Practical ways AI can improve your recruiting

Staffmark’s Jennifer Fitzpatrick shared practical tips for incorporating AI into the job-search process at the Partner for Success workshop.

Artificial intelligence (AI) in the job-search process is here to stay. Sixty-seven percent of job candidates and 87 percent of hiring decision-makers now use AI in their hiring process. Jennifer Fitzpatrick, Senior Director of the Talent Journey at the Staffmark Group, also uses it extensively, but cautions that critical reading is essential, especially for job seekers.

“AI is not error-proof,” Ms. Fitzpatrick said to Partner for Success workshop attendees on January 15. “It also isn’t you. You need to review every item it generates to make sure it is using your voice. Employers can tell immediately when there’s a big disconnect between the language used by AI and the authentic language used by the job seeker.”

She encourages job seekers to pick one AI account and to “train it” to sound like you. She does this by talking to her account regularly. “It sounds crazy, I know, but I want it to know me so I can feel more confident about the outcome when asking it to draft content for me.”

Ms. Fitzpatrick also detailed a new tool Staffmark uses to pre-screen job seekers. Called “Rowan,” it is an automatic response tool that calls job seekers as soon as they apply for a job. Over a 3- to 5-minute interaction, Rowan gathers more information about the applicant’s appropriateness and interest in the job. This information is then summarized and submitted to the hiring manager for further consideration.

See more tips for job seekers and recruiters in her slide deck.

Staffmark’s Michelle Cestaric assisted with the session. Ms. Cestaric is heavily involved in workforce development in Northern Kentucky, serving on the Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board (NKWIB) and as the chairperson of the NKY Works Advisory Committee.

This was the first of four Partner for Success workshops for 2026. Co-sponsored by NKADD, NKY Works, the NKWIB, and the Kentucky Career Center, the purpose of the Partner for Success series is to highlight best practices across the regional, state and national workforce development spheres.  The next session on April 16 will address the technology skills every worker needs. Register for free here.