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AI is giving recruitment teams new ways to work faster, communicate sooner and spend less time on administration. Its greatest potential may lie in what it makes possible for the people behind the hiring process.
For Jason Hughes, Talent Acquisition Manager at Jane App, the opportunity is to use technology thoughtfully while protecting the relationships, transparency and trust that shape candidate experience.
Ahead of Tech Talent North, Western Edition, we spoke with Jason about AI in recruitment, employer branding and the value of human connection.
Key takeaways:
- AI creates more time for people by reducing administrative work.
- Authenticity, transparency and empathy should guide automation.
- Strong employer branding attracts candidates who are the right fit.
- Human connection sets employers apart in an increasingly AI-driven market.
Making AI Work For Recruitment
AI has changed how candidates and employers approach hiring. Job seekers can prepare tailored applications faster, while recruitment teams use technology to manage growing application volumes.
Jason sees an interesting cycle emerging.
“The irony of AI in recruitment is that the fix for its problems is more of the same. Each side’s response pushes the other to escalate, and no one is better off for it.”
At Jane, some of AI’s most valuable applications happen behind the scenes. A 30- to 45-minute intake meeting can now provide the foundation for job postings, interview questions and preparation materials.
The team also uses AI to help organise practical assessments, reducing administrative work and allowing hiring teams and recruiters to respond sooner.
“There’s always a human in the loop, whether that be deciding who we take forward to interview or making a decision on a take-home assessment“
Technology helps the team work more efficiently, creating capacity for the decisions and interactions that require human judgement.
Three Principles For Thoughtful AI Adoption
Beyond legal and compliance considerations which should always be taken into account, Jane evaluates potential uses of AI against three principles: authenticity, transparency and empathy.
Does the experience remain genuine? Is the process clear? Does it respect the person applying?
“If the answer to all of these questions is yes, we can move ahead with an AI solution, confident that it won’t impact candidate experience.”
The framework is flexible. AI may be appropriate at one stage of recruitment but less suitable at another.
Practical assessments are a useful example. While technology can accelerate reviews, Jason believes candidates’ investment of time deserves meaningful consideration.
“If a candidate spends hours completing a practical assessment, the least we owe them is a real person’s time and attention in reviewing it. AI can support the process, but it shouldn’t replace human judgment.”
For People leaders, these principles provide a practical way to evaluate automation alongside the experience it creates.
The People Behind The Employer Brand
As AI becomes more accessible, Jason believes the people behind an organization will become an increasingly important differentiator.
Technology companies can access similar tools. Their cultures, leadership styles and employee experiences are harder to replicate.
“It’s the people, the culture, the way we interact that will differentiate us in the future”
He recalls advice from early in his career:
“A former manager of mine used to say, ‘I work for people. I don’t work for companies.’ It stayed with me because it captures what a company really is: the people in it.”
Candidates may be attracted by a company’s reputation, but their working experience will be shaped by the colleagues and managers around them.
Jason believes employer branding should reflect this by featuring more employee voices and honest perspectives on everyday work, including its challenges.
Giving candidates a clearer picture of the people behind the brand helps them understand the environment they would be joining.
Why Attracting The Right Candidates Matters
Application volume has traditionally been an easy measure of recruitment success. Jason encourages employers to consider whether those applications represent genuine alignment.
An employer brand designed to appeal to everyone may attract candidates whose expectations or interests don’t match the opportunity.
Drawing on give-and-get employer branding, he advocates greater clarity.
“Tell people what you give, tell them what you expect to get in return, make it explicitly clear, and let people self-select out.”
Jason offers a hypothetical example: reducing 1,000 applications to 200 more closely aligned candidates could theoretically give recruiters five times as much time to consider each application.
That capacity could support faster communication, better feedback and more thoughtful reviews.
Clear expectations also help candidates make informed decisions about whether an opportunity suits them.
Candidate Experience Is A Long-Term Investment
Jason encourages employers to think beyond current hiring conditions.
When qualified applicants are plentiful, organizations may feel less pressure to provide timely communication or feedback. But labour markets change, and candidates remember their experiences.
“People are going to remember the businesses who didn’t get back to them, who didn’t give them feedback, who didn’t treat them respectfully and empathetically.”
Someone who isn’t right for a role today may become a valuable candidate in the future.
AI can help recruitment teams maintain communication and reduce administrative demands. Using that capacity to improve candidate care can strengthen an organization’s reputation well beyond an individual hiring process.
Start With The Problem
With growing expectations around AI adoption, Jason believes organizations should remain disciplined about where they introduce technology.
“With AI, a lot of us are starting with a solution and we’re trying to find a problem to apply it to.”
Recruitment teams already face challenges worth solving: lengthy processes, inconsistent assessments and limited time for meaningful candidate conversations.
Those problems should guide technology decisions.
“Always start with the problem”
At Jane, that means identifying where AI can remove friction while preserving the interactions that contribute to better hiring decisions.
A Final Thought
Jason’s approach highlights an opportunity for People leaders: using AI to improve the operational side of hiring while creating more time to build relationships, understand candidates and make informed decisions.
As technology becomes a standard part of recruitment, employers will increasingly distinguish themselves through the experiences they create.
The future of hiring belongs to organizations that use technology to strengthen human connection.
Continue The Conversation At Tech Talent North, Western Edition
Jason Hughes, a member of the Tech Talent North Western Edition Steering Committee, will share more insights in How Jane Balances AI and Human Connection in Talent Acquisition.
November 17, 2026 | 10:15–11:00 AM | Vancouver
Join him to explore how Jane uses AI to streamline recruitment while keeping human judgement and meaningful candidate connections at the centre of hiring.