It Just Exposed That Most of You Have No Strategy
The real reason you’re not getting interviews (hint: it’s not the algorithm)
I’ve been placing people in trading technology and market data for nearly 20 years.
I’ve seen boom times where mediocre candidates had three offers by Wednesday. I’ve seen brutal markets where exceptional people sat idle for six months.
Right now, everyone needs someone to blame.
AI has become the perfect scapegoat.
“The bots rejected my CV.” “AI is screening me out.” “No human even sees my application anymore.”
Bollocks.
That’s not what’s happening.
Let me pull back the curtain on what’s actually going on – and why most of you are making it worse.
The Real AI Problem (And It’s Not What You Think)
Yes, AI is affecting recruitment.
But you’ve got it backwards.
AI isn’t rejecting you. Other candidates are using AI to bury you.
Here’s the actual sequence of events:
Someone feeds their generic CV into ChatGPT with a Market Data Engineer JD. Gets a “perfectly tailored” version in 30 seconds. Hits Easy Apply. Repeats this 50 times before their morning coffee.
The result?
A Senior Software Engineer role at a trading tech firm that used to get 20 applications now gets 400.
Except 320 of those applicants can’t actually do the job – they just have an AI-written CV claiming they can.
Companies are drowning in applications.
Hiring managers I’ve worked with for 15+ years are overwhelmed.
They’re not using AI to auto-reject people – they’re using it to try and surface actual signal through the noise.
Most ATS systems with “AI features” are just doing keyword matching and basic filtering. They’re not making decisions. They’re trying to help humans make decisions.
The only thing actually auto-rejecting candidates?
Those knockout questions you lie on when you’re desperate:
- “Do you have right to work in the UK?” (No, but I clicked yes)
- “Do you have 5+ years in low-latency C++?” (I have 2, but I’m desperate)
- “Can you work in the office 3 days a week?” (I live in Manchester, the job’s in London, but sure)
You know you’re lying.
The system knows you’re lying.
You get auto-rejected.
This isn’t AI being evil – it’s you failing basic criteria you knew about upfront.
The Truth Nobody Wants to Hear
AI isn’t ruining the market.
There are fewer jobs and more people.
That’s it.
Trading technology and market data aren’t hiring like 2021-2022. Funding rounds are smaller. Expansion plans are conservative.
The market data vendor that would have hired 5 Account Executives is hiring 1.
The Energy Tech SaaS firm that would have built an entire London engineering team is expanding their existing Polish office instead.
Meanwhile, there are more candidates.
Redundancies from 2023-2024 are still working through the system. People who would have stayed put are now actively looking because they’re worried about runway.
This isn’t some grand conspiracy.
It’s simple supply and demand.
The market doesn’t care about your feelings.
What Actually Works (And Why You Won’t Do It)
Here’s what I tell candidates who genuinely want help:
Apply to fewer jobs, not more.
I know this sounds insane when you’re desperate.
But mass-applying is a broken strategy that’s now completely useless. You’re competing with 500 other applicants, 400 of whom used AI to fake their CV.
Instead:
Be more thorough with each application.
Actually read the JD. Understand what the company does. Write a proper cover note that shows you’ve done 10 minutes of research.
Tailor your CV by genuinely highlighting relevant experience – not by getting ChatGPT to keyword-stuff it.
Follow up.
Most people apply and pray.
You apply, then find the hiring manager on LinkedIn. Find the recruiter working the role. Send a thoughtful, professional message.
Not spam. Not desperation. A genuine follow-up that demonstrates you’re serious.
Connect with specialist recruiters before you need them.
Not the generalist recruiters who work “all sectors.”
Find the people who actually know trading tech and market data. In this market, there are maybe 10-15 recruiters who genuinely understand the space.
Build relationships with them now, not when you’re 3 months unemployed and panicking.
Use your network.
The best placements I’ve made in the last 18 months came through referrals and warm introductions.
Not job boards. Not LinkedIn Easy Apply.
Someone knew someone who said “you should talk to this person.”
The Bit You Really Won’t Like
Even this advice won’t guarantee anything.
Because here’s the reality: lots of candidates are already doing everything I just described.
The market is competitive. The bar is high. There are no shortcuts.
The candidates who are actually succeeding right now:
- Are genuinely skilled in their domain
- Are clear on what they want and what they offer
- Are professional and persistent without being desperate
- Are strategic about where they apply and who they connect with
- Are patient enough to play the long game
If you’re mass-applying to 50 jobs a week using AI-generated CVs, you’re not competing with AI.
You’re competing with hundreds of other people doing exactly the same thing.
You’re white noise.
If you’re applying to 5 carefully selected roles a week, doing proper research, following up thoughtfully, and building relationships with people who can actually help you – you’re playing a completely different game.
So What Now?
Stop blaming AI.
It’s a convenient excuse that lets you avoid the real problem: you have no strategy.
The market is tougher. There’s more competition. The easy times are over.
But the fundamentals haven’t changed: skilled people who are strategic, professional, and persistent will find opportunities.
People who treat job searching like a lottery will keep losing.
Final Thought: Don’t Confuse Activity With Strategy
Too many candidates confuse being busy with being effective.
Firing off 50 applications feels productive. It’s not.
Following up on 5 strategic applications feels like you’re not doing enough. It is.
The best time to explore the market is when you don’t have to.
That’s when you hold the cards.