Hiring 40 engineers a year meant thousands of CVs and calendar ping-pong. Now AI scores every application against role requirements overnight, qualified candidates book panel interviews themselves, and time-to-first-interview has fallen 68% — from eleven days to three and a half.
Typical results
3.5 days
To first interview, down from 11
100%
Applicants answered within 24 hours
12%
Pre-interview drop-off, was 29%
5 hrs
Recruiter time per hire, was 14
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Two recruiters faced over 3,000 applications a year for forty engineering roles. Screening was manual, so strong candidates sat unread for days, then lost another week to interview-scheduling ping-pong across busy panel calendars. Time-to-first-interview averaged eleven days, 29% of qualified candidates dropped off before ever interviewing, and competitors were signing them first.
Before and after
Days to first interview
−68%Recruiter hours per hire
−64%Pre-interview drop-off
−59%The automation
We built a pipeline that parses every application the moment it arrives and scores it against the role's requirements — skills, seniority, location and salary band. Qualified candidates receive a self-serve scheduling link synced to panel calendars in real time, so interviews book themselves even at midnight. Every stage change triggers the right email automatically, reschedules rebook without recruiter touches, and a daily digest flags anyone stuck in the pipeline.
How it works
- 01
Applications parsed and scored
AI reads each CV the moment it arrives and scores it against the role's skills, seniority and salary band.
- 02
Qualified candidates book themselves
Passing candidates get a self-serve scheduling link synced live to panel calendars.
- 03
Panels stay in sync
Interviewers receive briefs and calendar holds; reschedules rebook automatically.
- 04
Every stage triggers the right email
Status changes send the matching message instantly, so nobody waits a week for a reply.
- 05
Recruiters watch one dashboard
A daily digest flags stuck candidates and time-in-stage across every open role.
Starts from
- Incoming applications
- Role requirements
Delivers
- Self-serve interview slots
- Stage-change emails
- Ranked shortlist to panels
The impact
Time-to-first-interview dropped 68%, from eleven days to three and a half, and every applicant now hears back within 24 hours. Candidate drop-off before interview fell from 29% to 12%, recruiter hours per hire went from fourteen to five, and the team filled all forty engineering roles without adding headcount.
Questions about this automation
How does the AI score applications?
Each CV is read as soon as it arrives and compared with the role's requirements: skills, seniority, location and salary band. The score and a short reason go into the applicant tracking system. Recruiters set the requirements and the pass threshold per role, and can review or override any score before a candidate moves forward.
How does interview scheduling work?
Candidates who pass screening receive a self-serve scheduling link that shows only open slots on the panel's calendars, updated in real time. Booking creates calendar holds and sends each interviewer a brief. If anyone reschedules, the slot is rebooked automatically and everyone gets the updated invite, without a recruiter stepping in.
What do candidates hear at each stage?
Every status change in the pipeline sends a matching email right away, whether that is an invitation, a next-step note or a polite rejection, so applicants hear back within a day. A daily digest shows recruiters anyone stuck in a stage too long. It is a multi-step build, usually rolled out in stages, starting with screening for one role family.