Kiku

Most frontline workers are working during traditional business hours. Warehouse shifts. Retail floors. Delivery routes. Customer service calls. Asking someone to interview at 2pm often means asking them to skip work, lose pay, or find an excuse to leave. Evening and weekend availability isn't just convenient. For many candidates, it's the difference between applying and not applying at all. Companies that offer flexible interview scheduling see candidates show up more consistently, respond faster, and access a broader talent pool beyond those currently unemployed. When candidates can interview at 8pm after their shift or Saturday morning before family commitments, they engage differently with the opportunity. If your process only works 9-5, you're limiting access to a significant portion of your workforce. Kiku enables 24/7 screening so candidates can engage when it works for their lives.

Day 2 of Slush today in chilly Helsinki ❄️ Time for more talks on AI, the future of HR tech, and the Nordics start-up scene. Say hi 👋 to Eric André and Rhiannon Hayes if you see them out and about!

Staffing has always relied on strong candidate databases. The challenge today isn't the database itself - it's how quickly you can match the right candidates to open roles. Contact information changes. Candidate availability shifts. What was relevant six months ago may not be relevant now. The firms gaining an edge are those that can activate their existing databases efficiently. Instead of manually searching through thousands of records, technology can surface the most relevant candidates based on current role requirements. Speed matters. When a client needs someone to start Monday, the value isn't in having 10,000 contacts, but in identifying the right 5 candidates within minutes. Kiku helps staffing agencies make better use of their candidate data through intelligent matching, so your database becomes an active asset rather than a static archive. Learn more about candidate database matching at Kiku.

Hiring teams are asking for clarity, not more noise. That’s why we’re excited to present 𝗞𝗶𝗸𝘂 at 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 from the team behind Recfest - the AI talent tech showcase on 𝟮𝟳 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 at 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹. Expect 𝟭𝟬-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀, live demos, and focused networking to dig into what actually moves the needle. If you’re exploring AI for TA, let’s connect on the day. We’ll be demoing our product and sharing practical use cases you can run with immediately. 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝘁 #𝗧𝗧𝗥

Tech companies are freezing white-collar hiring. Frontline hiring remains urgent. Same economy, different realities. White-collar sectors are pulling back with hiring freezes and extended timelines. Companies with longer planning horizons can afford to wait. Frontline sectors operate differently. Warehouses need workers for immediate shifts. Restaurants need staff for weekend service. Logistics needs drivers for seasonal demand. These labor markets don't overlap significantly. The talent pools, urgency levels, and hiring timelines are distinct. Companies benefit from recognizing which hiring reality applies to their open roles. White-collar hiring often allows for strategic patience. Frontline hiring typically requires operational speed. Understanding these differences helps organizations allocate resources appropriately. Kiku helps companies fill frontline roles quickly.

White-collar and frontline hiring operate differently. White-collar hiring often involves passive candidates on LinkedIn, multi-week interview processes, negotiated start dates, and culture fit discussions. Frontline hiring typically means active job seekers on mobile devices, immediate start dates, text-based applications, and availability that works around current shift schedules. Same goal, different execution. The tools built for one don't always translate to the other. Platforms designed for white-collar recruiting assume desktop access, updated resumes, and professional email addresses. Many frontline candidates are applying from phones between shifts. Recognising these differences matters. Companies that succeed in frontline hiring build processes around how these workers actually search for jobs, not by adapting tools designed for a different hiring context. Kiku was built specifically for frontline hiring workflows.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝗸𝘂 𝗔𝗜 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼. Our commitment to customers, candidates and partners: • 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗱 design that keeps recruiters in the loop • 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 with transparency, governance and privacy by design • 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 through continuous testing and real-world feedback This is how we build and how we operate, every release. Read the manifesto in the comments and tell us what you think

How Fairgame turned 1,300 applications into 150 hires in 3 weeks 🎯 The challenge: open a new central London venue fast while keeping leaders focused on operations, not admin. What changed: • AI screening invited every applicant to a consistent first step • 80% of screened candidates showed up to group interviews • 150 roles filled in 3 weeks • ~66% lower hiring costs vs a fully manual process • Quality held steady with standard post-launch churn Instead of six managers sifting CVs and making calls, Kiku processed the data, shortlisted the right people, and freed the team to run the venue. If you are scaling frontline teams, this playbook works. Case study in the comments.

Our AI conducted thousands of interviews last week. Here's what we learned about frontline hiring. When you interview at scale, patterns emerge that single recruiters never see. Finding #1: Candidates prefer flexible interviews 28% of applicants chose time slots outside of traditional office hours. Frontline workers can't interview during their current job hours. Finding #2: Shorter interviews perform better. Candidate drop-off falls dramatically when screening interviews have between 3-5 required questions. Candidates want efficient interviews that don’t require them to jump through hoops. Finding #3: Speed is crucial On average, candidates will participate in a screening interview within 16 hours from receiving the invite. Candidates with a strong intent to take the job will often respond even faster. High-volume hiring struggles because of outdated processes. The data shows what works: speed, flexibility, and meeting candidates where they are.

96% candidate satisfaction. Here's what candidates actually say about being interviewed by AI. "I could do it at midnight after my shift ended." “Fast, smooth and easy” “I was able to open up and organize my thoughts through the chat option.” “Sara is knowledgeable, a great communicator, respectful and to the point” "The questions were the same for everyone. It felt fair." "I didn't have to take time off work to interview." We survey all of the candidates who interview with Kiku's AI agent. Here's what stood out: Speed matters most. Candidates valued getting quick responses over having a "personal connection" with a recruiter. Convenience wins. Being able to interview anytime, anywhere beats traditional scheduling every time. Fairness perception. Candidates felt the AI asked everyone the same questions without bias. No judgment anxiety. People were more honest about their availability and limitations when talking to AI. The biggest surprise? Only 4% said they wished they'd interviewed with a human instead. Turns out candidates don't want elaborate experiences. They want respect for their time and honest communication about the role. AI interviews deliver both at scale.