Complete Guide:

How to Use AI for Recruiting

AI is already reshaping how hiring works. The question is whether your strategy is designed to scale – or just move faster.

From saving hours of manual work, AI has helped many hiring teams achieve measurable improvements. But how can you make sure the investment is worth it in the long-term? This guide is designed to support organizations as they develop a thoughtful strategy to implement artificial intelligence at scale and with lasting impact.

Why trust us on AI in recruiting?

ICIMS has a history of using artificial intelligence across our hiring platform – long before this current race to incorporate AI into everything.

We think the results speak for themselves. ICIMS Coalesce AI was named “Best Overall AI Solution” at the 7th annual AI Breakthrough Awards.

Here are our steps to evaluate and implement an AI-driven recruitment process.

Step 1:Ask, “What does AI transformation mean?”

AI has the potential to significantly transform recruiting, but most companies are just doing the same work faster. Speedier processes feel more efficient, but that value isn’t always scalable. At best, you could see short term time or cost savings. But at worst, the organization invests in long-term solutions that don’t have the capacity to keep up.

Transformation doesn’t always mean starting over. Sometimes it means removing the friction that’s slowing everything down and letting your team focus on the work that actually moves the business forward.

We’re mistaking transformation for acceleration. AI automates for efficiency, but it doesn’t actually change. Transformation means things don’t look the same after they’ve been completely transformed.

Jess Von Bank

Analyst

Before you make any investment in AI hiring tools, it’s critical to define the big-picture outcomes. Instead of using AI to “optimize job descriptions” maybe you need to rethink the jobs themselves.

This is where the true transformation happens – when you reimagine the orchestration of work.

Watch the fireside chat with Jess Von Bank and Trent Cotton to learn more about the mirage of AI transformation – and how to avoid it.

Step 2:Get a crash course on AI

To be an advocate for AI in hiring at your organization, you should have a sound understanding of how AI works, especially for your organization’s use cases. While you may not need a PhD. in artificial intelligence, a basic education will help you evaluate tools and vendors, communicate more effectively with leadership so you establish yourself as a forward-thinking leader.

Start by applying AI to one or two high-friction workflows, then expand as they build confidence and capability.

Trent Cotton

Head of Talent Insights, ICIMS

Understand the different types of AI

Assistive AI

AI that automates represent the earliest and most widely adopted form of AI in recruiting. It is a reliable task handler but is limited to pre-defined rules and structured tasks.

Generative AI

Extends AI’s role from task execution to that of a strategic and content generation partner. Great for summarizing and writing but requires clear prompts and context.

Agentic AI

Transforms AI from a supportive tool to an autonomous partner. Great for planning and executing complex workflows but requires strong guardrails and human oversight to mitigate risk.

Determine what Responsible AI principles resonate with you

There are many globally recognized standards for responsible AI. The six principles below are used by ICIMS and have their foundation in the internationally recognized OECD AI principles and the AI HLEG principles.

  • Human-led – All decisions should begin and/or end with human decision points.
  • Transparent – Any recommendations made by artificial intelligence should be explained.
  • Private and secure – Applicable data privacy and security measures should be extended to all AI data storage and processing.
  • Inclusive and fair – AI should be designed to be as fair as possible to ensure an equitable playing field in hiring and employment processes.
  • Technically robust and safe – AI technologies should be designed as robust applications to decrease the risk of unintended consequences or error.
  • Accountable – AI should be designed to work responsibly and support audits, risk assessments and mitigation actions aligned with good corporate governance.

Learn more about these principles with our guide, Hire Confidently With Responsible AI >

Be aware that hiring related AI laws and regulations are evolving

State legislatures are taking action to ensure AI technologies don’t perpetuate illegal discrimination, often by updating existing state anti-discrimination laws.

Organizations should consult their own legal advisors to stay up to date on emerging regulations. A few notable regulations that are making an impact in employment and hiring include:

NYC Automated Employment Decision Tools law
EU AI Act
Illinois Human Rights Act and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act

Know the most common AI use cases:

Insights from ICIMS and Aptitude Research uncovered where talent acquisition teams are using AI the most.

For recruiters:

  • Assist with writing job descriptions
  • Generate interview questions based on role
  • Summarize emails and email threads for recruiting teams
  • Create shortlists of the most qualified candidates for specific roles and locations

For hiring managers:

  • Conversational AI workflow
  • Mobile hiring manager experience

For job seekers and employees:

  • Provide job search guidance on your career site with an AI-powered chatbot
  • Help job seekers find relevant jobs based on their skills and experience
  • Assist employees in identifying skills to help them grow in their careers

Hiring with ICIMS Coalesce AI

Trusted by the world’s leading brands, our responsible AI has a proven track record of helping teams simplify and accelerate their hiring process – including reducing time-to-fill by as much as 50%.

Learn more >

Step 3:Leaders assemble! Form an internal buying committee

Once you’ve figured out how you want to use AI, it’s time to get the right people on board and define who is responsible for what. Ideally, this should happen before you start looking at specific vendors. This way, you’ll get into the evaluation process with your internal teams all on the same page.

Who is consulted will vary from one organization to another. Your executive team, legal counsel, information security and your IT department are all possible candidates. Some organizations find it best to formalize an AI committee to hammer out the details.

Questions to discuss with your internal team:

Who is in charge of evaluating AI recruitment tool vendors?

Who oversees the implementation of AI systems?

Do we have guidelines for the ethical use of AI?

Who will communicate changes, timelines, etc. with our team?

It is paramount for TA leaders to be able to demonstrate the business case for AI. Corporate attorneys are tasked with managing risk, and in order to do that, they need to understand the ROI and business case around AI. If the value to the organization outweighs the perceived risk, we are more likely to find a way to say yes.

Courtney Dutter

General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer & Secretary, ICIMS

Step 4:Research and compare vendors

At this point, you’re ready to assess AI-powered solutions and their vendors. There are at least two important categories to consider:

What capabilities do they promise, and how do they deliver?

Is AI native to the tools vendors offer, or is it a separate feature? Your organization’s unique needs might lead decision makers to prefer one over the other.

What are their guidelines for the creation and use of AI?

Responsible vendors align the development and use of their AI to ethical principles and international standards. Knowing the vendor’s core AI ethics will help you ensure that they align to your organization’s principles.

When evaluating vendors, ask:

What responsible or ethical principles is your AI developed with?

How are you prepared to comply with emerging AI laws?

How long have you been developing AI?

Is your AI solution native to your product or a “bolt-on”?

 

Demand transparency from your vendors and lean into the tough questions. Choose vendors who can explain how their model was built – specifically what data they’re trained on and how bias has been mitigated.

Jillian Phelan

Chief People Officer, Criteria Corp

Step 5:Focus on team adoption

With an AI solution secured, it’s time to begin the rollout. Your team will likely have a lot of questions about how this impacts their day-to-day.

Remember that working with AI is a new skill for many employees, including HR teams. Here are some ideas to provide plenty of support.

  • Communicate the vision for AI and how it will transform the way your organization hires
  • Block time for training to show your team that learning isn’t just ‘nice-to-have’ but essential to the team’s success
  • Use a variety of training avenues, such as hands-on product walkthroughs, monthly Q&As and office hours
  • Celebrate team wins widely and share examples of AI use cases that drive meaningful improvements

AI is now central to how organizations manage scale and complexity in hiring, making its responsible and ethical use essential. At AMS, this means delivering explainable talent outcomes, using secure, job‑relevant data, with qualified human oversight at defined decision points. When human judgment and AI intelligence are blended deliberately, candidates benefit from fairer, more transparent hiring, and hiring managers gain confidence without losing accountability.

Jo-Ann Feely

Chief Innovation Officer at AMS

Ready to put AI to work?
Get in touch.