Growing up in the early 2000s, a time when technology was evolving at a rapid pace, I was fully convinced that the movie Back to the Future had seriously predicted the future. I genuinely believed that my first car would be one that could fly. While we don’t have flying cars (yet), we do have driverless cars, all thanks to the help of our artificial friend, AI.
The impact of AI on recruitment
There are some seemingly obvious benefits to AI: freeing up labor hours by automating processes, reducing the likelihood for human error, analysing large data sets, assisting with training, planning holidays… in 2025, the list is endless. Amongst the many industries AI is reshaping, recruitment is by no means immune, and is currently experiencing a shift in how talent is sourced, evaluated, and hired. While recruiters continue to remain in the driver seat, AI acts as the ultimate passenger princess.
Why candidate experience matters
Creating a great candidate experience (CX) is crucial for both a company's brand, and their reputation. On a candidate’s journey to finding the perfect company, their first interaction with a recruiter is much like a first date — initial impressions can make or break the chances of a second. A poor one isn’t just a missed opportunity; it’s something that’s likely to be shared among the rest of the talent pool. According to StandOut CV, 72% of candidates will tell colleagues, friends and family about a bad experience with an employer, and 55% of job seekers will not apply to a company after reading negative reviews on the internet.
The benefits of a positive candidate experience
Creating a positive CX increases the likelihood that candidates will engage with, and learn, more about the company, including its culture and values. This not only improves employee retention but also fosters strong internal and external advocacy. 95% of unsuccessful candidates who had a positive recruitment experience are likely to reapply, and 97% would recommend your company to their professional and personal networks.
Therefore, your recruitment team’s role in creating a great CX is crucial and is improved with the help of our new pal, AI. The key to recruiters creating a great CX is remaining human, in turn this will lead to better transparency and communication altogether. “What do you mean by “remaining human?”, I hear you ask. Well, with the help of AI, recruiters are able to place more time and effort into quality interactions with candidates themselves. Recruiters can empathise. Put themselves in a candidate’s shoes. AI, on the other hand, cannot.
This human touch allows recruiters to offer personalised communication and meaningful feedback, creating a more engaging and supportive experience.
Leveraging AI for smarter assessments
AI can be beneficial in giving recruiters the time to be human and offer those personal touches. Offering rejection calls that focus on constructive feedback, rather than a generic email which offers the candidate no capacity to grow from their experience with your company.
Speaking of generic emails, AI is your go to. It’s important to keep candidates updated throughout the hiring process. Keep the lights on — no candidate wants to be left in the dark. By utilising AI within your applicant tracking system (ATS) you can automate key candidate communications, such as application updates, interview confirmations, preparation materials, and company newsletters. This ensures that candidates are remaining seen as well as giving recruiters more time to focus on other tasks.
Another way to leverage AI effectively is through assessment platforms, which adapt to each candidate’s abilities and provide deeper insights into their skills and potential. AI platforms which can offer data-driven evaluations of candidates. This enables both recruiters and candidates to assess what they have done well and more importantly what they need to improve on. Platforms like Neurosight can offer bespoke and engaging assessments that are candidate specific. By incorporating this companies are veering away from the traditional “one size fits all” assessment approach which candidates know and don’t love.
While we may not have flying cars yet, we do have AI-driven processes that can not only improve your company's overall CX, but also gives recruiters more time to do what they do best — recruit quality candidates. Let the robots do the robot work, and your people do the irreplaceable part.
