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Hiring Pipeline Human-in-Command Checklist

Use this as a copy/paste checklist for HR, procurement, or hiring managers when AI is used anywhere in candidate screening or selection.

If the answer to any critical item is “no,” the system is not ready for consequential use.

Candidate notice

• Do applicants know where AI is used in the hiring process?
• Do applicants know where AI is not used?
• Is that notice plain-language and easy to find?

Logging and reconstruction

• Do we keep a durable log of ranking, filtering, scoring, and override events?
• Can we reconstruct how a candidate moved through the workflow?
• Can we identify which model, settings, or rules were active at the time?

Limits on automation

• Is autonomous rejection blocked or tightly limited in high-stakes screening?
• Are humans required to review edge cases, low-confidence cases, or contested cases?
• Can a qualified human pause or disable the workflow?

Real human authority

• Can hiring staff reverse model suggestions without penalty?
• Do reviewers have enough information to disagree intelligently with the system?
• Are they given enough time to review rather than just approve?

Appeal path

• Can applicants ask for human review?
• Is there a named contact or office for appeals?
• Is there a response timeline?

Entry-ladder protection

• Are we tracking whether the system is narrowing entry routes for junior candidates?
• Are we watching for proxy filters that quietly reward already-credentialed applicants?
• Are internal promotion and training pathways being preserved?

Audit and enforcement

• Can internal audit, an independent reviewer, a worker representative, or a regulator inspect the system?
• If the system fails, do we pause use, review decisions, notify affected people, and remediate before reuse?
• Is contract review or termination possible if the vendor cannot support these controls?

Minimal standard

The point is not to ban AI in hiring.

The point is to keep humans meaningfully in command, keep the process contestable, and keep speed from replacing accountability.

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