Perceived Quality of AI-Supported Recruitment: The Role of Explainability, Trust and Human Control

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12776/qip.v30i2.2374

Keywords:

artificial intelligence, recruitment, perceived quality, explainability, human control

Abstract

Purpose: This paper examines perceived quality of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-supported recruitment by testing how explanation, confidence information, practical AI experience, trust, willingness to use AI, perceived fairness and human control shape evaluations of AI candidate-ranking recommendations.

Methodology/Approach: The study uses an anonymous survey of Human Resources (HR)-related respondents (N = 145) and a randomised scenario comparing AI ranking without explanation with ranking supported by brief reasoning and confidence information. We use reliability checks, regression models, mediation and automation tests.

Findings: Practical AI experience significantly moderated the effect of explanation on trust and showed a weaker pattern for willingness to use AI. The moderation was not significant for perceived fairness. Intention to use AI was associated with trust, perceived usefulness, human control and prior AI experience.

Research Limitation/Implication: The non-probabilistic sample has a strong Central European component. The results measure perceptions rather than behavioural outcomes or audited fairness.

Originality/Value of paper: The paper shows that explanation and confidence strengthen trust mainly among AI-experienced respondents but do not significantly improve perceived fairness. It distinguishes between trusting AI as decision support and being convinced that AI-supported ranking is fair to candidates.

Author Biographies

  • Coi Tran, Technical University of Kosice

    Department of Banking and Investment

    Faculty of Economics

    Technical University of Kosice

    Košice

    Slovakia

  • Radoslav Delina, Technical University of Kosice

    Department of Banking and Investment

    Faculty of Economics

    Technical University of Kosice

    Košice

    Slovakia

References

Carvalho, A. M., Dias, A. R., Dias, A. M., & Sampaio, P. (2024). The Quality 4.0 roadmap: Designing a capability roadmap toward quality management in Industry 4.0. Quality Management Journal, 31(2), 117–137. https://doi.org/10.1080/10686967.2024.2317478

Chen, Z. (2023). Collaboration among recruiters and artificial intelligence: Removing human prejudices in employment. Cognition, Technology & Work, 25(1), 135–149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-022-00716-0

Fabris, A., Baranowska, N., Dennis, M. J., Graus, D., Hacker, P., Saldivar, J., Zuiderveen Borgesius, F., & Biega, A. J. (2025). Fairness and bias in algorithmic hiring: A multidisciplinary survey. ACM Transactions on Intelligent Systems and Technology, 16(1), Article 16. https://doi.org/10.1145/3696457

Gonzalez, M. F., Liu, W., Shirase, L., Tomczak, D. L., Lobbe, C. E., Justenhoven, R., & Martin, N. R. (2022). Allying with AI? Reactions toward human-based, AI/ML-based, and augmented hiring processes. Computers in Human Behavior, 130, 107179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107179

Hunkenschroer, A. L., & Kriebitz, A. (2023). Is AI recruiting (un)ethical? A human rights perspective on the use of AI for hiring. AI and Ethics, 3(1), 199–213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-022-00166-4

Hunkenschroer, A. L., & Luetge, C. (2022). Ethics of AI-enabled recruiting and selection: A review and research agenda. Journal of Business Ethics, 178(4), 977–1007. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05049-6

Kazim, E., Koshiyama, A. S., Hilliard, A., & Polle, R. (2021). Systematizing audit in algorithmic recruitment. Journal of Intelligence, 9(3), 46. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence9030046

Lacroux, A., & Martin-Lacroux, C. (2022). Should I trust the artificial intelligence to recruit? Recruiters’ perceptions and behavior when faced with algorithm-based recommendation systems during resume screening. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 895997. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.895997

Laurim, V., Arpaci, S., Prommegger, B., & Krcmar, H. (2021). Computer, whom should I hire? Acceptance criteria for artificial intelligence in the recruitment process. In Proceedings of the 54th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (pp. 5495–5504). https://doi.org/10.24251/HICSS.2021.668

Liu, H. C., Liu, R., Gu, X., & Yang, M. (2023). From total quality management to Quality 4.0: A systematic literature review and future research agenda. Frontiers of Engineering Management, 10(2), 191–205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42524-022-0243-z

Malin, C., Fleiß, J., Ortlieb, R., & Thalmann, S. (2025). Rejected by an AI? Comparing job applicants’ fairness perceptions of artificial intelligence and humans in personnel selection. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, 8, 1671997. https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2025.1671997

Raghavan, M., Barocas, S., Kleinberg, J., & Levy, K. (2020). Mitigating bias in algorithmic hiring: Evaluating claims and practices. In Proceedings of the 2020 Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (pp. 469–481). https://doi.org/10.1145/3351095.3372828

Schoeffer, J., De-Arteaga, M., & Kuehl, N. (2022). Explanations, fairness, and appropriate reliance in human-AI decision-making. Retrieved from arXiv database. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2209.11812

Sony, M., Antony, J., & Douglas, J. A. (2020). Essential ingredients for the implementation of Quality 4.0. The TQM Journal, 32(4), 779–793. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-12-2019-0275

Will, P., Krpan, D., & Lordan, G. (2023). People versus machines: Introducing the HIRE framework. Artificial Intelligence Review, 56(2), 1071–1100. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10462-022-10193-6

Downloads

Published

2026-08-31

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Perceived Quality of AI-Supported Recruitment: The Role of Explainability, Trust and Human Control. (2026). Quality Innovation Prosperity, 30(2), 121-140. https://doi.org/10.12776/qip.v30i2.2374