AI in Recruitment and Human Centric Hiring at AIMS IBS

AI in recruitment is transforming the process to make it faster than any of us expected.

From screening thousands of resumes in minutes
to predicting candidate fit
to automating interviews and assessments- Hiring has never been more efficient.

Yet, I find many HR leaders asking the same honest question:

“Are we moving so fast with AI that we might lose the human touch?”

It’s a valid concern.

Because recruitment is not just about filling positions.
It’s about discovering people, potential, and possibilities.

So the real challenge today is not choosing between AI and humans.
It’s learning how to use both together – intelligently, fairly, and compassionately.

AI Brings Speed, But Humans Bring Sense

Let me give you a simple example.

AI in recruitment can scan a CV in 3 seconds.
Yet, it cannot sense the perseverance behind a career gap.
It cannot read ambition through the sparkle in someone’s eyes during a conversation.
It also cannot recognize the courage in a candidate who is trying to switch industries to build a better future.

Machines can analyse data while humans can analyse stories.

Great hiring needs both.

Where AI Helps HR Shine

AI is not here to replace HR.
It is here to release HR from repetitive work so they can do meaningful work.

AI excels at:

Screening large volumes
Identifying patterns
Flagging inconsistencies
Reducing manual errors
Speeding up processes

Imagine the hours saved when AI handles the first-level filtering.

An HR can invest these hours in:

Deeper conversations with candidates
Culture fit assessments
Personal engagement

AI gives HR more time to be human.

But Yes, There are Real Risks – Only if we Ignore Them

AI learns from data.
And data carries human bias.

If we are not careful,
the AI recruitment challenges would do more harm than good, like:

Algorithms may favour similar profiles.
Certain accents or communication styles may be misunderstood.
Career break candidates may be unfairly penalised.
Diversity may unintentionally decrease.

That is why AI should support decisions,
and never make the final decision alone.

Human empathy must remain the final filter.

The Human-Centric AI Model: A Simple 3-Part Approach

The combined efforts of AI and humans in recruitment are defined as human-centric AI in HR.

These efforts make the

1. Let AI Handle the Efficiency

Resume parsing
Initial screening
Skill matching
Scheduling

This reduces fatigue and improves fairness.

2. Let Humans Handle the Experience

Candidate conversations
Culture evaluation
Understanding motivations
Providing feedback

Human-led hiring with AI preserves dignity and trust.

3. Let Both Handle Fairness

Use AI tools that highlight bias.
Use humans to interpret context.
Use diverse panels to validate final decisions.

Make fairness a partnership.

A Real Example: The Candidate AI Nearly Rejected

A company I worked with used an AI screening tool.
One resume kept getting rejected due to “irrelevant experience.”

Curiously, an HR manager decided to call the candidate anyway.

During their conversation, she realised:

The candidate had spent several years caring for a sick family member.
He had self-learned technical skills at night.
He had completed multiple certification courses.

The AI saw a gap.

The HR manager saw grit.

He was hired.
Today, he leads a team.

This is why HR cannot lose its empathy.
Because sometimes the best candidates don’t fit the AI recruitment tools algorithm –
they rewrite it.