I recently read an article in Estates Gazette from Peter Bill titled “unnatural selection is now pervading recruitment” and it drove me up a wall. Only because Peter is right, well, almost right.
Artificial intelligence has caused massive shifts across almost every industry. In many cases, it has been a powerful tool. It streamlines processes, reducing costs, boosting productivity, and most importantly, makes my life a whole lot easier. But in the recruitment process within the commercial property sector, AI is fast becoming more of a liability than an asset.
What was once a people-first, personality-driven industry is increasingly falling victim to a sterile, algorithmic hiring process. And the cost? We’re not just losing strong candidates, we’re dismantling the very foundation of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across the board.
Commercial property has always been an industry built on relationships. Whether brokering high-stakes real estate deals, managing large client portfolios, or navigating complex planning regulations, success often depends not just on what you know, but how you engage. No client wants to interact with someone who has the personality of a fly on a wall.
Soft skills, emotional intelligence, and, perhaps most importantly, a strong, magnetic personality are the cornerstones of a successful career and candidate within commercial property. Clients want to work with people they like and trust. Landlords and tenants alike need negotiators who understand nuance, who can read the room, and who bring warmth and character to the boardroom. But these traits, critical to long-term success in the industry, can’t be measured by AI. And so, they’re often missed entirely. But thank the lord you finished your gold DofE!
As companies strive for efficiency, AI has crept into the recruitment process like a Trojan horse. Employers are sold a dream: algorithms that scan CVs in seconds, chatbot interviews that assess candidates at scale, and predictive analytics that supposedly pick the “best” hires.
On paper, it sounds ideal. But in practice, the AI systems used by recruitment agencies and internal HR teams are anything but perfect. They reduce complex human experiences to keywords, standardised metrics, and “tick box” criteria that oversimplify the value a person brings to a role.
Candidates who don’t have a perfectly formatted CV, who didn’t attend a certain university, or who took unconventional career paths are automatically discarded by the system (or sometimes put to the top of the pile depending how much effort is put into the profiling by the hiring agent), before a human recruiter even lays eyes on them. These are often the very candidates who bring the most to the table in terms of originality, resilience, and real-world experience.
In commercial property, personality isn’t just a ‘nice to have’. It’s essential. The sector is deeply interpersonal and collaborative. Deals don’t close on technical knowledge alone. They close because someone built trust, sold a vision, and understood client motivations.
But AI doesn’t know how to assess for charm, presence, intuition, or the ability to connect with people across a diverse range of stakeholders. These skills are not binary. They can’t be scored out of 10. And as a result, candidates who excel in precisely these areas are often penalised for not “matching” rigid AI-led criteria.
It’s not uncommon now for recruiters to rely so heavily on keyword-matching software that they never even get to the interview stage with outstanding candidates. Let me give you an example. An evil example. When I was applying for graduate roles I had been rejected instantly from the first 50 or so. I then took a step back, and thought, maybe I’ve just not got the personality for this? A little bit like arguing with an ex-girlfriend to get back with you even though you know its game over. I then realised, I can beat the system through its own flaws. Alas, the holy grail of gaslighting the recruitment process, the white coloured text. At the bottom of my CV, in sized 3 arial font, coloured white to blend in with the paper like a US Navy seal, every key word known to man that the computer would lick its virtual lips over. The result of this technology warfare tactic? A huge uptake in interview offers! The lesson learnt? Exploitation of flawed systems put in place that have never been properly tested, can lead to opportunities!
Recruitment in commercial property cannot afford to become faceless. Clients want professionals with charisma and people skills. Firms want future leaders who can inspire teams and command boardrooms. These are not qualities that come through a chatbot pre-screening or a CV parser’s algorithm. Although, maybe they are, those that can exploit the process successfully in my eyes have earnt the job.
But, at the heart of effective hiring is human judgment. A recruiter or hiring manager who understands that potential isn’t always visible in a LinkedIn profile or a cover letter. Sometimes, it’s the person who took three years out to care for a family member, or the candidate who didn’t tick the right academic boxes but blew the room away in a face-to-face meeting.
If AI tools are used, they must support human decisions, not replace them. Technology should never be a barrier between people, especially in a sector where human connection is everything.
It’s time for the commercial property sector to reclaim its recruitment process. That means challenging the over-reliance on AI and reinvesting in personal engagement. Recruitment agencies and in-house teams must recognise the damage done by dehumanising the candidate journey and take real steps to reverse it. As I write the above I’m fully aware that I’m hitting recruiters in their most cherished place, their ego.
I’m by no means the sharpest tool in the shed, but surely putting in place simple measures such as; ensuring that AI tools are audited for bias and used only to assist, not decide; mandating that every application gets reviewed by a human before rejection; training hiring managers to look beyond the CV and engage with personality as a core competency. Imaging HR undertaking mandatory training fills me with such immeasurable joy. And, finally, creating structured interview processes that assess interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and cultural fit.
Ultimately, no amount of automation can replace the instinct, empathy, and understanding that a human recruiter brings to the table. If commercial property wants to continue attracting the kind of professionals who can thrive in a complex, people-first environment, it needs to put people,not machines, back at the heart of hiring.
The allure of AI in recruitment may lie in its promise of speed and efficiency. But when it comes to commercial property, efficiency should never come at the cost of humanity. This is an industry where personality still matters, where relationships still close deals, and where diversity of experience isn’t a hurdle. It’s the best asset you can have.
If we allow algorithms to become gatekeepers of opportunity, we risk not only ruling out the very people who can drive our sector forward, but also undermining the inclusive values we claim to uphold. The solution isn’t less recruitment. It’s better, more human recruitment.
And that can’t be automated.
