The increasing use of artificial intelligence in recruiting may be causing employers to overlook strong candidates, according to a new study, reinforcing long-standing concerns among job seekers about automated recruitment processes.
The study by CV-Library, based on a survey of approximately 500 recruiters and 1,100 candidates, found that while application volumes are increasing, relying on AI to quickly process applications is having unintended consequences.
More than a third of recruiters say they’re missing out on top talent due to a lack of human intuition in AI-driven processes, and just under a third report strong applications are filtered out before they even reach the interview stage. A fifth respondent also noted that the overall quality of candidates is decreasing when AI is used.
Job seekers appear to share these concerns. Just over half said their applications were rejected by AI without human review, and just under half cited unfair rejections as a major complaint. The findings also revealed that 40% have given up or considered giving up on an application due to the presence of AI in the recruitment process, especially when automated bots were used for selection.
One 37-year-old man told researchers about his experience: “Being interviewed by an AI bot made me feel incredibly alienated. With no feedback or human interaction, I had no idea how I was being perceived. It felt like I was being screened, and with so little real communication, it was easy for the effort I put in to be completely overlooked.”
Younger candidates were especially skeptical. Nearly two-thirds of Gen Z respondents said they blamed AI for early rejections, but complaints about unfair rejections were highest among this group (53%) compared to Millennials (47%).
A 39-year-old man from the West Midlands told researchers: “I distanced myself from my first interview on the AI platform. There was no human interaction there, it was completely impersonal. But now the AI is human. I’m on the phone and taking notes during the interview. What am I supposed to do when I haven’t had a job for three months? If AI can act as a gatekeeper, I might use it to help me get through the gate.”
83% of recruiters said they use AI to speed up hiring, but only 36% said their time to hire has improved. Many said they performed poorly on soft skills (55%) and cultural fit (72%) assessments.
“Candidates have long felt that the hiring process has been dehumanizing and that top talent has been unfairly singled out,” said Lee Biggins, CEO and founder of CV-Library. “This insight from both agency and corporate recruiters suggests their complaints may be justified.”
“This is a timely wake-up call that you shouldn’t outsource everything to AI, especially when it comes to recruiting, where every candidate is unique. Automating some tedious processes can add value, but the best recruiters use AI to support, not replace, human intuition.”
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