Work · what's on the other side of "apply"
AI in hiring
30-second gist~30s read
AI is now embedded throughout the hiring funnel — not just CV screening but video interviews scored by AI, scheduling assistants, automated reference checks, and predictive "culture fit" scoring. Some of this is reasonable. Some is contested. Most candidates have no idea where in the funnel an AI scored them out.
Knowing roughly what happens at each stage doesn't make the process fair. It does make it less mysterious — and lets you ask better questions when you don't get through.
If you want more
What's typically used at each stage
- Application: CV screening (keyword matching, ranking against the job description), spam-filtering, deduplication.
- Pre-interview: One-way video interviews where you record answers and an AI scores tone, clarity, sometimes facial expression. Increasingly contested — some jurisdictions are restricting facial-expression scoring.
- Skill assessment: Coding tests, role-plays, scenario responses — usually still graded by humans, with AI summarising patterns across candidates.
- Reference check: AI agents calling former managers and summarising the response.
- Final stage: Almost always human — but with AI-prepared notes and "flags" already attached to your file.
Your rights
Vary by jurisdiction. The EU AI Act classifies hiring AI as high-risk and requires transparency and the right to a human review. The UK has similar protections through GDPR. In the US, New York City and Illinois have specific laws; most other states have nothing yet. Outside these, you can still ask politely — a good employer will tell you whether AI was used.