All I have is anecdotal experience but I’ve been on the hiring end frequently over the last 5 years and this was my experience:
I had to use the company template for parts of the job description. It contained some stuff that’s there for legal reasons, and a lot of stuff they just want on all jobs as policy, so we present a consistent face and have consistent hiring standards. But I could add as many custom paragraphs as I wanted, and I removed the 4-year degree requirement and no one complained. I’d say look for the “real” paragraphs from the actual hiring manager. They may be buried.
online applications were pure noise - a flood of candidates not even remotely matching the qualifications listed or even having any relevant experience whatsoever. I’m sure some were total shots in the dark or even automated - basically spam. Others were probably cases where people thouggggggght their experience was relllllllevant because they were looking at it through the eyes of hope or desperation. Before you wonder why an employer never answered your application, ask how much time you spent deciding to apply there. If it’s less than 60 seconds, this is probably your answer.
recruiters mostly brought me people they found through networking. Yes LinkedIn, but also through other contacts. In one case they brought me someone who was a close #2 pick for another open job at our company and did turned out to be great
Every candidate we talked to was also talking to other employers, which is reasonable. People complain sometimes that they attended a meaningless job interview because “they already knew who they wanted to hire.” This also happens in reverse where a candidate will keep applying to new jobs even if they are negotiating an offer somewhere. Just in case that offer falls through. Reasonable right? Well, it’s also reasonable to keep interviewing candidates in case you don’t get that one you are hoping you will. If you do get them, you might have to tell others “sorry we have filled the position” and they might feel like they barely got a chance. This is just how it works. I’ve also seen people sign offer letters and then start work with us, and in week 1 accept another offer somewhere else and jump ship. Employers and candidates both betray each other and behave without honor. That’s just how it goes.