Recruitment chatbot: candidate questions and applications

What happens after a job ad goes out

Once a job ad is published, the HR team's inbox fills with the same questions: «What's the salary?», «what are the hours?», «do you take people without experience?», «where do I send my CV?». A recruiter answering each by hand spends half the day on messages, and when replies are slow, good candidates accept another offer.

A recruitment chatbot can take on this first stage: answer vacancy questions from approved information, collect basic fit details, get the CV to the right recruiter and agree an interview time. But the selection decision must never sit with the bot. This article covers the candidate journey, the boundary on screening questions, CV routing, interview scheduling, privacy and measurement.

The candidate journey

1. 1InterestThe candidate sees the ad and asks: salary, hours, location, requirements.
2. 2FitThe bot states the vacancy's main conditions and asks whether they suit the candidate — the candidate assesses themselves, not the bot.
3. 3ApplicationName, contact, vacancy, CV; a candidate card is created and the recruiter is notified.
4. 4InterviewThe recruiter reviews the application; after the decision to invite, the bot agrees a time.
5. 5OutcomeThe recruiter communicates the outcome. The bot can tell the candidate only the status — «your application is being reviewed» — not the reason for a decision.

Vacancy questions: the information base

The bot's answers come from a separate, approved card for each vacancy. What isn't on the card, the bot doesn't make up.

• Role, department, workplace or remote
• Working hours and shifts
• Salary or range — if the company has decided to disclose it; if not, the bot says so honestly
• Key requirements and nice-to-haves
• Selection stages and approximate timeline
• Application deadline

When a vacancy closes, its card must be deactivated. A bot accepting applications for a closed vacancy wastes both the candidate's and the recruiter's time.

Screening questions: the boundary

1. 1May askAbout the vacancy's objective requirements: years of experience, a certificate, a driving licence, readiness for shift work, ability to get to the workplace, languages.
2. 2Must not askQuestions unrelated to the job that could lead to discrimination: age, marital status, plans for children, religion, health, ethnicity. Even if the candidate volunteers them, the bot does not record them.
3. 3If a requirement isn't metThe bot does not say «you're not suitable». It restates the requirement and still accepts the application if the candidate wishes — the recruiter decides.

The legal side of these rules varies by country; the list should be approved with the company's HR and legal teams.

CV routing

• Which channel CVs are accepted on — as a file in chat, by email or through an application form — is decided in advance
• Candidate card: name, contact, vacancy, a one-sentence summary, where the CV is
• Routing by vacancy: sales roles to the sales recruiter, technical roles to the technical recruiter
• Notification: a Telegram message to the HR group; a recruiter takes the application in their name
• A second application from the same candidate is merged with the existing card

Interview scheduling

Agreeing an interview time is the correspondence that eats most of a recruiter's time. Once the decision to invite is made, the bot can take it over:

1. 1OptionsTwo or three options from the recruiter's free slots.
2. 2ConfirmationDate, time, format, address or link, who they will meet and what to bring.
3. 3ReminderOne day before — if the candidate consented.
4. 4ChangesIf the candidate wants to change the time, the bot offers new options; after a second change it hands over to the recruiter.

Doing the same by phone is a separate process covered in interview scheduling calls.

High-volume hiring days

When a retail chain, call centre or seasonal business opens dozens of vacancies at once, applications reach hundreds within days. The bot is especially useful here, but the rules must tighten:

• A separate card and application counter for each vacancy
• Objective requirements — hours, location — in the first two questions, to save the candidate's time
• If interview days are run in groups, the bot distributes time slots evenly
• If screening calls are a separate step, their rules are in candidate screening calls

Privacy

• The information collected is minimal: as much as the vacancy needs
• The candidate is told briefly why their data is kept and for how long
• Access to CVs and candidate cards is limited to the HR team
• Data of candidates not selected is deleted after the period set by company policy
• Data is deleted at the candidate's request

A sample conversation

1. 1Candidate, WhatsApp«Hi, I'm interested in the cashier vacancy. What's the salary and the schedule?»
2. 2Bot«Hello! The cashier vacancy is at the Narimanov branch: 2-on/2-off shifts, 09:00–21:00, salary in the range shown in the ad. Does that schedule suit you?»
3. 3Candidate«Yes. I don't have experience — is that okay?»
4. 4Bot«The vacancy doesn't require experience; training is provided. To apply, send your name and your CV if you have one — if not, briefly describe your previous job.»
5. 5What the recruiter sees«Cashier, Narimanov; schedule suits; no experience; CV attached.» The recruiter takes the application and decides whether to invite.

What to measure

1. 1Reply timeFrom the candidate's first question to the reply — including nights and weekends.
2. 2Complete-application shareThe percentage of applications reaching the recruiter with name, contact, vacancy and CV.
3. 3Interview attendanceCandidates whose time was agreed by the bot and who attended.
4. 4Recruiter timeThe fall in manually written answers to vacancy questions.

Common mistakes

• The bot rejecting a candidate by itself
• Prohibited questions such as age or marital status
• Accepting applications for a closed vacancy
• Stating an unapproved salary figure
• Building the candidate flow like a sales lead flow — WhatsApp lead qualification serves a different purpose

Limits

A recruitment chatbot does not select: it does not assess a candidate's skills, rank CVs or decide. Salary negotiation, job offers and rejections are made by people. Processing candidate data must comply with local law, and that is the responsibility of the company's own legal team.

Conclusion: the recruiter's time goes to candidates

When a recruitment chatbot takes on vacancy questions, collecting applications and scheduling interviews, the recruiter spends their time talking to candidates. The selection stays entirely with a person.

Connecting via WhatsApp is described on the WhatsApp page, and other industries are in this category. To build your hiring flow together, get in touch.

Frequently asked questions

1. 1Can a recruitment chatbot select candidates?No. The bot collects information and schedules interviews; assessment and decisions stay with the recruiter.
2. 2Which companies is it suited to?Companies hiring often or in volume: retail, call centres, logistics, restaurant chains.
3. 3What is needed to set it up?An approved card per vacancy, a list of prohibited questions, a CV intake rule, recruiters' schedules and a data retention period.