Indeed's CEO wants to break this 'vicious cycle' in hiring

Some job seekers report applying for roles and not hearing back, while employers complain about unresponsive candidates, Indeed's CEO said.

Connect Images/Getty Images Indeed CEO Hisayuki Idekoba wants to make it easier for those who aren't recruited to find a job.

He said that better matching job seekers with open roles could disrupt a "vicious cycle." It comes as technology is creating an AI-to-AI loop in hiring, one recruiter said.

Hisayuki Idekoba hears regularly about how broken hiring can feel .

As head of the job platform Indeed, job seekers tell him they have applied to roles only to get nothing back, while employers complain about unresponsive candidates and surging application volumes, thanks in part to AI bots that flood open roles with résumés.

"It's a vicious cycle," Idekoba said.

He wants to break that loop by making Indeed's matching tools feel more like help from a recruiter for people applying cold.

That means guiding job seekers toward roles where they are more likely to gain traction, while helping employers focus on applicants who are serious and relevant.

Idekoba said better matching could discourage fruitless applications.

He gave the example of a restaurant worker applying for a $200,000 engineering job rather than pursuing a more appropriate restaurant-management position.

Ultimately, Idekoba said, the goal is to make better matches on both sides of the process.

"How can we make sure job seekers are a real person, and it's not an AI application, and they're serious, and they're qualified," he said.

"And how can we have real employers who are really trying to fill positions?" Indeed is navigating some of the same tensions Idekoba described.

In July, it began a limited US test of Apply For Me, a tool that could automatically submit applications for job seekers.