How AI Resume Filtering Works


Data-Driven Recruiting

How AI Resume Filtering Works

Date: March 9th, 2024

Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes

Sponsorship Acknowledgment: This edition is proudly presented by Sonar Talent, developing an AI-powered talent marketplace for tech business leaders.


With so much talk of AI in the recruiting process, I want to dive deep into one of the primary use cases for AI: parsing resumes. In this newsletter, we'll look at why companies use AI resume parers, how the process works, and risks to be aware of.

Why AI? The Triple Advantage

AI in resume screening isn't just a trend—it's a response to the pressing needs of today's hiring landscape:

  • Efficiency at Scale: AI effortlessly manages the deluge of applications, ensuring no potential gem goes unnoticed.
  • Objective Insights: By setting objective criteria, AI cuts through unconscious bias, allowing talents to shine on their merits.
  • Cost Optimization: Streamlining the screening process translates into significant savings, freeing resources for where they're needed most.


The AI Screening Blueprint

Our journey into AI screening unveils a meticulously structured process:

  1. Parsing: Extracting valuable data from resumes to kickstart the evaluation process.
  2. Keyword Matching: Aligning candidate profiles with job descriptions to ensure relevance.
  3. Ranking and Scoring: Assessing candidates against benchmarks to identify the best fits.
  4. Filtering: Narrowing down the pool to those most aligned with the role's requirements.
  5. Compliance and Bias Reduction: Upholding fairness by mitigating bias and adhering to legal standards.
  6. Feedback and Learning: Continuously refining the AI model for more accurate future screenings.

Navigating the Risks

While AI screening offers immense potential, awareness of its pitfalls—such as over-reliance on keywords, bypassing human intuition, and inadvertent bias—ensures a balanced approach. It's about harnessing AI's power without losing the human touch that makes recruitment personal and inclusive.

Staying Ahead of Legal Curves

The legal landscape, particularly NYC's Local Law 144 of 2021, sets a precedent for the ethical use of AI in hiring. Mandating bias audits and ensuring transparency with candidates challenge us to use AI responsibly, fostering an environment of trust and fairness in recruitment practices. There are two main action items that we should be aware of:

  • Conducting Bias Audits: Verifying that AI tools promote equality and do not discriminate.
  • Providing Notices: Informing candidates about using AI in their assessment, promoting transparency.

As HR professionals, staying informed about such regulations ensures legal compliance and builds a recruitment process that candidates trust and respect. Trust will be critical as the competition for key talent increases in the coming years.

See the Process in Action

Curious to learn more? Check out our video walkthrough here.


Are you eager to overhaul your recruitment strategy?

I partner with entrepreneurs as an advisor and mentor during their growth phase. I help them lay the correct foundation for building a world-class team, avoiding expensive mis-hires and churn while reducing time away from the core business.

If you are a founder or startup executive passionate about building great teams and have an appreciation for using data to make better decisions, I'd love to hear from you.


If you're thinking about implementing an AI tool or already using one in your HR stack, you need to be aware of the process and potential risks. Vendors must be able to walk you through exactly how their AI process works with full transparency; otherwise, you could be legally liable for any bias as the owner of the recruiting process.

Until next time!

Chris Mannion

Connect on LinkedIn | Book a 1:1 Call

Unsubscribe · Preferences

Whenever you are ready, here are 2 ways I can help you:
1. Sonar Talent Marketplace Job Posting. Get your role in front of experienced business professionals looking for their next role on our job board. Currently zero cost!
2. Fractional Talent Advisory. I work with a small number of entrepreneurs as a talent advisor and mentor. My area of expertise is non-engineering roles at high-growth technology companies.

Data-Driven Recruiting

Learn how to implement data-driven recruiting to improve hiring quality and speed.

Read more from Data-Driven Recruiting

Data-Driven Recruiting Unlocking the Potential of Pre-Hire Assessments Date: July 20th, 2024 Estimated Read Time: 4 minutes Sponsorship Acknowledgment: This week's edition of Data-Driven Recruiting is brought to you by Meander, the data-driven talent marketplace for busy professionals. How Pre-Hire Assessments Work Pre-hire assessments are tools used to evaluate the suitability of candidates for specific roles. These assessments can measure various factors, including cognitive abilities,...

Data-Driven Recruiting Change Management in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Date: July 13th, 2024 Estimated Read Time: 4 minutes Sponsorship Acknowledgment: This week's edition of Data-Driven Recruiting is brought to you by Meander, the data-driven talent marketplace for busy professionals. Introduction AI is going to completely transform the way we work. Many business leaders are eager to adopt AI but worry about the risks since 70% of change initiatives fail. Today, we're covering the...

Data-Driven Recruiting Mastering the Art of Self-Management for Career Longevity Date: May 11th, 2024 Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes Sponsorship Acknowledgment: This week's edition of Data-Driven Recruiting is brought to you by Meander, the data-driven talent marketplace for busy professionals. Hi everyone, Most of us are aware that the concept of a career has evolved dramatically over the last couple of years with huge layoffs and The Great Resignation. Gone are the days when a career meant...