Executive Summary
Agentic AI doesn’t remove the white glove from our service, it supports a positive first step in a high touch, relationship forward search process. Candidate satisfaction is the name of the game in executive search and our new agent, Alice, delivers just that.
At the beginning of 2026, MeeDerby made the investment into agentic AI by deploying Bullhorn’s latest screening agent, Alice, to prescreen applicants that enter our ecosystem. The long term goal is to keep our users inside the Bullhorn environment to further leverage our database and streamline recruitment workflows.
MeeDerby is the leading executive search firm, with a 37 year history of supporting the staffing and workforce solutions industry. We place high caliber staffing industry talent into roles across staffing firms, including:
- C-Suite: CEO, President, SVP, EVP
- Sales & Recruitment leaders
- Individual contributors: Recruiters, Business Development Managers, Account Managers, Account Executives
- Corporate roles: CFOs, CIOs, CTOs, CHROs, CPOs, CMOs, Controllers, Staff Accountants, Financial Analysts
- Fractional Executives: CMOs, CFOs
Given our pool of candidates there was uncertainty as to how prospective talent would want to interact with an AI screening agent. Our goal was to gather data on candidate satisfaction while deploying the tool in real time. At the end of each successfully completed screening call, the candidate is asked to rate the experience from 1-5. Based on these results, we have put together analysis on how our ecosystem feels about interacting with a screening agent during their job search.
From Pilot to Pipeline
We launched the screening agent with a pilot group of recruiters consisting of two employees and two of their open jobs that all inbound applicants would now be pushed to the agent. At the end of two months, as we had successes and ironed out the processes, we gradually opened up the screening agent to all open jobs on all of our recruiters desks.
Beginning on January 1st, 2026 until June 30th, 2026, we collected data on those who took the screening agent and have broken down the results below.
The screening agent funnel below visualizes the number of applicants sent the screener through to the candidates who completed the full screening process.
Alice Saved Recruiters Time & Delivered Warm & Qualified Candidates To Their Desks
MeeDerby works exclusively with staffing and workforce solutions industry professionals, with all of our jobs requiring that experience. Prior to this new technology, we had an overflow of applicants that did not have staffing industry experience, prompting our team to create the following knock out question for applicants prior to their entry into the screening process:
“Have you worked internally for a staffing firm? (candidates without staffing industry experience on their resume will be automatically disqualified).”
Once the applicant has been qualified, they begin the conversation with the screening agent.
Overall, the funnel shows high early-stage engagement, with the primary attrition occurring during qualification and screening progression.
The Data
At screening process completion, we analyzed the following variables:
- Interview Score: The grade that Alice assigns the interview based on performance and their resume with regard to the job they applied to
- Interview Duration: The length of time the candidate spent speaking to the screening agent
- Satisfaction Score: The grade that candidates give to Alice on a scale of 1-5 based on their satisfaction with the experience that is answered if they complete the screening agent.
- Job Level: The bucket of seniority that the role the candidate applied for fits into (Individual Contributor, Manager/Director, Vice President, and President and above)
Based on the completed screens, we qualitatively compared these variables to determine how the candidates in our ecosystem feel about interacting with a screening agent.
The Higher the Title, the Greater the Satisfaction
Candidate satisfaction with the AI screening agent remains consistently high across all job levels, with average ratings exceeding 4.00 out of 5.00 in every group. Overall, these results suggest that the AI screening experience is well-received across seniority levels, with the most executive level candidates feeling the most satisfied with the experience. Considering we are speaking with staffing industry leaders, it’s clear they see the value in AI screening and its ability to establish a solid first point of contact with our team. They trust the process.
Trust Translated Into Scores
Average screening scores show modest variation across job levels, with all groups performing within a relatively narrow range. These results suggest that candidate performance on the AI screening is broadly consistent across seniority levels. Those who decided to see the process through received above average scores in their resume and interview analysis. By engaging with Alice as a legitimate touchpoint in the recruiting process, candidates often scored higher.
Executives Spent More Time with Alice
Average screening duration increases modestly with candidate seniority, indicating higher engagement among more senior roles. These findings suggest that executive level candidates tend to engage more deeply with the AI screening process and as we previously saw, translates into higher marks.
2 in 3 Applicants Were Satisfied with Alice
Rating distributions show strong satisfaction across all job levels, with most candidates providing scores of 4 or 5. Based on the total number of candidates screened, 45% gave Alice a 5 out of 5 rating and 67% gave Alice at least a 4 out of 5. Overall, the level of detractors we have seen, as defined as giving a rating of 2 or less, is less than 6% of candidates screened. In our hightouch, white glove environment, it is critical that if technology is introduced in our process of building relationships with candidates, that we get off on the right foot.
Whether They Were a Fit or Not, Candidates Were Satisfied
High-performing and low-performing candidates report similar satisfaction levels, suggesting that perception of the AI screening experience is not significantly influenced by individual performance outcomes. This in part is due to the neutral tone and process with working through an AI screening agent. The applicant is following a sequence of questions from an agent that isn’t inherently reacting to their response on an emotional level, but rather strictly sticking to the facts.
High Marks For Those Who Trusted the Process
Screening performance shows a modest positive relationship with engagement, as measured by completion time. Candidates who spent more time completing the screening tended to achieve slightly higher scores, with the longest-duration group (30+ minutes) recording the highest average performance. If a candidate is willing to spend over 20 minutes with an AI screening agent, it is clear they have faith in how AI is representing our firm and in AI being a part of the process. Not only that, but the more details a candidate can provide on answers to color their experience, as it pertains to the role, the more likely that candidate is to get a better score.
Ultimately, Let Candidate Feedback Lead the AI Conversation, Not Your Gut.
The question is not whether executive search should become less human. It is whether technology can support a positive first step without replacing the relationships that matter.
The point of this is to prove that AI can allow us to address more of our candidates than we currently do, to maintain a high touch service, and to save our recruiters time that they can invest into building relationships with qualified and interested candidates.
The variance of satisfaction scoring amongst all variables is very tight considering the margin of error in our dataset. Ultimately, whether candidates are closer to an entry level candidate or a high level leader, and are qualified or unqualified, our applicants are having a positive experience when engaging with a screening agent.
The screening agent will never replace the white glove service we provide to our candidates but is proving to be a strong pipelining tool that keeps qualified candidates engaged in the process.
As the staffing industry continues to adopt, invest, and implement AI agents and other AI tools into workflows, pipelines, and processes, it is important to measure results along the way. The goal of the tool is to decrease time to fill, increase number of placements, streamline workflow processes, while creating a meaningful experience for candidates.
The MeeDerby team remains excited about enhancing our service offerings and relationship building through the use of new AI tools.
About MeeDerby
MeeDerby is the leading executive search firm specializing in staffing and workforce solutions. Since 1988, MeeDerby has completed more than 3,000 executive and management searches for hundreds of companies, ranging from start-ups to the largest global industry leaders across every staffing discipline. MeeDerby is deeply embedded in the workforce solutions ecosystem and is a 16-time recipient of the ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Client Award.
Authors
Jack Jobst, Marketing & Technology Manager
301-704-3882
Parker Stas, Summer Intern
