Too Many Resumes, Not Enough Humans: AI Slop, Hiring, and Disability Inclusion

Disability @ Work
Episode 6
March 27, 2026

Ashley Sims
Welcome back to Disability at Work, the podcast, where we talk honestly about what's happening in hiring, especially when the systems we rely on are no longer working the way we hoped they would. I'm your host, Ashley Sims, and today we're talking about something nearly every recruiter is dealing with right now: AI slop. Here's what it looks like in practice. You post a job and within hours the applications start flooding in. You're inundated with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of applications. Every resume looks great. Every candidate checks every box. The language is polished, the experience lines up perfectly. And that's because it's not just recruiters using AI anymore. Job seekers are using it too, to write resumes, to draft cover letters, to prep for interviews, and sometimes, even to ace interviews. So we end up in this strange place where everything looks right on paper. But it's harder than ever to tell who's actually behind the applications. That leads to the real question for employers. How do we find real, qualified people when everyone looks exactly the same? Before we talk solutions, it's important to name something clearly. Most candidates didn't start using AI because they want to cheat the system. They start using it because the system already feels stacked against them. The job market sucks right now. And landing an interview is harder than ever. That means applying for more and more jobs, longer stretches of unemployment, and just an overall more competitive environment. For disabled and neurodivergent jobseekers, AI is often doing very specific work. It helps organize thoughts. It does smooth language and it fills in gaps that employers already judge pretty harshly. And maybe it helps break down some of the application barriers. So when recruiters say all these resumes look the same, candidates can say that's the only way to get past the filters. That's the only way to get in the front door. AI didn't break recruiting. It just made the cracks impossible to ignore. Recruiters aren't overwhelmed because candidates are unqualified. They're overwhelmed because they're buried in volume. When hundreds of thousands of resumes all match the job description, resumes stop being useful as a decision-making tool. At that point, you're not evaluating people. You're managing traffic. And when hiring turns into traffic control, strong candidates disappear. So, let me give you a real world scenario based on conversations we're having on the daily. An in-house recruiter at a mid-sized company hiring for a customer support role. Nothing exotic. Fully remote. Solid pay. They post the role on two large job boards. Within three days, they have over 1,200 applications. Almost all of the resumes are technically qualified. Many of them use the same keyword phrases. And a surprising number even had identical summary sentences. The recruiter knows that they can't realistically review them all. So what if instead they refine the job description, highlighting what the job really involves, and cut out all of the corporate mumbo jumbo? They pause the mass postings and repost the role in two places: a niche job board focused on disability inclusive hiring and a small professional community where current employees share the role directly. This time they received 60 applications. Not perfect. Not all polished. But here's the change. With a more direct pool of talent, recruiters have the opportunity to really assess the candidates. They're able to do more screening and reference calls, more human to human interactions. And candidates have the opportunity to explain why they want the role. They talk about how they handle real customer issues, how their lived experiences translate to the position. That equals more meaningful human interactions and better hiring signals. So let's get practical. Not how do we stop AI, because at this point, that train has definitely left the station. The real question is how recruiters cut through the noise and get back to people? One of the most effective moves right now is also one of the hardest. Stop trying to attract everyone. Mass job boards combined with AI encourage spray and pray applications that lead to volume, but not necessarily outcomes. Recruiters should ask themselves, do we need a thousand applicants? Or do we need 40 people who actually want this role? Niche job sites, referral networks and community-based sourcing naturally slow things down. And that should be the point. Resumes were never a perfect signal and AI has made that impossible to ignore. Use resumes to confirm baseline requirements. Do not use them as a final filter. We've been talking about this for forever, because resumes don't tell the whole story of who someone is or what they're capable of. Right now, resumes mostly show who understands formatting and keywords, and who can type a prompt into AI. They don't reliably show who can succeed. Lived experience can do that. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills can do that. AI pushes candidates towards flawless answers. And recruiters do need to push back. Instead of asking whether someone matches every requirement on paper, recruiters should be asking different questions. Is there a believable path for this person to succeed in this role? Can they explain the decisions they've made and why they've made them? Do they show learning, judgment and the ability to adapt when things don't go as planned? When every resume looks perfect, hiring systems tend to fall back on what feels familiar. Traditional career paths. Recognizable company names. Communication styles that fit the norm. That’s how disabled talent gets filtered out systemically. AI slop doesn't just overwhelm recruiters. It quietly rewards sameness. If inclusion matters in an AI-driven hiring process, the answer isn't better technology alone. It's better design choices that value real signal over polished sameness. AI is unfortunately here to stay. So is candidate frustration. Recruiters still have leverage, not by adding more automation, but by being intentional about volume, sourcing and early signals. If you're overwhelmed by resumes, the answer probably isn't another filter or more tech. It's a better front door. And if you want help connecting with real qualified talent, that's exactly what we do here at Disability Solutions. You can learn more at disabilitytalent.org. Thanks for listening to Disability at Work today. Until next time. Let's keep making hiring more human.