For all the talk about innovation in recruitment tech, too many systems still forget who they’re built for.

You can feel it the moment you log in: the endless clicks, the clunky fields, the sense that the platform was made for the data team, not the recruiter. It’s no wonder so many recruitment tools get quietly abandoned after launch — not because they don’t work, but because they don’t fit.

At JSBC Labs, we’ve learned that re-humanising technology means starting with the people who use it every single day. Recruiters aren’t just system users — they’re relationship builders, storytellers, problem-solvers, negotiators, and at times, counsellors. Their success depends on intuition and connection. When tech forces them into rigid boxes, it disconnects them from the very thing that makes them effective.

That’s why we don’t ask, “What can the system do?”
We ask, “What does the recruiter need to feel supported?”

Human-centred design isn’t about making interfaces prettier — it’s about making workflows more natural. Every feature should mirror a recruiter’s real habits, not demand they learn new ones. When we design automation, we imagine how it would sound if spoken aloud: Would a recruiter say it that way? Would it make sense mid-call? If the answer’s no, the logic goes back to the drawing board.

When you start from empathy, the tech becomes invisible. Recruiters stop thinking about how to use the system — they just use it. That’s the goal.

Of course, empathy doesn’t mean avoiding efficiency. Smart design can still be powerful — it just needs a heartbeat. That’s where the philosophy behind J.A.R.V.I.S. — Just A Recruiter’s Very Intelligent Sidekick comes in. He’s not a flashy AI; he’s the quiet reminder of what tech can be when built with care. Jarvis represents a mindset, not a module — the belief that technology should think with recruiters, not for them.

Re-humanising recruitment technology means returning to balance: data and empathy, logic and instinct, machine and person. Because in the end, no matter how advanced the system, people still hire people.

And the best technology?
It just helps them do that better.