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Ask it to show its work. If a tool scores a person or suggests a next step, you should be able to see the reason in words a colleague would understand.
Then run three quick checks. Does it treat similar people the same way? Does it leave the real decision to a human rather than acting on its own? And does it fit the systems you already use without locking your data away? A tool that passes all three is rare, and that is the point. Most fail at least one, and that tells you where to look harder.
Look for a tool that interviews rather than filters. A CV filter only reads what someone has done before. A short structured interview asks what they can actually do, which surfaces good people a CV would skip over.
Two more things matter. The tool should give the same result for the same answer, so one person is not marked down just because they applied on a slower day. And it should show the reason behind every score, not a neat summary written after the fact. Hubert, for example, scores each interview against the same set of questions and gives the recruiter the reason behind every result. That is the bar worth holding any hiring tool to: the same questions for everyone, and a reason you can actually read.
Pick one that helps managers give steady, specific feedback instead of one rushed review a year. Little and often is fairer, and people can act on it.
Be wary of tools that hand back a rating with no story behind it. If a manager cannot say why the software suggested a number, the number is a problem, not a shortcut. Look instead for clear, editable criteria that match your own roles, so the tool backs up the manager's judgment rather than replacing it.
Here the upside is easy and the risk is low, because you are helping people grow rather than deciding who gets a job.
Choose a tool that builds a path around each person's current skills and goals, not one that pushes the same course on everyone. Good tools also spot the gap between the skills you have and the skills you need, so training money goes where it counts. Better still is a tool that reads your hiring and review data, so one shared picture of a person's skills follows them from day one.
Three habits cover most of the risk. Keep a person in every decision that affects someone's job, so no one is turned down automatically. Check where your data lives and who can train models on it. And make sure you can trace how any decision was reached, in case someone asks later.
None of this is a setting you switch on. It is a standard you hold vendors to before you sign.
Shortlist two or three tools, then put each through the same checks: can it show its reasoning, does it treat people fairly, and does it keep a person in charge? Ask for a live walkthrough using your own roles, not a generic demo. The tool that answers clearly, in plain language, is usually the one to trust.
Yes, as long as the tool meets the rules for high-risk hiring systems. In short, it has to explain its decisions, treat people fairly, keep a human in charge, and let you check its work later.
It should not. A good tool sorts and scores candidates, but a person always makes the final call. If a tool rejects people on its own, walk away.
Some try. But for hiring, where the stakes are highest, a specialist usually beats an all-in-one. Look for tools that connect cleanly rather than one that does everything at a basic level.
Faster than you might expect, if it plugs into what you already use. The best sign is a tool that connects to your existing applicant tracking system rather than making you rebuild around it. Ask about setup time and integrations early.