How to Use an AI Chatbot to Shorten Your Candidate Screening Time

Candidate screening is a crucial part of the hiring process, but can easily become a bottleneck. Skip it, and you risk missing out on the best candidates for your open positions. But let’s be honest—it takes forever.

Thankfully, AI chatbots offer a solution. Through the automation of initial interactions, they streamline communication and collect essential candidate information effortlessly.

In this article, we’ll explain the role of AI chatbots in candidate screening and how to use an AI chatbot like Carv to screen candidates quickly and effectively. Let’s dive in!

What is an AI chatbot for candidate screening?

In the recruitment process, an “AI chatbot” is an AI-powered tool that interacts with candidates, gathers preliminary information, and assesses their suitability for a job opening.

Key features of AI chatbots include:

• Real-time conversations with job seekers via text or voice chat.
• Automated follow-ups through email or text messaging.
• Integration with an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) for seamless data syncing.

AI chatbots are especially useful for high-volume hiring teams, general staffing agencies, and roles where candidates can be filtered through quick knock-out questions—such as in blue-collar industries.

Now that we know what AI chatbots do, let’s explore why you should use one.

How does AI screening work?

AI screening automates the early stages of hiring, helping recruiters quickly identify qualified candidates. Instead of manually reviewing resumes or conducting initial phone screens, an AI chatbot handles these tasks in real time.

Here’s how it works:

1. Engagement – The chatbot interacts with candidates via text or voice, answering questions and guiding them through the process.
2. Data collection – It gathers key details such as experience, skills, and availability.
3. Screening – Using predefined criteria, the chatbot filters candidates through knock-out questions, skill assessments, and scoring mechanisms.
4. Integration – It syncs candidate data with your Applicant Tracking System (ATS), ensuring a smooth transition to the next hiring stage.

By automating these steps, AI screening speeds up hiring, reduces bias, and ensures recruiters focus on the most promising candidates.

Benefits of using an AI chatbot for candidate screening

The right AI chatbot will improve your candidate screening process in a number of ways:

• Saving your recruiters time: An AI chatbot automates the initial screening stage, freeing up recruiters to focus on qualified candidates. Instead of manually collecting resume details or answering repetitive questions, recruiters can prioritize meaningful interactions—leading to better hiring metrics like a shorter time to hire.
• Enhancing the candidate experience: AI chatbots don’t just save time—they also improve the candidate experience. By engaging job seekers in personalized, real-time conversations, chatbots ensure that every applicant receives timely attention throughout the hiring process.
• ‍Improving consistency while screening: Unlike humans, AI chatbots don’t make mistakes or introduce bias. Every candidate is asked the same set of initial questions, ensuring consistent data collection and a fair evaluation process.‍
• Uncovering data-driven insights: AI chatbots collect and analyze candidate responses after each interaction. This data helps recruiters make informed hiring decisions while keeping the ATS updated—without extra manual effort.

Now, let’s look at a practical example of how to use Carv’s AI chatbot for pre-screening candidates.

How to use the Carv AI chatbot for candidate pre-screening

Before we dive into the details, here’s a quick note on Carv’s AI chatbot. Technically, Carv offers a conversational AI module, which differs from a typical chatbot. We’ve covered the difference here, so if this terminology is new to you, take a moment to read through.

Now, the goal of using AI in pre-screening is to shorten the time-to-fill by engaging with candidates, qualifying them, and scheduling interviews with shortlisted ones, 24/7. This streamlines the process, helping recruiters fill seats faster without sacrificing quality.

Next to the hiring time, AI chatbots improve recruitment metrics like the cost per hire, number of placements per recruiter, recruiter productivity, and candidate satisfaction scores.

Here’s how the conversational AI bot works.

Choose your vacancy

To use Carv’s AI screening chatbot, you need a published job vacancy and the URL of the job posting. The chatbot will use the job description to create a tailored candidate screening flow.

While integrating Carv with your ATS isn’t mandatory, doing so allows you to fully automate the screening process and seamlessly feed candidate data back into your ATS talent pool after each screening call.

So, you have two options to get started:

1. Connect Carv to your ATS and launch the chatbot directly, or
2. Select a job opening from your career site and copy the vacancy URL.

Create a personalized chat flow

Now that Carv has access to your vacancy, it will automatically generate a custom chat flow tailored to both the specific role you're hiring for and the candidates who apply.

Instead of manually building conversation trees and screening flowcharts, the AI does the heavy lifting. It creates a conversation flow with the right questions to help you efficiently shortlist top candidates.

The pre-screening questions can be customized, and you can instruct the AI to check for additional details that matter—for example, whether a candidate is willing to relocate if they don’t already live in the required area.

Unlike regular chatbots, AI-powered ones understand context and adapt their responses, creating a more natural, human-like experience for candidates. You don’t need to provide overly detailed instructions—just a list of key criteria—so the AI can accurately filter out unqualified applicants and highlight the top talent.

Automated, real-time candidate interactions

Next, Carv engages each candidate via text or chat, asking questions about their experience, skills, and availability throughout the application process.

The best part? These conversations can happen on popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp, or through voice calls and SMS, depending on your preference.

At a high level, this might seem similar to a traditional screening process—it’s still a conversation.

But imagine you’re the candidate. You’ve applied for a job and you’re excited, but as the days go by with no response, your enthusiasm fades. Eventually, frustration sets in, and you start looking for other opportunities.

Carv prevents this by using conversational AI to engage candidates immediately after they apply. The chatbot starts the conversation right away and can interact with job seekers in any language, 24/7. No applicant gets left hanging, which drastically improves the candidate experience. It’s a win-win.

Additionally, Carv collects candidate details and sends them directly to your ATS, enriching your talent pool with up-to-date information. This ensures you have all the details you need for the interview stage, streamlining the process even further.

Schedule interviews automatically

So, what happens when a candidate aces the screening process? Simple: they’re automatically scheduled to meet with a human recruiter at a time that works for them. And once again, this step is entirely handled by the AI chatbot.

Let’s recap what’s happened so far:

• Carv created a custom chat flow based on the data inside your ATS.
• As candidates responded to the job posting, Carv engaged them via text or voice calls.
• Carv then analyzed responses, identified the best talent, and scheduled them for the interview process.

And what were you doing while Carv took care of all this? You were focused on interviewing candidates for other roles, helping onboard new hires, or working on something else productive. You weren’t bogged down in the screening process, wishing you had more time.

Collect data and sync it with your ATS

Last but not least, Carv takes all the data it has gathered so far and syncs it with your ATS. New candidate profiles are automatically created for each potential hire, and existing profiles are updated with the latest information.

You and/or your recruiting team can now review these profiles at any time.

Does one of the profiles look like an ideal candidate? Send them an assessment or skill test—or even an actual job offer if you're ready. Once the candidate is in your ATS, you’re free to engage with them as you see fit. Recruitment has never been this productive!

Pre-requisites for starting with AI screening

AI chatbots like Carv will improve your hiring strategy. But before you implement this kind of tool in your candidate screening process, make sure you have the following things in place:

1. An ATS (Applicant Tracking System)

While the ATS isn’t a must for screening with Conversational AI, it makes a lot more sense to collect all the data from text or phone interviews automatically.

Good news: Carv works with most ATS platforms, either as an embedded solution, or through API integration. This allows for easy access to job descriptions, existing candidate profiles, past hiring data, and more.

2. Defined recruitment goals

What do you want your AI chatbot to help you achieve?

Clearly define your screening goals. For example, you might want to increase candidate engagement throughout the talent acquisition process. Or connect with a high volume of candidates for blue collar roles—something you’re unable to do on your own.

Carv and other tools in the AI chatbots space can be customized to focus on specific recruitment tasks, from creating candidate profiles to scheduling interviews.

3. Well-written job descriptions

Your AI chatbot will need access to job details to generate tailored screening questions. So, prepare your job descriptions in advance. That way your bot can work quickly and effectively.

What does a “good” job description look like? The best job descriptions tell top candidates about the job, list required skills, and spotlight potential perks. And they do all of this in a way that’s easy to understand.

4. Access to potential candidates

How will you source candidates?

If you’re using Carv with an existing ATS, make sure the app has access to your internal talent pipeline. If you’re not using Carv with an existing ATS, or you want to source candidates outside of your current network, make sure the app has access the vacancy on your career page or whatever job board you’re using.

You can also source candidates on social media sites like LinkedIn, or through job ads you publish online. Whatever tactics you use, make sure the potential candidates end up in your ATS so Carv can engage with them.

5. Communication preferences

You should also define your preferred communication channels.

Do you want high-quality candidates to interact with you via text-based chat, voice, or video? Your answer will help tailor the chatbot experience, and ensure it meets your recruitment needs.

Or course, candidates will also get the chance to set their preferences during the application process. For example, if they select WhatsApp as their preferred communication method, the Carv AI chatbot will reach out through WhatsApp only.

6. Training for recruiters

Lastly, teach your recruiting team how to interact with the AI chatbot you choose. Just as important, teach them how to interpret the insights this tool provides.

If your team doesn’t know how to do these things, they won’t be able to provide a quality recruiting experience to top candidates. As such, the amount of time it takes to find and hire a qualified professional for an open role will go up. Neither of these scenarios are ideal.

Ok, we’re almost at the end, but there’s one more aspect worth discussing: Common misconceptions about AI chatbots. Let’s address these below.

Common misconceptions about AI chatbots in recruitment

AI chatbots are a relatively new technology—especially when it comes to candidate screening. Because of this, there are a few misconceptions about the topic. Let’s discuss them:

• “AI chatbots will fully replace recruiters.” AI chatbots assist recruiters by automating initial interactions. They are not designed to replace your decision-making abilities. So don’t be afraid to use them to evaluate new hires’ abilities and assess company culture fit for your employer brand.
• “Chatbots can’t provide a personal touch.” This is also untrue. Modern chatbots like Carv are specifically built to create natural, conversational experiences that feel personalized to each potential candidate.
• “Setting up AI chatbots is too complex.” As outlined above, working with AI chatbots like Carv is extremely easy. Simply connect the tool to your ATS or copy the vacancy URL and let it do its thing.

Save time with an AI chatbot for recruitment

AI chatbots have the potential to truly change the candidate screening process, cutting the admin time and speeding up the entire hiring process.

Of course, like any new technology, it might take a while for all recruiting teams to adopt such tools, but the sooner you do it, the faster you’ll experience its benefits.

Want to see how Carv can help you pre-screen and shortlist the right candidates faster? Get a demo here and see the AI chatbot in action.