AI Hiring: Help or Hindrance?
Sandoitchi AI Hiring Automation by AFRA Visibility
How Sandoitchi used AI-powered Instagram DMs to hire State Fair of Texas staff, beating traditional hiring methods
How AFRA Visibility's system achieved 83% completed applications vs 40% on job boards with more authentic responses
How AI reduced hiring noise instead of creating it, finding real humans amid the hiring crisis
It was high noon at Sandoitchi, a Japanese sandwich shop nestled in the eye of Downtown Dallas, TX. The owners were caught in the crosshairs of the midday lunch rush and a huge moment that will forever affect the labor market.
The State Fair of Texas was coming, and Sandoitchi knew they needed a solid team of people who could handle the crazy crowds and endless requests of their annual culinary offering.
They were faced with a choice: keep using the same old hiring websites that gave them robots and ghosts in aprons, or tap into their own carefully-built community of people who actually cared about their brand.
With fake job applications flooding in like a tsunami, The Machine—computers and AI—seemingly made finding good workers nearly impossible.
That's when they contacted us at AFRA to test a theory…
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Quick Glossary
High-Touch Automation: Interactions that feel personal, not robotic
Zero-Party Data: Information people willingly share vs. scraped data
Engagement-to-Action: Turning interest into outcomes like hires or sales
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The Enemy Everyone's Fighting
The Machine was like the corporate boogeyman, dressed in a coat of algorithmic monotony. Every application looked identical. Every candidate sounded processed through the same digital meat grinder.
"I'm passionate about customer service and thrive in fast-paced environments..."
"My goal is to leverage my skills to contribute to your team's success..."
"I'm a results-driven professional with excellent communication abilities..."
…applications that felt like they were written by the same Chat-GPT prompt, interview no-shows, candidates who seemed perfect on paper but couldn't hold a conversation in person.
To Sandoitchi, AI had broken hiring.
But what if the villain is holding a mirror to the hero?
Instead of cursing The Machine, we designed an experiment:
What if automation could work for them instead of against them?
Introducing The Evergreen Talent Funnel:
This seamlessly integrated solution utilized ManyChat Instagram DM automation to pre-screen candidates, with Google Sheets serving as a lightweight, temporary ATS solution. While Google Sheets provided the accessibility, collaboration features, and real-time data handling needed for this project's scope, the team recognized its limitations for long-term sensitive data management and implemented strict permission controls to address privacy concerns during this interim phase.
The system consisted of 3-steps:
Capture: Instagram DMs replaced job boards—just conversation
Screen: AI filtered template spam and surfaced authentic patterns
Deliver: Live Google Sheets spreadsheet used AI to rank candidates by custom parameters and genuine engagement, providing an immediate, collaborative workspace while the client evaluated more robust ATS solutions
In just a couple posts, 1 reel and 1 story, Sandoitchi leveraged the broad organic reach of social media to solve a widespread issue.
This wasn't about replacing humans. It was about finding them.
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What The Data Revealed
The Fear: AI makes hiring robotic and inhuman.
The Reality: The right use of AI surfaced more authentic connections than traditional methods.
Seven days later:
58% completion rate (vs. industry average of 10.6% on job boards)
90% personalized responses (not form letters)
10 qualified candidates (vs. the usual 1-2)
The twist: AI didn't eliminate the human element. It amplified it.
Sandoitchi’s Instagram Reel Post and DM Automation
The real villains weren't the algorithms; they were systems that forced candidates through lengthy applications with 80% abandonment rates, reducing humans to spreadsheet entries before they could even tell their story.
AI became the scapegoat for problems that existed long before ChatGPT.
Our discovery: the right AI reduces hiring noise instead of creating it.
By replacing traditional job board friction with conversational Instagram DMs, we shattered the 10.6% industry benchmark for application completion. Candidates could share their authentic selves on their preferred communication platform, rather than abandoning halfway through impersonal forms that prioritize templates over genuine human connection.
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The Choice Every Business Faces
We see this pattern everywhere:
Real applicants buried under automation spam
Genuine buyers hidden behind vanity metrics
Authentic opportunities lost in digital noise
Most people blame AI for the chaos. We use AI to escape it.
Path A: Resist technology and drown in digital noise
Path B: Test intelligent tools to uncover what's real
Sandoitchi chose Path B. They didn't just survive the hiring apocalypse. They redefined it.
The real enemy isn't artificial intelligence. It's artificial everything else:
Artificial résumés that waste time
Artificial engagement that doesn't convert
Artificial growth that doesn't last
Our mission at AFRA: Use AI to get back to what's authentic.
Because in a world full of digital fakes, we help you find real humans. That's the ultimate rebellion.