While Josh Bersin¹ the AI-driven superworker in mind, AI is “everywhere” and teams are using agents in Zapier or n8n workflow universes, something completely different often happens in German SMEs:
The recruiting infrastructure is lying idle.
Not in the sense of “there’s still room for improvement”. But in the sense of: There is often not even a foundation.
- No ATS – Applications are made by e-mail, Outlook folder and gut feeling.
- Or an ATS is there, but without data governance, without integrations, without standards.
- Automation is limited to “we have a text template”.
- Reporting is Excel archaeology: manually completed versions, copy-paste, no single source of truth.
- KPIs are optional if available – ownership is unclear.
- Processes depend on individuals (“Ask Hans, he knows”).
And then we wonder why recruiting is “too slow” – even though it is actually too unclear and too manual and too manual.
Table of contents
The inconvenient truth: Many hiring setups are not digital – they’re just loud
Job ads are live, processes are running, candidates are coming in – but the system behind it is improvised.
Requirement profiles often read like fever dreams of individual hiring managers“10 years of experience in a tech stack that has only existed for 4 years. 6 tools, 3 industries, 2 languages, 1 unicorn.”
And all this nicely bypasses the actual short to medium-term business needs.
In addition non-existent hiring plans.
Or hiring plans that are actually a wish list:
- The majority are unapproved ‘Prio 1’ roles
- that still go live
- because “we need the person of the day before yesterday for the issues of the day after tomorrow”.
Recruiting teams then no longer run – they are constantly running behind.
Those who run behind have no time for strategy and system architecture. Only time to put out fires. The Berlin fire department is looking for employees. ²
“But AI will solve that!”
Yes. And no.
Don’t get me wrong: The superworker is coming – and is already here to some extent. People who control a team of AI agents, orchestrate workflows, prepare decisions and eliminate repetitive work.
But the crucial point that many people overlook:
If the foundation is missing, AI just does the wrong thing faster.
You can use agents to speed up outreach, automate screening, coordinate appointments and generate status updates.
Everything is great!
But if at the same time…
- unclear priorities prevail,
- The data in the ATS has the quality of Rudi’s residual ramp (or no ATS exists at all),
- KPIs are not defined,
- Reporting remains manual,
- the hiring requirements are not coordinated,
…then the result is not “AI recruiting”.
Then there is chaos – only faster.
Recruiting first needs infrastructure, then acceleration
The path to “recruiting with AI” is rarely “building agents”.
The path is almost always:
- Define goals and Set strategy
- Clarify the process (what happens when, who decides, what is Definition of Done?)
- Connecting systems (ATS as single source of truth, integrations instead of copy-paste)
- Standardize KPIs & reporting (so that decisions are not based on gut feeling)
- Leverage automation potential (only then are agents really worthwhile)
In short: First stability, then speed.
Where do you really stand?
This is exactly why we created the Kooku Recruiting Automation Score.
In ~3 minutes you can see where your setup stands today – e.g. at:
- CV screening & pre-qualification
- Reporting & KPI maturity
- ATS integration
- Multi-posting & channel performance
- Hiring Plan & Business Alignment
- Admin time in recruiting
You get a feeling for it, where the biggest levers are – and what this will cost you in time and money.
➡️ Recruiting Automation Score: https://kooku.de/recruiting-automation-score/
And if you want to build the foundation
If it is clear after the score that it is not about “another tool”, but about a resilient system – then Kooku Consult is the next step: pragmatic, KPI-driven and designed for implementation.
➡️ Kooku Consult: https://kooku.de/recruiting-agentur/kooku-consult/
Provocative final question
Do you want to use AI to to scale recruiting – or do you want to use AI to multiply your current problems faster?
If you are unsure: do a score. Then you’ll know.
