I’ve decided to do a New Year blog, it seems all doom & gloom, but it isn’t, so please stick with me.
Hiring is broken. Let’s be honest. Too much irrelevance and bullshit, too online, too impersonal – everyone is suffering, from applicants, hiring managers & recruiters.
If you’re running a shipping, freight forwarding or logistics business right now, your biggest problem isn’t “not enough applicants”. It’s the opposite. But 99% don’t come close to what you are looking for, either in terms of experience or location, often both.
It’s become too easy to apply. One click. No friction. Fire off the same CV to 30 roles in 3 minutes. AI will even write the perfect match CV and the cover note for you.
Result? Your inbox is full… but your shortlist is empty, or full with perfect candidates who in reality do not come close.
Job boards are broken
Here’s what I’m seeing & I am sure you are too:
- 200+ applications and only 5 were even slightly close.
- Every CV reads the same – you can tell ChatGPT wrote half of them.
- We’re spending more time filtering irrelevant applications than talking to people who could be a good fit & have real relevant experience.
On the other side, candidates don’t trust the process either:
- They apply and never hear back.
- They get auto-rejections from systems that don’t understand their experience & in many cases a human hasn’t even looked at the CV.
- So, they spray-and-pray even harder.
Low trust & low commitment behaviour on both sides.
And sitting in the middle of that? Fake profiles. Fake applicants. People “just seeing what’s out there” with no real intent to move jobs.
Everyone’s playing the volume game. Nobody’s winning. No body will until the rules of the game change.
AI has made sameness & the perfect candidate on paper the norm
Now I love AI, I went on a 10 week course, learnt loads and have now automated a lot of the admin for Blue Rocket, plus marketing wise it great for ideas. It’s like have your own PA / come expert in any field just following you around waiting for you to ask them a question.
However, in recruitment AI has changed the quality of applications – and not for the better.
CVs are:
- Over-polished
- Over-optimised for keywords
- Often exaggerated or just plain bullshit
When everyone’s CV looks perfect on paper, it’s actually harder to spot who’s real, who actually understands freight forwarding Customs entries, arranging haulage, and who just knows how to prompt an AI to make them perfect for the job.
That’s why so many hiring processes feel broken right now. It’s not that there are no good people out there – it’s that they’re buried under an avalanche of bullshit applications.
What employers (you guys) really want now
Every sensible logistics business I speak to wants the same thing:
- Fewer CVs, better fit
- Real people, not fake or half-interested applicants
- Honest conversations, not over-sold candidates, perfect on paper, but a let down at interview
In short: less noise, more honesty. Less irrelevant CVs and a handful of candidate’s who meet the brief, plus are motivated to move.
And that’s exactly where Blue Rocket comes in.
How Blue Rocket does it differently
I have stripped back everything in our business & rebuilt Blue Rocket Recruitment deliberately against the AI & automate everything model, whilst embracing the latest tech to help us source & qualify candidates faster, keep admin, notes and profiles current, conduct business development & marketing, WHILST keeping recruitment human. Always speaking to candidates, interviewing them personally, face to face if we can. Picking up the phone, speaking to candidates & clients, getting to know them, their motivations, their goals, their company, the best team fit, their concerns, worries… I can go on.
AI cannot reassure a candidate who has not changed jobs in the last 15 years and is worried & anxious, even if the job & company at which they have been offered seems a great opportunity. You get the kind of stuff I am talking about. Human, empathy stuff.
So, what do you get when using Blue Rocket?
I’d rather send you 3 spot-on candidates than 20 maybes. Every introduction comes with a real, human-written summary – who they are, why they fit, where the question marks are.
We use AI and tools to reduce admin and for speed – sourcing, shortlisting, drafting adverts – so I can spend my time where it matters: talking to people, testing motivation, checking cultural fit and long-term intent / commitment.
I personally speak to the candidates I represent. I want to know: why are you looking? Why now? Why this role? If I feel they’re not serious, we won’t make an intro & waste your time.
Client side- clear fees, clear expectations, honest feedback – even if that means telling you the market is tight, the salary is light, or the brief needs work.
Human relationships are back in 2026
Job boards and “easy apply” aren’t going away, but they’re not going to fix this mess anytime soon.
The way through all this noise is simple, old-fashioned and strangely modern at the same time:
- Real relationships
- Proper communication
- Empathy and good judgement, backed by smart tech
If you’re tired of sifting through irrelevant applications, AI-written CVs and candidates who vanish at offer or even interview stage – let’s talk as I am confident we can add value to your recruitment process.
Our mission is to make recruitment better for everyone…
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or if you need advice, always without obligation. Call 023 8033 6633 or email steve.wyeth@sdwrecruitment.co.uk
Lastly, Happy New Year & here is to a successful & healthy 2026 for all!
All the best,
Steve Wyeth
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