What if a candidate doesn't want to be interviewed by AI?
They can opt out. Every candidate offered an AI screening interview with Anna can decline it and submit their application traditionally instead — no penalty, no dead end. In practice most candidates take the AI interview because it's faster and available on their schedule, but the choice is always theirs.
The opt-out is built in, not bolted on
Some candidates are skeptical of AI in hiring, and a screening process that forces them through it anyway starts the relationship badly — and in some jurisdictions creates a compliance problem. New York City's Local Law 144, for example, requires that candidates be notified when automated tools are used in hiring decisions.
Talent Pronto handles this directly: candidates invited to interview with Anna can decline and apply traditionally. Their application still lands in your pipeline, your team still reviews it, and nothing about opting out counts against them.
What opting out looks like in practice
- The candidate is told up front that their screening interview is with an AI assistant. There's no pretending Anna is human.
- Declining is a normal path, not an escape hatch. The candidate submits their application materials the traditional way and appears in your dashboard alongside everyone else.
- Your team decides what happens next — review the application as-is, or reach out for a conventional phone screen. Candidates are never auto-rejected, whichever path they took.
What most candidates actually choose
In practice, most candidates take the AI interview, because the alternative isn't a friendly recruiter call — it's waiting days or weeks for one to be scheduled. Anna interviews candidates the moment they apply, including nights and weekends, lets them ask their own questions about the role, and gives them room to think about their answers. Candidates who've been through it describe it in post-interview surveys as lower-pressure than a live screen:
"I think Anna makes you less nervous and gives you time to think about your true answers."
What this means for your process
A meaningful opt-out protects the integrity of the whole system. It keeps AI screening a benefit you offer candidates rather than a gate you force them through, it supports notice-and-consent requirements in regulated jurisdictions, and it means the candidates who do interview with Anna chose to — which shows in how they engage. For the broader compliance picture, see security, compliance, and fair hiring.
Common follow-up questions
Are opted-out candidates scored the same way?
No — without an interview there are no interview answers to score, so there's no rubric score alongside their application. Your team evaluates their materials directly, and can always invite them to a conventional screen.
Do candidates know Anna is an AI?
Yes, always. Transparency is both a compliance requirement in several jurisdictions and the reason the opt-out is credible.
Does offering an opt-out hurt screening consistency?
The candidates who interview with Anna all get the same questions and the same rubric, so consistency holds within the screened group. Opted-out candidates are a deliberate exception your team handles with judgment — the same way you'd handle any accommodation request.
