LEVERAGING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO ENHANCE CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE IN THE RECRUITMENT LIFECYCLE: A STUDY OF PERCEPTIONS, CHALLENGES, AND OPPORTUNITIES IN MODERN HIRING PRACTICES

Abstract

This research investigates the revolutionary influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in contemporary recruitment strategies, with particular emphasis on how AI improves the candidate experience throughout the hire journey. As expedited digitalization and the maturation of recruitment from human resume screening to AI-based evaluation, organizations are more and more relying on smart solutions to make hiring more efficient, tailored, and equitable. The study follows a mixed-methods design, combining qualitative interview data and quantitative survey responses from 110 MBA candidates and job applicants actively participating in AI-facilitated hiring processes. The focus is on Indian businesses— traditional firms as well as startups—adventuring into AI technologies such as chatbots, resume parsers, video interviewing software, and predictive analytics software. Major findings indicate that AI has greatly enhanced recruitment processes like candidate shortlisting, resume screening, and interview scheduling. Time saved, better communication, and enhanced candidate-job matching were cited as significant advantages by the respondents. Nevertheless, issues regarding transparency within the system, algorithmic bias, and the absence of personalization in completely automated systems remain. In spite of the expected gains, statistical analyses uncovered no significant relationship between awareness of AI tools and general satisfaction or preference for recruitment models. Furthermore, candidate perceptions of process transparency and fairness had no strong tie to variables such as gender, education level, or exposure to placements. The research sums up that although AI promotes operational efficiency and responsiveness, its success is based on ethical deployment, openness, and the sustaining of a human touch. To ensure sustainable adoption, organisations need to sort out issues of trust, develop HR professionals, and use hybrid recruitment models that use machine precision to use alongside human empathy.