Hindered by hundreds of applications: ReechOut addresses the hassle of the hiring process

Picture this: you’re a young person looking for a job and every CV and cover letter you send is given a near-instant rejection. That could be because AI is flattening the job market. Countless candidates polish resumes with AI, whilst time-poor teams are using the same tool to briefly scan through applications in the hopes of selecting a suitable team member.

Even worse? According to recent LinkedIn data, around 89% of UK recruiters say they are planning to use more AI in the hiring process in 2026.

ReechOut founder and Harvard student, Hassan Ahmed, is taking us back to the roots of the problem. If the lack of successful hiring is caused by AI… then perhaps we can reverse-engineer the circumstances and use AI to fix them. 

Join SeedLegals CEO Anthony Rose in this Founder Interview where he chats with Hassan about a fresh idea to approach the hiring hassle: fighting AI with AI. 

Key takeaways

The problem with hiring in the 2020s

• A cycle has been created in which companies rely on AI filters and candidates respond with AI-polished resumes to save time when mass-applying to jobs that AI rejects them from. 
• The core issue, however, isn’t the volume of applications. Hassan tells us that resumes have never been a good predictor of job performance, and AI has only made that flaw more obvious.
• Old methods are no longer viable – especially since, for early-stage companies, the opportunity cost of a bad hire can be enormous.

ReechOut’s solution

• After identifying in his Harvard research which specific traits actually predict job performance for a given role, Hassan realised he could adopt a quantitative approach to gathering information on candidates.
• This involves receiving a phone call from an AI interviewer, which adapts the conversation to both the candidate’s responses and the company’s specific values and role.
• Unlike keyword-filtering ATS systems, every candidate gets the same fair chance to demonstrate their abilities in a real conversation. Instead of waiting weeks for a human interview, candidates can also complete their voice assessment almost immediately after applying.

Traction and growth

• ReechOut isn’t just for enterprises – the model allows for its deployment by small and medium businesses, including pre-seed startups.
• The company has spent months condensing Harvard research into a practical framework, completing pilots before their formal launch this month.
• ReechOut’s team is fundraising post-graduation with the ambition to take the business all the way to IPO. They’re betting that evidence-based hiring will become the new standard.