How REI improved quality of hires by 200% while spending half as much time interviewing
The challenge: managing massive candidate volume
At REI’s headquarters in Kent, Washington, the recruiting team faced a familiar challenge for a well-loved brand: an overwhelming number of applicants keen to be part of their story. Known for its outdoor culture and commitment to community, REI consistently attracted candidates eager to join its team.
While this enthusiasm reflected REI’s strong reputation, it posed a logistical challenge for the hiring process. Hiring managers were stretched thin, spending hours in interviews, and recruiters had to navigate extensive candidate pipelines to identify the best fit for each role. Balancing efficiency with the need to uphold REI’s high standards for quality and cultural fit required a new approach.
The solution: pre-screening to identify top talent
When REI’s talent team first considered Upwage’s AI Interviewing Agent, skepticism ran high. Could AI truly capture the essence of REI’s mission and the nuanced traits required in ideal candidates? Despite their doubts, the team decided to pilot the technology at a high-stakes hiring event for a new store opening, where speed and accuracy were critical. REI’s custom AI Interviewing Agent was designed to prescreen candidates through advanced, structured conversations that probed for alignment between their skills, values, and REI’s needs. The AI Interviewing Agent gave every candidate a fair and consistent chance to interview, while alloing the tool allowed recruiters and hiring managers to focus their energy on connecting with the most qualified candidates.
The results became clear on the day of the hiring event. Candidates arrived excited for the opportunity to join REI, but the real work had already been done behind the scenes. Before invitations were even sent, the AI Interviewing Agent had conducted preliminary interviews and passed the interviews to recruiters to identify truly qualified candidates to invite for live interviewing. This strategic approach ensured that each interview spot was allocated to a committed candidate with high potential fit for the role, rather than in the past where candidates often ghosted or weren’t qualified for the role and ended up taking time away from strong candidates who were a true fit for the role.
The results exceeded expectations. Hiring managers were blown away by the quality of candidates. Azizah, a Senior Talent Acquisition Manager, shared her excitement: “This is the best pool of quality candidates we’ve ever seen. Hiring managers told me they wanted to hire everyone—they’d never seen such high-quality candidates at an event before. They even asked us what our secret was! We didn’t tell them about the AI until afterward!”
By the numbers: measurable gains
- Doubled interview-to-hire ratio: the AI prequalification process ensured more purposeful interviews, giving hiring managers confidence in their decisions.
- 50% reduction in interview time: by focusing only on top candidates, hiring managers halved the time spent interviewing, freeing them to prioritize leadership and team-building tasks.
- 3x recruiter productivity: recruiters managed triple the candidate volume while maintaining a personal touch, drastically improving efficiency.
This combination of measurable outcomes and improved experiences redefined what was possible for REI’s hiring process, turning a small experiment into a game-changing innovation.
Key takeaway
REI’s AI Interviewing Agent streamlined the process, helping recruiters prioritize top talent and ensuring that every interaction was purposeful. What was once a logistical challenge transformed into a smooth, efficient experience, demonstrating how technology can enhance human connection and deliver meaningful results.
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