AI & The Candidate Experience: What Do Candidates Really Want?

AI is transforming recruitment — but what does that actually mean for the people looking for jobs?

From AI-powered CV screening and automated communication to AI-assisted interviews, candidates are already experiencing a very different recruitment journey. But alongside the potential for greater speed, personalisation and accessibility come new questions around trust, fairness and whether candidates are becoming less visible in an increasingly automated process.

In this episode of Stopgap Talks, Sarah Windsor is joined by Sarah Pieters, Founder of HeyMinty!, for a candid conversation about the human side of AI in recruitment.

Together, they explore what candidates are excited about, what they're worried about, and how marketers and other professionals can stay relevant as AI becomes increasingly embedded in the hiring process.

In this episode, some of the things we'll discuss:

• What candidates really think and feel about AI in recruitment
• The growing tension between recruitment efficiency and human interaction
• How AI is already changing CV screening, communication and interviewing
• Whether AI could make recruitment fairer and more accessible
• The skills candidates will need to stay relevant in an AI-shaped job market
• Why human skills, judgement and personal connection may become more valuable—not less
• How candidates can use AI to support their own job search and career development
• Whether AI is ultimately making recruitment better or worse
• What candidates should expect from employers as AI becomes more embedded in hiring
• Where Sarah thinks recruitment is heading next—and what we shouldn't lose along the way

It's a thoughtful conversation for anyone navigating the job market, hiring people, or trying to understand what the future of recruitment really looks like.

Connect with our speakers

• Sarah Pieters Founder, HeyMinty!
• Sarah Windsor Principal Consultant, Stopgap

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