The human element in hiring

AI brings clear and measurable benefits to recruitment: faster processes, fewer administrative tasks, and potential smarter matching. But these operational gains exist in tension with a critical “soft” factor – the candidate experience.

There is a growing disconnect between the drive for efficiency and the emotional needs of applicants. Research shows a deep reluctance among candidates to engage with AI-driven hiring, rooted in a fear of being treated as less than human.

For organizations, ignoring this paradox is a strategic risk. An impersonal or frustrating AI process can turn away top talent, damage the employer brand, and ultimately undermine the very ROI the technology was meant to deliver.

The great reluctance: Data on candidate skepticism

Candidate skepticism toward AI is not a fringe concern. A Pew Research Center study found that two-thirds of American adults (66%) would avoid applying for a job if they knew AI played a role in hiring decisions. That number should give any organization pause before automating too aggressively.

This reluctance is not evenly spread. It is strongest among those with no exposure to AI in hiring, where 71% say they would avoid such employers, suggesting that lack of familiarity breeds distrust. Still, even among those who are well-informed, concerns persist. Over half (52%) of people who have heard “a lot” about AI in hiring would still prefer not to apply.

The lack of a human factor: Why candidates are wary

Why are candidates so hesitant? The most common reason, cited by 44% of reluctant applicants, is the perceived lack of a “human factor”.

Think about it: your abilities laid bare as raw data points, judged by an algorithm with no chance for you to explain the story behind them. No context, no voice, nowhere to hide. How would that feel?

One candidate put it this way: “AI can’t factor in the unquantifiable intangibles that make someone a good co-worker … or a bad co-worker. Personality traits like patience, compassion and kindness would be overlooked or undervalued.”

Another worried, “I’m not [seen as] a person, just a series of keywords and if I don’t fit the exact hiring model I’m immediately discarded.”

Ten percent specifically feared that AI would make mistakes or contain design flaws.

What candidates want is simple: fairness, transparency, and to be evaluated as whole people, not just data points.

Bridging the gap: A human-AI hybrid approach

Candidate reluctance is more than a process issue, it also shapes employer branding.

The hiring journey is often a candidate’s first real interaction with a company. If it feels impersonal, candidates may assume the culture is the same, cold and uncaring. That perception can push top talent to drop out or decline offers, undermining recruitment goals and damaging the company’s reputation in the market.

The solution is not to abandon AI, but to use it in balance with human interaction. AI should support recruiters, not replace them.

When AI takes over repetitive and time-consuming tasks like scheduling and writing reports, recruiters gain more time for what they do best – building relationships, assessing cultural fit, and creating a meaningful candidate experience. For candidates, this means quicker and richer feedback, fewer administrative delays, and more personal interaction with recruiters when it really matters.

Used well, AI can even enhance the candidate journey, not just by making processes faster, but by giving applicants the fairness and transparency they consistently ask for. And candidates themselves recognize this potential: data shows that nearly half of adults (47%) believe AI could be better than humans at treating applicants equally.

Among the 79% who view bias in hiring as a serious problem, more than half (53%) believe AI can help improve fairness, compared with just 13% who think it will make things worse. In other words: skepticism is real, but so is the hope that AI – done right – can make recruitment more objective, inclusive, and trustworthy.

With the right mix of automation and human touch, organizations can achieve the best of both worlds: efficiency that serves the business and a candidate experience that builds trust, strengthens the employer brand, reduces bias, and ensures candidates are judged more on competence, leading to stronger, fairer hires and better long-term performance.

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