How to automate recruitment (without losing the human touch)

The current state of recruiting automation

In many companies, recruiting automation currently plays a role in managing and streamlining numerous aspects of the hiring process, from job posting to resume screening and interview scheduling.  

Common tools to automate recruitment (+ examples)

Some popular recruiting automation tools include: 

• Applicant tracking systems (ATS): Tools like Greenhouse, Lever, and Workable centralize candidate data, automate recruiting workflows, and integrate with job boards, sourcing tools, and skills assessments. 

• Automated sourcing and talent discovery tools: These scrape online information, such as LinkedIn profiles, to match talent to job descriptions and build pipelines. Examples include LinkedIn Recruiter, SeekOut, and HireEZ. 

• AI resume screening and scoring tools: Platforms like TestGorilla and HireVue can analyze resumes to instantly identify top candidates, score applicants against job criteria, and reduce manual screening time. 

• Interview scheduling tools: Use tools like Calendly and GoodTime to eliminate the back-and-forth of interview scheduling, syncing calendar availability, or letting candidates choose their own interview slots. 

• Skills assessment and testing platforms: Products like TestGorilla and HackerRank let you automate evaluation by conducting role-related tests and ranking candidates based on their performance. 

• Chatbots and candidate engagement tools: AI chatbots can answer frequently asked questions and send messages to keep candidates warm. In fact, according to a recent SHRM report, 18% of employers are already using AI chatbots to communicate with candidates.

• Recruitment marketing and nurturing: Automate employer branding and talent-pool engagement with tools such as Beamery or Phenom People. 

• Background check and onboarding tools: You can run background checks, conduct employment verifications, and get a head start on onboarding with automated workflows, such as those offered by Chekr or HireRight. 

It’s important not to confuse these recruitment tools with AI. Although recruiting automation might use AI, automation tools process data differently. According to the Institute of Internal Auditors’ Global Knowledge Brief, automation tools work with data without trying to interpret it – instead, they perform repetitive actions. For example, a tool might quickly pull data from diverse sources to enable faster, more effective research. There’s no chance of misinterpretation; it’s just a shortcut. By contrast, AI interacts with data to understand and learn from it as a human would. 

TestGorilla’s platform, for example, screens and analyzes candidates’ skills-based test results. It automates test scoring and ranking so that you don’t have to. Now, let’s dig deeper into why recruitment automation is so popular right now and what's driving adoption.

What are the benefits of adopting recruitment automation?

Recruiting automation, including resume screening tools, is on the rise. In fact, one in four companies uses recruiting automation and/or AI to support HR activities such as recruitment and performance management, and talent professionals claim automation is the top trend shaping how they hire. 

According to an SHRM survey, the most common AI use cases in HR are:

• Job description creation (66%)

• Resume screening (44%)

• Candidate sourcing (32%)

• Job posting customization (31%)

• Applicant communication (29%)

And it’s not just growing because of the availability of the technology, although that’s certainly a big part. The bigger reason for increased adoption is the myriad of benefits to businesses, especially in a competitive market:

Faster time-to-hire

In a competitive job market, time-to-hire is a critical metric. The longer a job opening goes unfilled, the more opportunity there is for other companies to snatch up top talent. You can make sure you get in front of in-demand candidates by quickly scheduling interviews and sending timely follow-up emails.

Reduced administrative burden on recruiters

Get repetitive manual work off recruiters’ plates so they can focus on the human aspect of their jobs. Common ways to do this include resume parsing and ranking, bulk messaging and follow-ups, automated interview reminders and confirmations, and pre-set assessment workflows.

Lower cost per hire

Automation can significantly reduce the labor cost of recruiting. You’ll spend less time on administrative work, speed up hiring (less time means a lower cost overall), and improve the efficiency of sourcing through targeted outreach. Plus, you’ll be able to reduce the expense of hiring staffing agencies for hard-to-fill positions.

Better candidate experience

Candidates expect quick responses, regular communication, and a white-glove experience – all of which can be hard to do well at scale. You can automate communications to keep candidates informed (no ghosting here!), and self-service scheduling can speed up the interview process. Skills-based evaluations also make the process feel fair and objective.

Consistent, high-quality hiring decisions

With structured workflows and standardized assessments, you can reduce variability in the hiring process and ensure every candidate goes through the same steps.

Stronger data and predictability

Automation tools can track key metrics and surface insights, such as time-to-fill predictions, headcount planning data, and which channels attract the highest-quality candidates. Because of these benefits, says Kelly Robinson, CEO and Founder of PKRecruiting, companies are using AI and recruiting automation to “fast-forward the hiring process.” In fact, it’s predicted that AI and automation can save as many as 17 hours per recruiter per week. 

How to automate the recruitment process (step-by-step)

To make the most of these benefits, you need to know how to use automation for the right tasks at the right time, and as a complement to human activities rather than a replacement. Here are our tips to automate the hiring process: 

1. Automate sourcing

Automated sourcing tools let you search job boards, social media, your own ATS, and other talent databases without doing manual work. This type of tool can be a great way to dip your toes into automation without affecting your entire process. However, if it’s done well, it can have a major positive impact on your pipeline. 

A common structure is for AI to analyze the job description to understand required skills and qualifications, then scan job boards and other sites to pull qualified candidates. The system can generate a shortlist of top candidates that a recruiter can review with the expertise and nuance only a human can use. Then, the recruiter can launch automated outreach sequences to start generating interest. 

2. Automate screening 

Manual resume review and screening is one of the most time-consuming steps for recruiters, and it’s also highly susceptible to bias. A more objective approach is to start with skills-based assessments, like those offered by TestGorilla. Automated, job-relevant tests let you quickly surface the most qualified candidates – so your hiring process is grounded in demonstrated skills, not assumptions.

After you’ve screened out the candidates without the necessary skills, the next step is AI-powered resume scoring. Identifying information, such as names or locations, is removed from the resumes, which are then compared against role criteria, such as experience level or qualifications. This allows recruiters to focus their time on the candidates who have already proven they have the skills to succeed.

By putting skills first and using resume scoring as a secondary filter, you create a hiring process that is both efficient and fair, reducing bias while highlighting candidates most likely to excel in the role.

Want to know more about skills tests? TestGorilla’s Test Library has 350+ examples.

3. Automate scheduling

Another time-consuming aspect of the recruiting process is interview scheduling. It can take a surprising amount of time, especially with large interview panels or candidates with limited availability. Automation can transform this part of the process by syncing calendars, showing candidates real-time availability, allowing self-service, and sending automated reminders and confirmations. 

For example, a recruiter can set availability in their calendar and send the link directly to the candidate, who can then choose a preferred time. Automatic confirmations and reminders are sent, and if candidates need to reschedule, they can do so without alerting the recruiter. For larger interview panels, automation tools can find overlapping availability across several interviews and candidates.

4. Automate communication

It’s easy for communication to fall by the wayside when recruiters are busy with sourcing, screening, and scheduling. And that, of course, doesn’t provide a great candidate experience – you risk being known for ghosting or slow communication. 

Instead, keep things moving quickly and let candidates stay in the know with automated status updates, auto-triggered rejection messages, job alerts for future openings, and nurture campaigns for silver medalist candidates.

5. Automate assessments

Instead of spending hours meeting candidates in person to conduct evaluations and assessments, deliver skills assessments automatically based on the job type or stage in the process. This ensures every candidate gets the same treatment and experience, and reduces work and time. 

For example, with TestGorilla, you can send automated invitations for assessments and let candidates complete them at their own pace. Their answers are scored and ranked based on specific job criteria you approve, and you can approve or change the suggested next steps. 

Another option is TestGorilla’s AI video interviews, which let you conduct structured, unbiased candidate screening without spending hours of recruiter time on live screens.

6. Automate offers and onboarding

When you’ve identified your final candidate, automation can accelerate these last few steps. Automatically generated offer letters, e-signature workflows, and automated background checks take manual work off the table for both your recruiters and the candidate. 

Why hiring will always need the human touch

Recruitment workflow automation saves costs, increases efficiency, and improves the candidate experience with consistent automated communication and updates. But there are good reasons to keep humans in the mix. Kelly Robinson believes in the power of the human aspect and how it can impact the hiring process. “You still need to meet with people, talk to them [...] and find out what makes them tick.” Here’s why.

To improve the candidate experience

Recruitment isn’t just about finding the right candidate for the job – it’s also about building a relationship with them. Human touches, like sending personalized messages and providing feedback and support throughout the hiring process, help create an emotional connection with candidates. They also make them feel more invested in the recruitment process and more likely to accept your job offer. For example, one-size-fits-all messages can sometimes be confusing or unclear. But a human recruiter can tweak automated messages to provide more context and explanation, ensuring candidates understand what’s happening at each stage and what’s expected of them.

To reduce mis-hires 

Recruiters using automation fill 64% more job vacancies. But simply finding people to fill an open role doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the right person for it, or that they’ll stay. Even when hiring remotely, you need to meet candidates “face-to-face” for a more context-driven evaluation and nuanced approach. While recruitment AI tools and talent assessments can help you evaluate a candidate’s hard and soft skills, an in-person conversation can complement that data by allowing you to get a genuine feel for candidates as people. This crucial human connection lets you assess personality, cultural fit, and whether the candidate will truly enjoy the day-to-day responsibilities of the job – helping you prevent costly mis-hires. 

To access a wider pool of talent

To attract and appeal to as much talent as possible, you need to keep Gen Z top of mind. Research shows they want more transparency during recruitment and prioritize work-life balance over salary and benefits.  “The lack of transparency in how AI and automation are used in the recruitment process makes it difficult for candidates to understand the process and selection, which results in a limited talent pool,” says LynnAnn Brewer, Director of HR Research and Advisory Services at McLean & Company. Instead of being another cog in the machine, Gen Z candidates want to form personal connections with recruiters. This means you need to tailor the selection process to the candidate’s skills and those required for the role. You should also send personalized messages and ensure feedback and information about the hiring timeline are specific and timely.

To ensure fairness 

AI reflects the worldview and experience of its programmers, which means it can inadvertently be programmed to favor certain groups of applicants. As Christa Reed, Head of Job Market Research at JobSearcher, points out, “Automated tools [can] pose a risk of bias when making decisions, as algorithms may be built on historical data that includes existing biases.”

For example, Amazon’s AI recruiting tool learned to favor men and discriminate against mentions of the word “women’s” on resumes. It was trained to vet resumes by observing patterns in successful resumes over 10 years, most of which came from men, so it unfairly penalized female applicants. For that reason, you should oversee automation technology and check results to ensure fairness. Taking into account each candidate's individual circumstances, ensure you use standardized evaluation criteria that aren’t influenced by demographic factors.

How to automate recruitment the right way

As we’ve seen, relying solely on automation or using it to cut out essential parts of your hiring process can narrow your candidate pool and negatively impact their experience. 

Here’s how to get recruiting automation right. 

Adopt skills-based hiring

Focus on a candidate’s skills and applied knowledge rather than their resume, connections, and qualifications. This helps level the playing field by stripping the hiring process of human and algorithmic bias. 

Plus, you can weed out applicants with misaligned skills early on, saving time for when it matters most – during face-to-face interviews with your candidates. Our 2025 Skills-Based Hiring Report found that 84% of employers are satisfied with hires made using skills tests, and 71% found skills tests more predictive of job success than resumes. 

Choose the right tools for the job 

Understand which tasks you want to automate, and then look for the right recruiting automation software. Consider your budget, integrations with existing tools, privacy and security features, and the user experience for both recruiters and candidates.

Automate the right parts of the process

As LynnAnn Brewer reminds us, it’s important to use AI to assist human recruiters, not replace them. 

She explains, “Areas that will benefit from the human touch are the initial screening of resumes. Complex judgments about qualifications, knowledge, skills, and abilities require human brain processing.” 

The other relevant area is interviewing: “Human interaction is critical to candidate assessment for soft skills and personality,” she says. In short, use automation to free up time for more high-quality human interactions, not fewer.

Recruiting automation: Use your powers wisely

Used correctly, knowing how to automate recruitment can save you time, money, and resources. But you need to use it wisely. That means not overdoing it or removing the human factor from the hiring process entirely. While this might speed things up, it can actually deter candidates from applying, limit your talent pool, or result in expensive mis-hires. So, to make the most of recruiting automation, humans need to use tools to automate time-consuming manual tasks like quickly sourcing candidates, scoring talent assessment tests at the pre-screening stage, and sending automated updates. This way, recruiting automation frees you up to do what you do best: connecting with candidates to create an excellent recruitment experience. Want a fairer, more efficient way to recruit top talent? Skills-based hiring plays well with recruiting automation to help you find the best candidates. Download the State of Skills-Based Hiring 2025 report to learn more.

Contributors

• LynnAnn Brewer, McLean & Company, Director of HR Research and Advisory Services

• Christa Reed, JobSearcher, Head of Job Market Research

• Kelly Robinson, PKRecruiting, CEO and Founder