t solve your problems…building better, sustainable processes do.
