Persuading to Build Trust Requires the Human Touch
Persuasion isn’t just about getting someone to buy from you. Smart organizations must exercise their persuasion muscles to attract and retain high-energy, clever, resolute, and motivated employees. Using technology can help busy HR and line managers by lowering expenses, saving time, and weeding out unqualified candidates. Unfortunately, like any tool, too much of a good thing can backfire. The result of using AI in excess for any talent-hungry company is potentially a lost opportunity. You may not be able to hire people who can help you grow your business if you scare them away with a robot.
According to “AI Is Now Conducting Job Interviews, and Disappointed Applicants Are Left Stunned” (Mustafa Gatollari, 5/11/25, Distractify), certain companies are adopting AI to interface with job candidates at the interview stage. With all the advice to brands about the importance of personalization, it seems starkly impersonal to use robots to make the first “in-person” impression on individuals you may want to hire. Making matters worse, as this article suggests, AI can frustrate interviewees if the robot interviewer malfunctions and gets stuck in a loop. How much confidence would you have in a company if the AI interviewer keeps repeating, “I’ll circle back to that, I’ll circle back to that, I’ll circle back to that?”
Are we entering the beginning of Metal Meets Man in the traditionally human engagement segment of the talent acquisition process?
According to “7 in 10 Companies Will Use AI in the Hiring Process in 2025, Despite Most Saying It’s Biased” (Resume Builder, 10/22/24), plans are afoot to utilize AI for resume review, candidate assessment review, social media and personal website review, communication with candidates, and new hire onboarding. This makes sense. Why wouldn’t an HR department use AI to reduce costs by using technology to manage tedious tasks? Asking already jittery candidates to tell their life story to inanimate objects is quite another matter, especially if a business or non-profit wants to attract individuals by touting its brand reputation, team-oriented corporate culture, and enterprise-wide focus on professional development.
Korn Ferry, a global organizational consulting firm, explains the benefit of AI in “How AI in Recruiting Is Reshaping Hiring” (May 8, 2025) as “leveraging it to elevate the human experience.” They cite logical AI-enabled tasks such as workforce planning, job ad creation, candidate sourcing, candidate application, candidate screening, interview scheduling, and onboarding. What I don’t see on their list is AI being used to conduct actual interviews.
Building an effective team requires hard work and the promise of mutual respect and trust. I love technology, but I want to speak to a real person when deciding how (and to whom) I distribute my time, knowledge, and experience.
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Susan Mangiero
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