AI recruiter for agencies: faster CV screening, humans still decide
An AI recruiter for an agency screens each CV against the role's must-haves, gives a score with evidence (strengths, gaps, interview questions) and drafts candidate outreach. It speeds up the first read; a recruiter makes every decision. In the EU, AI used in hiring is classed as high-risk under the AI Act, so meaningful human oversight is required, not optional. PlugStaff's AI Recruiter costs $19/month and runs in your own Gmail, Sheets and n8n.
Where agencies lose time
- Reading 50–200 CVs per open role to find the 10 worth calling.
- Re-writing the same outreach message per candidate.
- Logging why each candidate was or wasn't shortlisted (clients ask).
What the AI does, and what it must not do
| Task | AI recruiter | Recruiter |
|---|---|---|
| Check must-haves (e.g. language level, licence, years in role) | Checklist with evidence quoted from the CV | Confirms |
| Score and rank | Score + reasons, flags unreadable CVs | Decides who to call |
| Interview questions | Drafts questions targeting gaps | Edits |
| Outreach | Draft email per shortlisted candidate | Sends |
| Rejecting candidates | Never on its own | Decides |
| Inferring age, gender, ethnicity, health | Instructed not to; such data is excluded | — |
Setup for an agency
- One role = one criteria sheet: 3–6 must-haves, 3–6 nice-to-haves, written so a stranger could check them.
- Drop CVs into a Gmail label or folder; the workflow reads PDFs and text.
- Review the shortlist sheet: score, evidence, gaps, questions per candidate.
- Send the outreach drafts you agree with. See the AI Recruiter setup guide.
Time saved (estimate)
With the inputs on the AI Recruiter page (150 CVs a week, 7 minutes each by hand vs 1.5 minutes to review), about 13.8 hours a week. That's an estimate, not a measured result. Agencies screening many roles can run it per role.
Compliance checklist (not legal advice)
- Tell candidates in your privacy notice that AI assists screening.
- Keep a person accountable for every shortlist and rejection; record the reason.
- Review scores for patterns that could indicate bias, and adjust criteria.
- Under GDPR, candidates can ask for human review of decisions about them.
Running several clients? Workforce ($49/month) also includes the AI SDR for business development with new clients.
FAQ
Can AI screen CVs fairly?
It can apply written criteria consistently and quote evidence, which helps. It can also reproduce bias in the criteria or data, so a person must review results, and protected characteristics should be excluded from what the model considers.
Is AI CV screening legal in the EU?
It is allowed but treated as high-risk under the EU AI Act, with obligations such as human oversight, transparency and record-keeping phasing in. Use it as decision support, not an automatic decision-maker. Not legal advice.
How much does an AI recruiter cost?
PlugStaff's AI Recruiter is $19/month on Starter, or included in Workforce at $49/month, plus your own AI usage. 7-day free trial.
The AI Recruiter is this workflow, tested and ready to import, with a setup guide (about 15 minutes on n8n Cloud). $19/month on Starter, 7-day free trial.