AI or EI? Why Human Insight Still Matters in Recruitment

AI has exploded into recruitment. AI hiring tools can scan thousands of CVs in seconds, suggest interview questions, and flag skills gaps you’d never spot manually. For recruiters drowning in applications, it feels like a lifesaver.

But here’s the thing: for all its speed and sophistication, AI can’t replicate human judgment. It can’t read a pause in someone’s voice, notice how a candidate reacts under pressure, or measure whether someone has the empathy to lead a team. That’s where emotional intelligence in hiring comes in.

The future of recruitment isn’t about choosing between AI and EI. It’s about using both. The precision of AI and the human insight of emotional intelligence to make smarter, fairer, and more defensible hiring decisions.

WHERE AI HIRING TOOLS SHINE?

There’s no denying the impact AI has had. It’s already streamlining every stage of the funnel:

Sourcing: Tools like LinkedIn’s AI-powered search cut hours off the hunt for candidates.
Screening: Resume parsing systems filter applications in seconds.
Assessments: AI-based scoring gives consistent results at scale.
Admin: Chatbots and schedulers take the back-and-forth out of setting up interviews.

And the efficiency is real. Aptitude Research found organisations using AI in recruitment reduced time-to-fill by 35% and boosted recruiter productivity by 20%. That’s not a marginal gain, it’s a step change.

The flipside: where AI falls short

The danger is in over-relying on algorithms. AI isn’t neutral, it learns from historical data, and if that data is biased, the system will be too.

Amazon learned the hard way. Its experimental hiring tool was scrapped after it repeatedly penalised female applicants, because the model had been trained on years of male-heavy hiring data.
“Black box” decisions don’t wash. Regulators and candidates expect transparency. If you can’t explain why an algorithm rejected someone, you’ve got a compliance problem.
Non-linear career paths get lost. A CV gap, a career switch, or time spent caregiving might get filtered out, even if the candidate has exactly the right skills.

AI is brilliant at sifting information, but it doesn’t understand people. That’s where human judgment and emotional intelligence comes in.

WHY EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN HIRING STILL MATTERS

Emotional intelligence (EI) is about how people recognise, understand, and manage emotions — their own and others’. In recruitment, it matters in two ways:

Evaluating candidates. EI predicts how people handle stress, conflict, leadership, and teamwork. In high-pressure or people-facing roles, this can make or break performance.
Recruiter judgment. Interviewers with strong EI are better at reading nuance, listening actively, and spotting potential that doesn’t appear on paper.

The data backs this up:

TalentSmart research found 90% of top performers have high emotional intelligence.
The Journal of Organizational Behavior links EI to lower burnout and stronger resilience — huge drivers of retention.
Korn Ferry’s global study found leaders with higher EI drive more engaged, higher-performing teams.

In other words: emotional intelligence isn’t just a “nice to have.” It’s often the difference between someone thriving and someone burning out.

What EI looks like in practice

Healthcare: Hospitals often run role-play scenarios where candidates must show empathy with a distressed patient. It’s not about the right answer, it’s about emotional response under pressure.
Law enforcement: Agencies like Victoria Police use psychological and EI assessments to identify recruits who can keep composure in conflict and manage stress without escalation.
Leadership: Companies filling senior roles increasingly test for EI, knowing technical expertise alone won’t cut it. The ability to inspire, listen, and adapt is what separates effective leaders from ineffective ones.

AI can’t measure these moments. Humans can.

THE SWEET SPOT: AI + EI

The smartest hiring processes don’t treat AI and EI as either/or. They combine them.

Use AI hiring tools for the heavy lifting — screening and scheduling
Layer in emotional intelligence in hiring to capture the nuance AI misses.

A balanced approach looks like this:

Validated pre-employment tests measure cognitive ability and emotional intelligence.
Structured interviews, run by trained assessors, bring in the human insight.
Hiring managers use AI insights as a guide, not a verdict.

This way, decisions are faster, fairer, and most crucially, defensible.

Compliance is catching up

It’s worth noting: regulators are paying close attention to AI in hiring.

The EU’s proposed AI Act would classify recruitment algorithms as “high risk,” demanding transparency and human oversight.
The U.S. EEOC has issued guidance warning against automated systems that create adverse impact.
In Australia, Fair Work principles around fairness and non-discrimination still apply, regardless of whether technology is involved.

A process that combines AI efficiency with human oversight isn’t just best practice, it’s becoming a compliance requirement.

GET IN TOUCH

AI is transforming hiring, and it’s here to stay. It’s brilliant at speed, scale, and consistency. But emotional intelligence in hiring is what makes the process human, fair, and future-proof.

Recruitment that ignores EI risks missing the very qualities that drive performance, resilience, and leadership. Recruitment that ignores AI risks drowning in inefficiency.

The answer isn’t to choose. It’s to combine. The organisations that get this balance right will hire faster, smarter, and fairer, and they’ll be the ones building teams that can thrive in an unpredictable world.

If you want to talk to one of our experts about our tailored solutions, get in touch with our team here, or call 03 9040 1700 to learn more.