How companies can benefit by hiring “hidden” candidates

It’s been dubbed the Great Resignation: nearly 20 million Americans left their jobs in 2021, and the trend is spreading to Western Europe, Asia, and beyond. Yet even as employers scramble to fill open positions, millions of capable candidates struggle merely to be considered. Why such a disconnect — and how can companies bridge it?

A study by Harvard Business School and Accenture finds a major reason for the gap: the near-ubiquitous use of automated hiring platforms, which systematically screen out large numbers of job seekers who might well fit the bill were their résumés ever to reach hiring managers’ desks.