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Fast-growing Mexican restaurant chain Chipotle, has streamlined its recruitment efforts with the use of an AI-powered hiring assistant nicknamed Ava Cado, to reduce hiring time and improve candidate engagement.
The chatbot handles applicant conversations, provides company and role information, and schedules interviews. It operates in English, Spanish, French and German.
The company brought in the platform to meet increased hiring demands, as it plans to open about 300 new locations annually, each requiring around 30 employees. It equates to between 9,000 and 10,000 new hires per year in addition to roles at existing restaurants.
Application time cut to eight minutes
Ava Cado simplifies the process for job seekers by auto-filling applications based on information they provide during the chatbot conversation. It has pushed Chipotle’s application completion rate to around 85%.
“That has greatly increased our funnel so that we’re serving up many more candidates for our managers to evaluate,” said Ilene Eskenazi, Chief Human Resources Officer.
Before adopting the platform, hiring managers were responsible for scheduling all interviews. Ava Cado now automates that, allowing managers to block out preferred time slots while aligning candidate availability accordingly.
Eskenazi said the tool also ensures applicants are well briefed before interviews.
“They’re much more informed about what the job really is, and so then we know that the applicants are that much more interested in the job by the time they’re meeting a hiring manager in person,” she said.
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AI trims time to hire by 75%
The chain has seen hiring timelines drop significantly as a result, reducing the hiring cycle to an average of 3.5 days from a previous 12-day window.
“We leaned into an AI hiring assistant... about six months ago that has put us on a better footing from a staffing perspective,” said CEO Scott Boatwright.
Eskenazi confirmed that Chipotle may expand Ava Cado’s features to include video introductions to the company and location recommendations. The platform could also play a future role in learning and development initiatives.
Although the AI assistant facilitates applications, Chipotle says it does not screen resumes or make employment decisions. Managers retain control over final hiring calls.
The system also used by 7-Eleven, Nestlé, Marriott, Lowe’s and General Motors.
“We’ve gotten a lot of anecdotal feedback from both general managers and candidates, and it’s been incredibly strong,” Eskenazi said. “I personally have been pleasantly surprised by how much candidates have enjoyed interacting with Ava.”
