Phenom is pushing conversational AI into uncharted territory with its new Voice Screening Agent, an always-on digital recruiter that can screen, qualify, and advance candidates at scale—without sacrificing the human touch.
The launch marks a major step for the HR tech leader, which has long promised to help organizations “hire faster, develop better, and retain longer.” With its latest innovation, Phenom is effectively giving recruiters a virtual assistant who never sleeps, never forgets, and never goes off-script.
From Pilot to Proof: AI That Delivers Results
The Voice Screening Agent isn’t a prototype—it’s already being put to work. At Elara Caring, a home healthcare company that hires about 17,000 aides across 50 branches, Phenom’s AI phone interviewer has already trimmed an average of 1.3 days off the hiring process.
According to Anne Strickroot, VP of Talent Acquisition at Elara Caring, candidates interviewed by AI took jobs faster and worked about three hours more per week than those screened by human recruiters. “By starting small and iterating, we’re able to quickly pivot operations and scale up in different states as needed,” she said.
That’s the kind of data-driven validation the HR tech market has been waiting for—proof that conversational AI isn’t just a novelty, but a measurable efficiency engine.
Always On, Always Consistent, Always (Almost) Human
Phenom’s Voice Screening Agent operates 24/7, calling applicants within moments of their submission to conduct role-specific, dynamic interviews. The system adapts to nuanced responses, keeps the conversation aligned with each company’s tone and brand, and can probe deeper into qualifications—all before a recruiter even picks up the phone.
Unlike typical chatbots or rule-based voice systems, Phenom’s model leans on “agentic” AI, which refers to systems that act autonomously toward defined goals. In this case: faster screening, better fit, and smoother handoffs to human recruiters.
Beyond Screening: Orchestrating the Full Hiring Flow
Most AI recruiting tools stop at the pre-screen. Phenom’s platform keeps going. Once candidates clear the voice screening stage, other agents automate interview scheduling, allowing self-service booking that eliminates scheduling ping-pong.
Phenom also integrates interview intelligence—structured guides, bias detection, fraud flags, and automatic moment capture—to help hiring managers make decisions based on data, not memory. The result is a more compliant, auditable, and consistent hiring pipeline.
Candidates Actually Prefer AI (Surprise!)
Skeptical that candidates want to talk to a bot? A study from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and Erasmus University Rotterdam found that 78% of applicants would rather speak with an AI than a human recruiter for initial screening.
That aligns neatly with Phenom’s thesis: that automation done right doesn’t alienate candidates—it actually meets them where they are.
The Bigger Picture
Phenom’s move underscores an accelerating trend in HR tech: the convergence of conversational AI and end-to-end hiring automation. Competitors like Paradox, HireVue, and Eightfold have made similar bets, but Phenom’s integration of “agentic” intelligence across multiple hiring stages positions it as a step ahead in real-world deployment.
As AI continues to redefine talent acquisition, the companies that strike the right balance between efficiency and empathy will likely win out. Phenom seems intent on proving that automation can, in fact, feel human.
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Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure. Public relations, investor relations, public policy and marketing professionals rely on Business Wire for secure and accurate distribution of market-moving news and multimedia. Founded in 1961, Business Wire is a trusted source for news organizations, journalists, investment professionals and regulatory authorities, delivering news directly into editorial systems and leading online news sources via its multi-patented NX network. Business Wire’s global newsrooms are available to meet the needs of communications professionals and news media worldwide.
