Webinar On-Demand: Navigating AI-Powered Hiring Practices with Hilke Schellmann

On June 2, 2026, the Pulitzer Center held a webinar with grantee Hilke Schellmann to explore the use of artificial intelligence in hiring practices and tools for navigating AI-powered hiring practices. The event drew a total of 221 registrants and 109 live attendees from around the world. Attendees included journalists, job seekers, and professionals interested in the impacts of AI on hiring.

Schellmann started with an overview of her Pulitzer Center-supported project Are AI Hiring Tools Racist and Ableist?, which investigates how automated systems used in hiring can disadvantage candidates based on race, disability, and other factors. She discussed what she learned from her investigation about how AI hiring tools are increasingly being used in the hiring process, from screening to video interviews, and to evaluate job applicants. 

She shared the concerns her reporting revealed over the transparency, bias, and limitations of systems that claim to evaluate job applicants. The conversation also explored how AI is currently shaping the hiring landscape, which included how employers and job seekers are impacted by the technology. Schellmann shared the best practices and how to leverage the tool to improve the hiring process.

One topic that generated significant conversation was the use of AI systems to analyze facial expressions during video interviews. Schellmann questioned why facial expressions were used to evaluate applicants' skillset.

"I was pretty struck," she said, “... so I started investigating and talked to a lot of experts.”

Her investigation found that, according to experts, there is no science behind the tool, which raised questions about the bias and validity of the tool.

Webinar participants echoed the confusion, with one attendee in the chat stating: “I find facial expression recognition problematic.”

Another attendee said, “Apparently, it doesn't matter what you talk about, but rather how you talk about it.”

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The chat became particularly active as Schellmann outlined tips that employers and job seekers can use to best navigate hiring tools.

Several participants asked about how to best use AI tools to prepare resumes. Others asked about how policies could influence the use of AI tools for hiring. Schellmann responded to participants' questions and outlined several specific tips for tailoring a resume for an AI-powered tool. 

This part of the discussion was extremely helpful to the audience, with over 90% of live attendees responding in a post-event survey that they had strongly increased their understanding of how to navigate AI-powered hiring practices.

“After this event, I'm inspired to improve my resume and job application strategies, learn more about AI-powered hiring systems, and apply the insights I gained to increase my chances of success in future job opportunities,” one person said in the survey.

“This gave me a bit of hope,” another participant wrote. “I am inspired to implement some of the strategies.”

“For anyone looking for work right now, this is required viewing,” attendee Cynthia Lieberman wrote in a comment on the recording above. “Watch it. Then share it with someone who needs it.”