As AI technology rapidly evolves, it is transforming the way companies and candidates approach hiring. At Ontra, we embrace AI as a powerful tool in our recruiting toolkit, but never as a replacement for human judgment or decision-making. Transparency, fairness, and candidate trust are at the heart of our approach.
We use AI to enhance efficiency and consistency across our hiring process, but our Talent Acquisition team always has the final say. AI supports us by offering insights and suggestions, not by making decisions. Human expertise, empathy, and ethical responsibility remain central to how we evaluate every candidate.
How we assess candidates — with and without AI
When evaluating candidates, AI helps streamline and standardize elements of the process, but our assessments are always grounded in human conversation and judgment. We prioritize:
- Real-time insights from interviews and exercises
- Team alignment on candidate competencies
- Fairness in assessment, aligned with business needs
How we use AI during the hiring process
We thoughtfully incorporate AI into our hiring process to improve your experience, ensure our decisions are data-informed and inclusive, and allow our team to devote more time to meaningful interactions with our candidates and hiring stakeholders.
Job description creation
We utilize AI tools to draft inclusive and engaging job descriptions based on role-specific details. Human review ensures clarity, accuracy, and hiring alignment.
Interview planning & question drafting
Our team may use AI to generate interview questions aligned with the role’s competencies. These questions are always refined and approved by the hiring team.
Interview feedback summarization
Our Applicant Tracking System uses AI to generate summaries of interview feedback and highlight key takeaways, which streamlines decision-making and keeps evaluations consistent and unbiased. Our team and hiring managers still review every piece of input in full.
Application review & sourcing
AI assists us in reviewing large volumes of applications using criteria such as skills and experience. It helps surface potentially strong matches but never filters applicants out automatically or provides any ranking or grading of profiles. All decisions about which candidates move forward are always made by humans.
How we expect candidates to use AI
We understand that AI tools are now common in professional and personal workflows, as they are in our own. We welcome thoughtful, transparent use of AI during the application and preparation phases, such as:
- Using AI to polish your resume or brainstorm potential interview questions
- Practicing responses with AI-based tools to boost your confidence
- Using AI to better understand our business and industry
However, we ask that all candidates refrain from using real-time AI tools during interviews (e.g., notetakers, live prompting, hidden scripting, or voice-generation tools). These practices may misrepresent your qualifications, create unfair advantages in an environment built on trust and authenticity, and could place Ontra’s confidential and proprietary information at risk of unauthorized disclosure.
Ontra reserves the right to discontinue the interview process or decline any candidate for further consideration if they are found to have violated these expectations.
If business needs require, we may include an in-person interview for final round candidates to ensure we are getting an accurate sense of skills and qualifications prior to making a hiring decision. While we are a remote-first company and will not require days in an office for most roles, we prioritize the safety of our data, confidential information, proprietary information, and the integrity of our hiring process, and may use an in-person interview as an opportunity to safeguard this.
Please note that Ontra is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Therefore, if a potential reasonable accommodation related to the use of AI-related technologies during the hiring process is needed, please contact [email protected].
How we address unfair AI usage in interviews
As generative AI becomes more accessible, we recognize the need to protect the integrity of our interview process.
Here’s how we’re approaching it:
- Live evaluations: Most of our assessments take place in real-time, where we’re looking for thoughtful, original responses and engagement. Our Talent team is trained to identify potential AI interference, and tracks this closely.
- Ethics monitoring: We have a dedicated team monitoring emerging tools and potential misuse, in partnership with our Security and Legal teams. Because authenticity is key, this includes strategies to identify AI-generated answers.
- Legal & compliance oversight: We’re working closely with legal partners and staying informed on evolving applicable laws and regulations to ensure proper use of AI in hiring.
A shared commitment
We believe in the potential of AI to reduce bias, expand access, and create a better hiring experience for both candidates and hiring teams. We are excited about what this technology makes possible, and we are committed to applying it with transparency, fairness, and care.
If you have questions about our use of AI or expectations during interviews, we encourage you to reach out. Thank you for partnering with us on this journey.
– The Ontra Talent Acquisition Team
