The Future of Volume Hiring: AI, Speed & Candidate Expectations
A conversation with our CEO, Eric André, on the real trends shaping recruitment.
Kiku came out of the view of the world that a lot of hiring is really about scale, and so we’re built for scale. But one super important thing, and something we take very seriously, is designing this for people. And when we say people, we mean recruiters, but also candidates.We have a really strong belief that AI can do both.
High-volume hiring has always been challenging, but recent shifts in technology and candidate behaviour are making it more complex than ever. In a recent IHR webinar, Natasha Preocanin, and Eric André, CEO and Co-Founder of Kiku, discussed what talent leaders need to know, cutting through the hype to focus on practical, actionable insights.
How has candidate behaviour changed, and what does that mean for hiring teams?
It’s not news that high-volume hiring is increasingly a challenging market to operate in. We’re going to get straight into some of the topics mentioned in the poll. Number one: a new generation of workers is coming into the market. Gen Z is only the start. Within three years, Gen Z is going to be a third of all the applicants you will see. This comes with changes in expectations, expectations of things moving really fast, an obvious mobile-first way of working, and where things are expected to happen instantly, on demand. Secondly, we see challenges in the market in general, rising costs putting pressure on TA teams and budgets. We also saw lack of labour and lack of high-quality candidates mentioned. We see that across Europe and the US: there is a shortage of workers in pretty much all industries. This means increased competition for candidates, and a realisation that everyone needs to be on their toes to attract the best talent. Last but not least, something we hear a lot from TA teams today: AI impacting the way candidates interact with you. AI-driven applications are flooding the market. We’ve seen a massive increase in applications due to AI automating all of it. We already see AI agents doing end-to-end applications automatically, and it’s only the start. It blurs the line for recruiting teams in terms of understanding what is good, what is bad, and how to face this world.
What are the core trends and what really matters?
Number one: candidate behaviour. There is no going back. We see a younger generation, technology developing extremely fast, and the modality changing. Everything is moving from desktop to phone. And it’s not only happening on phones, there’s an expectation for things to happen through conversations, through voice. This is especially clear for high-volume flows. Candidates expect things to happen quickly. That brings us to the second point: trust and speed are a competitive edge. Speed and efficiency don’t just benefit companies, speed benefits candidates. They want answers quickly, they want to get in touch quickly, otherwise they move on. Especially when they’re applying for 20+ roles at a time. Together with trust in your brand and trust in how you handle their data, it becomes a competitive edge. Last point: regulations. This year, regulations should go from talk to reality. We all need to take it seriously. The EU AI Act is supposed to take effect this year, but there has been discussion about it being pushed back. These three points are on every board and executive team’s table. This isn’t a prediction, it’s happening now.
Is AI really helping, or just creating more noise?
AI is everywhere, and it’s hard to understand what’s real and what isn’t. Here is our informed take on what recruiters, Heads of TA, COOs, and CEOs need to look at when considering AI. First: AI needs to independently handle tasks. It should take away manual work, from initial screening to scheduling, and present results clearly. Second: improved consistency and speed. As a buyer, be clear on what you’re trying to achieve. What metrics are you optimising for? How do you measure results? Build confidence not only in implementation, but in outcomes. We take this seriously because no one wants failed AI pilots. Third: human in the loop. A human will always be involved in recruitment. Each company decides what that looks like, but teams need to feel in control. You need transparency, explainability, and recruiters making final decisions. Last: future-proofing. AI improves rapidly. Every six months you’ll see new developments. The product and team you buy from must be building for the long term. Otherwise, you risk implementing something that becomes irrelevant within 12–24 months.
Can you share some of your customer results?
We save recruiters a lot of time by automating manual work. We’ve lowered cost per hire by 81%, which we’re proud of. And 88% of candidates go through screening within 48 hours. That’s interesting because it shows a win-win situation: candidates want to engage quickly, and companies benefit from speed. Candidates want it to be instant, flexible, and available when they need it. We also see candidates really enjoy the experience. Many employers worry how candidates will react to AI handling first impressions, but candidates are largely extremely happy with it. We see the same outcomes across markets and industries, in US, UK, and Europe.
Can AI be used to auto-reject candidates who don’t meet the criteria?
A well-built AI tool should be customisable for your needs. By default, it should be very configurable. So yes, you can auto-reject based on hard criteria. But automatic rejection needs to be extremely transparent. I would recommend not having auto-rejections unless you are very confident in how it works. Our customers can choose whether they want to do it or not. But my point is: if you do auto-reject, you need to be 100% sure the rejection is explainable. For example, someone does not have a driver’s licence or cannot work weekends, those are hard requirements. If you start rejecting based on CVs, that becomes a grey zone from a regulatory perspective. You can get false negatives and false positives, especially today with AI.
Will applications stay mobile-first, and is the CV still useful?
Applications will definitely stay mobile-first. You will see more conversational-first experiences, not long forms with uploads and lots of clicking, but candidates facing an AI agent that can, through conversation, figure out if they’re a good fit. Is the CV still useful? For many roles, if you have a good conversational screening tool, it’s not useful. It can be a nice add-on, but not something you can rely on for decisions because of AI and the nature of the market today.
Debunking stereotype: Is AI interaction off-putting? Are fewer people, especially older candidates, applying when AI is involved?
Most people assume older generations aren’t comfortable, but we don’t see that in the data. We see a very small percentage heavily against it, maybe one percent or less. Apart from that, people don’t feel weirded out. It’s intuitive. Candidates are used to chatting online. Now it’s an AI agent that knows about the company. It’s not a one-way conversation, candidates can ask about culture, pay, terms, and more.
Too many applicants and a lack of qualified candidates. How can we get through the volume and find quality candidates using AI?
That is a big problem. In many industries, you need specific skills. You may have lots of applicants, but very few with those skills. Good talent usually gets a job offer within a few days. If your process takes 10 days, you won’t hire the best candidates. It’s about changing the initial interaction. The first touchpoint can be handled by AI, 24/7, asking basic questions. From 500 applicants, you can identify the top 10–20 within hours. After that, recruiters still need to move fast. Recruiting teams will have to change how they work slightly.
The EU AI Act: What steps are you taking at Kiku to tackle that?
We started the company already knowing about the EU AI Act, so we’ve been able to build with that in mind. One key component is humans in the loop. You cannot build a product where AI makes the final hiring decision. You need explainability, especially if you auto-reject, you must always explain the reason. You also need to handle data carefully: where it’s stored and how it’s processed. It’s extremely important that you can defend the results of the product you use. Ask questions: can you explain the results? How is data handled? That’s why transparency matters. Also, many lawsuits come from older technologies, not necessarily new generative AI models. You don’t need to fear new technology, but you do need to be mindful.
Do you think AI will be able to assess soft skills?
Today, I would be hesitant to trust AI to do that. But I won’t say AI will never be able to. It’s moving fast, but it will take longer. Soft skills aren’t one truth, culture fit is contextual. That needs human judgement.
Since I've already developed my own automations using free platforms like Claude, why would I need another tool?
It depends on the details. There are opportunities to build tools yourself. But the devil is in the detail: How efficient is it? How much time are you saving? How big is your organisation? Can you scale it across 50 recruiters? Can you explain the data handling? Are you confident where Claude and Zapier send and process data? I’m excited about the development where everyone can build tools for themselves. It’s great for everyone.
Closing Thoughts
AI is already reshaping high-volume hiring. Candidates expect fast, mobile-first experiences, AI is amplifying application volume, and compliance requirements are tightening. Organizations that succeed won’t chase hype; they will adopt AI to increase efficiency, improve candidate experience, and keep humans in control.
“This is a win-win situation: candidates want to engage quickly, and companies benefit from speed.” Eric André
Kiku helps employers hire faster and fairer at scale by screening applicants instantly, surfacing the best candidates, and giving teams clear, consistent shortlists. For high-volume hiring leaders, understanding these trends and choosing the right tools is no longer optional.
