AI-driven recruiting can backfire when poorly executed. This article exposes common automation mistakes—mismatched candidates, irrelevant emails, late-night rejections—and provides practical solutions to improve recruiter effectiveness and maintain professional relationships.
Influential Woman · Human Resources Professional
Zara Mubeen
HR/Recruiting Professional, SourceOwls
Chicago, IL
2Articles published
Her Story
About Zara
For the past 11 years, I have built my career in human resources across the Midwest region, growing from hands-on recruiter to strategic HR leader. I began as an HR Administrator with a technology and software staffing firm, where I managed full-cycle hiring and on-boarding across multiple client organizations. That early experience gave me a strong foundation in talent acquisition and workforce strategy within fast-paced, technical environments. As my career progressed, I stepped into a Human Resource Manager role, leading end-to-end HR operations. I oversaw on-boarding, new hire orientations, candidate selection, exit interviews, and performance metrics, while managing a team of 10 recruiters supporting international outsourcing functions. I also led performance management initiatives, implemented 360-degree feedback processes, and ensured compliance and audit readiness. Today, I serve as an HR/Recruiting Professional with Source Owls, an AI-driven recruitment platform. In this role, I specialize in recruiting talent across finance, commercial, and technical functions. I also partner with organizations to implement HR policies, manage on-boarding and benefits programs, audit personnel processes, and ensure HR operations are aligned with broader business objectives. My work bridges traditional HR leadership with modern, technology-enabled solutions. I hold a master’s degree from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, January 2019 and earned an Applied Data Science certificate from MIT Professional Education, October 2023, where I developed skills in leveraging AI, Python, and data analytics to drive smarter HR decision-making.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Zara
01What do you attribute your success to?
I credit much of my success to the mentors who have guided me throughout my life - my parents, who instilled strong values and a solid work ethic; teachers, who inspired curiosity and growth; and friends, who offered support and perspective. Their guidance, combined with my own curiosity and willingness to adapt, has helped me navigate each step of my career with confidence.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Always put people first and focus on building genuine relationships. These connections go much further than simply following processes. When you invest in understanding and supporting others, everything else falls into place.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
In HR, the key to advancing is being people-centric & building meaningful connections opens the right doors and creates opportunities. Excel in every task and project, while still fostering strong relationships along the way. Make every first impression count, own your worth, lead with confidence, and never let anyone underestimate the value you bring!
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
In today’s HR landscape, I’ve seen firsthand how AI and automation are transforming the way we recruit, evaluate, and manage talent. These tools bring amazing opportunities for efficiency, but they also come with real ethical and regulatory challenges such as bias, transparency, and maintaining employee trust can’t be overlooked. From my experience, the organizations that succeed are the ones that balance technology with a people-first approach: reskilling teams, updating policies, and building strong connections so AI enhances the workforce instead of replacing it. Navigating these changes thoughtfully is what truly sets both employees and organizations up for long-term success.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity, kindness, and ethical decision-making guide how I live and work. I believe in being people-centric, valuing employees as the true assets of an organization, and building trust and lasting relationships that strengthen both teams and business outcomes.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Zara
"Recruiters...Did Your AI Even Read This? 😅"
How AI-Powered Recruiting Tools Are Failing Candidates—And How to Fix It
Quick question:
Why is a software engineer getting emails about cardiology roles? Why is a nurse being pitched an HR director job? And why are rejection emails arriving at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. as if they couldn’t sleep either?
AI can help with recruiting. Great. We love efficiency.
But if it can scan 100 candidates in a few minutes, surely it can tell the difference between medicine and machine learning.
Here’s why these issues happen:
- Poor training or outdated databases
- Overreliance on keywords instead of context
- Bulk email tools like LinkedIn Recruiter, Bullhorn, or iCIMS misfiring without proper filters
- No human review or oversight
Quit low-balling and sending low-caliber emails.
If you can automate rejections or send massive, irrelevant emails to anyone in the world — completely outside their career field — know this: candidates can also use AI to send you straight to spam for low-balling salaries or sending irrelevant roles.
Trust me, those low-caliber outreach emails are going directly to the trash or spam folder thanks to AI filters.
How to fix it:
- Use filters wisely: field, seniority, skills, and experience
- Train AI on accurate, current data and review outputs regularly
- Limit bulk emails to truly qualified candidates
- Add one human checkpoint before sending outreach or rejections
- Schedule emails during business hours
A 30-second profile check, a quick glance at experience, and one human review can protect your staffing firm’s reputation and generate better responses. You’ll appear more professional, build stronger connections, and ultimately win more business.
Human interaction still goes a long way. Don’t be automation-obsessed and send the wrong emails.
Recruiters, respectfully — wake up. We promise we’ll respond when it actually makes sense. 😉
An HR professional explores the transformative impact of AI in recruitment and talent management, examining both its impressive capabilities and ethical responsibilities. Through a thought-provoking narrative, the article challenges organizations to prioritize human-centered approaches when implementing automation technology.
I Interviewed an Algorithm and It Had Some Feedback for Me
How AI in HR mirrors our values and challenges us to lead with intention.
I Interviewed an Algorithm and It Had Some Feedback for Me
A few years ago, if you had told me I would be working alongside artificial intelligence to hire people, I would have pictured robots in the interview room.
Instead, here we are.
Now, algorithms scan resumes before I finish my morning coffee. Interviews schedule themselves while I am juggling meetings. Predictive tools flag retention risks faster than a manager notices them.
AI is not coming to HR. It is already here.
And I will admit it — it is impressive.
But one afternoon, while reviewing candidate data from an automated system, I had a thought.
What if I interviewed the algorithm?
What would it say about us?
Probably something simple:
I only know what you taught me.
And that stopped me.
The Magic and the Mirror
AI feels like magic. It saves time, removes repetitive tasks, and spots patterns we might miss. Platforms like Workday and SAP forecast workforce trends in ways we could not have imagined a decade ago.
But AI does not create culture. It mirrors it.
If we have historically favored certain schools, backgrounds, or personality types, the system will follow that pattern. If performance reviews were inconsistent, automation will scale those inconsistencies efficiently.
AI is not biased on purpose. It is biased by input.
And that changes everything.
When Efficiency Meets Responsibility
Early in my career, recruiting was hands-on. Tiny decisions shaped entire teams — a tweak in screening criteria, a subtle preference, a harmless-looking metric that quietly influenced outcomes.
Now imagine that multiplied by automation.
The conversation is not about speed. It is about responsibility.
Who checks the system?
How often do we audit it?
Do employees understand how decisions are made?
Are we using AI to support people or quietly replace them?
Efficiency is exciting. Trust is fragile. In HR, trust is everything.
The Companies That Get It
The best organizations do not shout “AI first.”
They say “people first, powered by AI.”
They reskill teams instead of shrinking them.
They update policies before issues arise.
They communicate clearly about automation.
They keep humans involved in final decisions.
They treat AI like a co-pilot, not the captain.
And here is the surprise: when they do, HR becomes more human, not less.
Automation creates time for real conversations, coaching, and culture-building. Technology creates space. People decide what to do with it.
The Real Plot Twist
After more than a decade in HR, moving from manual recruiting to tech-enabled strategy, here is what I have learned:
AI has not made HR less human. It has forced us to be intentional about being human.
The future of HR is not about replacing people with technology. It is about designing workplaces where technology helps people become their best selves.
And if I ever sit across from that algorithm, I hope it says one thing:
You used me wisely.
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