Featured in People Management
A new People Management report has revealed a worrying shift in candidate sentiment – nearly half of jobseekers say AI-driven hiring processes are eroding their trust in employers. It’s a trend with serious implications for talent attraction, employer brand and workforce diversity.
Executive coach and HR strategist Gemma Bullivant shares her perspective on why trust is emerging as the new differentiator in hiring and what HR leaders must do to protect candidate confidence as AI adoption accelerates.
“If candidates can’t trust your hiring process, they won’t trust your organisation.”
Gemma Bullivant’s perspective
“This should be a wake-up call for employers. If nearly half of jobseekers are losing confidence in how organisations hire, this poses a serious risk to talent attraction, brand reputation, and the diversity of future hires.
In fact, it sounds like trust could now be the key differentiator in the candidate experience, and employers who fail to build it may find their talent pipeline shrinking.
The rapid adoption of AI in hiring has clear benefits in terms of efficiency and reach. But when processes become overly automated, they lose the nuance and human judgment that help counterbalance bias, build a relationship, and ensure fairness.
It’s easy to spot content and decisions that are 100% AI-generated, and from a candidate experience perspective, if a future employer can’t invest in building a human connection with them during the process, it creates the impression they will not be valued as employees.
Employers need to focus on achieving the right blend between human and machine decision-making, with full transparency about where and how AI is used.
Building AI fluency across HR teams and hiring managers is key, so they can use the tools responsibly and confidently. Introducing governance and auditing measures to monitor algorithmic bias is equally important; effectively we are reinforcing unconscious bias training in humans, and applying this to AI too.
Open communication with candidates, explaining how technology supports the process, is essential to help restore trust and fairness.”
Gemma’s Advice to HR Team is to Build Trust Into the Hiring Process
As organisations accelerate their use of AI in recruitment, Gemma highlights that the challenge is not the technology itself, it’s the erosion of trust when automation replaces connection.
Here are her key takeaways:
1. Blend human and machine decision-making
AI should support, not replace, the relationship-building, bias-checking and contextual judgment that only humans provide.
2. Be transparent about how AI is used
Candidates want honesty. Clearly explain what’s automated, what isn’t, and how decisions are made.
3. Build AI fluency in HR teams
HR and hiring managers need the skills to use AI confidently, responsibly and ethically, not blindly trust the output.
4. Audit AI for bias regularly
Governance is essential. Review tools and decisions to ensure fairness, just as you would address unconscious bias in people.
5. Prioritise human connection throughout the process
A candidate’s early interactions set expectations about culture, care and value. Make sure those touchpoints feel authentic and personal.
If you’d like to explore this topic further, you can listen to Series 4 Episode 4 of The Strategic Leader Podcast: How HR Can Lead the AI Revolution, where Naureen Hussain and I discuss how HR can use AI responsibly while protecting fairness and trust
