CogentIntelligence
AI agents for recruitment agencies
Every role brings a flood of applications, interview diaries to juggle and compliance documents to chase. Cogent screens, books and chases so consultants spend their time on calls that fill roles.
01Where the week goes
We work with independent recruitment agencies, temp desks and specialist recruiters. The details differ from firm to firm, but the same few jobs come up on almost every discovery call:
- Screening. Reading CVs against the brief takes hours per role.
- Interview scheduling. Diaries for candidates, clients and consultants rarely line up first time.
- Compliance. Right-to-work checks, references and certificates for temps need chasing.
- CRM upkeep. Notes, statuses and call outcomes go unlogged.
None of these need your expertise. They need doing quickly, the same way every time, and that's exactly the kind of work AI agents do well, with your Business Map telling them how your business runs.
Key idea
Consultants make placements on the phone, not in the CRM.
02Agents built for recruitment agencies
These are the agents we most often switch on first in this sector. Each one reads your second brain, works around the clock and asks you before anything that matters.
- Trigger
- Applications arrive for a live role
- Does
- Scores CVs against your brief and drafts a shortlist with reasons
- Asks you
- Before rejecting or progressing anyone
- Trigger
- A candidate is shortlisted
- Does
- Finds times that suit everyone, sends confirmations and reminders
- Asks you
- When a client wants a change
- Trigger
- A temp or contractor is about to start
- Does
- Chases right-to-work, references and certificates, and tracks expiry dates
- Asks you
- Before anyone is cleared to work
Your first agent is the one with the highest score on your discovery call, not the one on the top of this list. Most firms add a second and third over the following months.
03Ask your business anything
Because every agent writes to the same memory, you can ask questions in plain English that used to mean an afternoon in spreadsheets and inboxes.
YouWhich temps have certificates expiring this month?
CogentSeven, mostly forklift and first aid. Two are on assignment next week.
YouWho did we shortlist for Midland Logistics last spring?
CogentFour candidates. Two are on the market again.
04Your Monday briefing
At 7am every Monday you get a short briefing built from your own tools: what came in, what's stuck and what changed.
05Find your peak
On the call we score every repeating job by hours a week × how easy it is to hand off (1 hard, 2 medium, 3 easy). The highest score gets built first. Here's how a typical list might look.
| Job | Hours a week | Ease | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screening CVs | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Booking interviews | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| Chasing compliance documents | 4 | 3 | 12 |
| Updating the CRM | 4 | 3 | 12 |
| Timesheet reminders | 2 | 3 | 6 |
Example · dummy data. Score = hours a week × ease.
In this example, screening cvs is the peak. Run your own numbers with the calculator on our home page, or bring them to the call.
06Where approvals sit
Every agent starts on a short lead. Here's a typical starting point for this sector. Yours is written into your Business Map.
Does alone
- Scoring CVs
- Logging notes and statuses
- Sending reminders
Asks first
- Rejections and messages to candidates
- Anything sent to clients
- Clearing someone to work
Never
- Final hiring decisions
- Decisions based on protected characteristics
Screening is checked for fairness. Agents score against the brief only, and final decisions on people are always made by a consultant.
07Works with the tools you already use
We connect to what you have rather than asking you to move. Common tools in this sector include Bullhorn, Vincere, Firefish, JobAdder, Mercury, LinkedIn, Indeed, Outlook and Gmail. If a system has no integration, a Portal Operator agent can work it the way a person would.
08Questions
Can AI screen CVs fairly?
It scores against the job brief only and gives its reasons, and a consultant makes every decision about a candidate.
Can AI schedule interviews?
Yes. It finds times across candidate, client and consultant diaries and sends confirmations and reminders.
Does it work with Bullhorn?
Most recruitment CRMs can be connected.
Can it chase right-to-work documents?
Yes, and it tracks expiry dates so nobody starts without valid documents.