Are you Still Hiring Like it's 2020?

Patrick Yearout, Director of Innovation, Recruitment & Training, Ivar’s Inc

Patrick Yearout, Director of Innovation, Recruitment & Training, Ivar’s Inc

Patrick Yearout is a seasoned workforce training and recruiting professional focused on the hospitality and quick-service restaurant sector. A graduate in finance from Western Washington University, he transitioned from corporate finance to employee training and development in the restaurant industry. Patrick currently serves as Director of Innovation at Ivar’s, where he handles training and recruiting responsibilities while integrating new ideas and technologies across company restaurants and support centers.

Finding the right candidate in today’s talent market is harder than ever as roles are evolving quickly, job seekers have more options, and competition for top talent is fierce. If there was ever a moment when the “finding a needle in a haystack” metaphor felt accurate, it’s now.

Enter artificial intelligence: it’s no longer a futuristic concept, but a real, practical tool reshaping how businesses in 2025 attract, evaluate, and engage talent. Think of it as a magnet for that needle in the haystack – AI doesn’t just help recruiters sift through the growing pile of applications; it sharpens their focus and filters out the noise to highlight the most promising candidates. From cutting down time-to-hire to helping recruiters make more objective, data-informed decisions, these systems bring speed, structure, and high-volume hiring support to what has long been an intuition-driven process.

Where AI Can Bring the Most Value

Let’s break down a few areas where artificial intelligence is making a real impact:

• Resume screening: Traditional resume review can be very time-consuming for hiring managers, and the process can be tainted by unconscious bias. AI-driven platforms, on the other hand, can scan and rank resumes based on specific job criteria, and they can look beyond keyword matches to assess skill patterns, job history, and even inferred soft skills. As a result, recruiters are able to spend less time sorting and more time connecting with high-potential candidates.

“Getting the balance right between stewarding AI tools and preserving human judgment will determine which organizations gain a competitive edge in the war for talent”

• Job description optimization: Ever wondered if the language in your recruiting ads is turning qualified candidates away? AI programs can help HR teams craft more engaging and inclusive postings by analyzing your tone, word choice, and structure, and they can point out overly formal language or confusing passages with too many acronyms that may alienate jobseekers and keep them from wanting to find out more. Even small adjustments suggested by these tools can make a job listing more approachable and boost the volume and diversity of applicants.

• Chatbots: AI chatbots can handle the front lines of recruiting communication by answering FAQs, scheduling interviews, and pre-screening applicants. Their 24/7 availability also shortens response times and keeps candidates engaged, which helps employers maintain a positive brand in a high-expectation, low-attention-span era.

• Predictive analytics for hiring success: Some AI platforms can take it a step further by using historical hiring data to predict which candidates are most likely to succeed or stay long-term. While not a crystal ball, these insights help recruiters make smarter decisions and potentially reduce turnover.

Navigating the Pitfalls

Of course, AI isn’t a silver bullet. One of the most important things for HR professionals to remember is that “bias in” = “bias out.” Artificial intelligence systems learn from historical data, and if that data reflects past discrimination, such as consistently favoring male over female candidates or undervaluing applicants from non-traditional educational backgrounds, the model could replicate those patterns. This isn’t just a theoretical issue; there have been cases where AI-driven tools unintentionally penalized candidates based on gender, race, or even zip code. Without proper oversight, it can quietly bake systemic bias into decisions that appear objective on the surface. That’s why regular audits, diverse training datasets, and human checks are critical to ensure fairness and compliance.

Transparency is also key. Candidates and regulators have been asking for insight into how AI-driven decisions are made. It’s no longer enough for a system to say who is a “good fit”; HR teams need to be able to explain why. This demand is fueling the rise of “explainable AI”: systems designed to make their logic and decision pathways visible to users. Whether it’s a hiring algorithm showing which competencies boosted a candidate’s score, or a chatbot disclosing that certain answers triggered a red flag, transparency helps build trust, accountability, and legal defensibility. As AI regulations tighten, explainability isn’t just nice to have, but rather it’s becoming non-negotiable.

The Evolving Role of HR in an AI-Driven World

The most effective HR teams aren’t asking whether to adopt AI, but how to use it strategically. To do so, they must become stewards of the technology by understanding how algorithms work, auditing outputs for bias, and ensuring compliance with emerging regulations.

Success will also require balancing AI’s analytical power with the uniquely human capabilities of the teams. While algorithms can process thousands of applications in seconds, they can’t read between the lines of a candidate’s story, navigate complex cultural fits, or build the trust that turns good hires into long-term employees.

Getting the balance right—stewarding AI tools while preserving human judgment—will determine which organizations gain a competitive edge in the war for talent. The technology is already here. The question is which HR professionals will lead this transformation and reap the competitive advantages that come with it.