How to Evaluate AI for Hiring: Insights from Everest Group's Latest Assessment

The recruitment technology landscape is consolidating. Fast.

Over the past 18 months, we've watched point solutions get absorbed into broader platforms, specialist providers expand into adjacent categories, and nearly every vendor rush to slap "AI-powered" on their homepage. The market is converging, and for good reason: enterprises are tired of duct-taping together ten different tools to manage the candidate journey.

But convergence creates a new problem. When everyone claims to do everything, how do you evaluate what really works?

Everest Group just released its Candidate Engagement and Experience Platforms PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025, and we’re proud to announce that Phenom has been designated the highest Leader and earned Star Performer recognition for top-quartile improvements.

Access the full report here, or keep reading for the key findings and what separates market leaders from the rest.

What does independent research say about candidate experience platforms?

The assessment validates what many talent leaders already suspected: most platform solutions now cover the basics. The real differentiators are governed AI, skills-based matching, and seamless orchestration across systems.

Everest evaluated 34 platforms across two dimensions — market impact (revenue growth, adoption, value delivered) and vision and capability (innovation, product scope, deployment flexibility). They weren't just measuring features. They were measuring which providers are actually making a difference in how efficiently and effectively enterprises hire.

Their conclusion? "Unified technology platforms emerged as the orchestration layer for all candidate touchpoints, consolidating point tools and applying agentic AI, skills-intelligence, and governed analytics to orchestrate end-to-end journeys."

Translation: the winning platforms aren't just software; they're systems of intelligence that connect every step of recruiting.

How is agentic AI changing recruitment platforms?

Here's what's particularly notable about this year's assessment: agentic AI has moved from an assistive feature to a workflow executor.

Everest found that leading providers are embedding "autonomous talent agents that can plan and execute multi-step workflows, orchestrate data across tasks, take proactive actions, and escalate potential issues — turning recruitment platforms into self-optimizing engines."

This isn't basic chatbot territory anymore. We're talking about AI that handles intake conversations, sources candidates across multiple channels, summarizes profiles, schedules interviews, and flags potential fraud, all while keeping recruiters in control with human-in-the-loop governance.

The providers that nail this balance of automation with control and intelligence with transparency are pulling ahead.

Is skills-first hiring actually working now?

The other major trend identified is an important one for organizations: Skills intelligence is finally moving beyond buzzword status.

Everest notes that leading platforms now offer "capabilities to map candidate skills across roles, industries, and geographies, moving beyond static job matching." This matters because skills-first hiring only works if your solution can parse, match, and surface skills at scale across your career site, talent CRM, sourcing tools, and internal mobility programs.

Top providers replace keyword matching and resume parsing with unified candidate graphs, connecting skills to opportunities across the entire talent lifecycle.

What makes Phenom the highest-designated Leader?

“Phenom demonstrates strong capabilities in AI-driven candidate engagement and recruitment automation, with exceptional client adoption and outcomes,” said Sharath Hari N, Vice President at Everest Group. “It has scored high across all key criteria – from sophisticated AI innovation and adaptable implementation to tangible business impact and comprehensive client enablement – while providing the industry-specific intelligence, role-based customization, and compliance expertise that complex enterprises demand. Its investments in X+ agents and vertical-specific solutions are commendable and have enabled it to be positioned as a Leader and a Star Performer in the Candidate Engagement and Experience Platforms PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025.”

The Star Performer recognition specifically measures top-quartile improvement in both market success and capability advancement, signaling momentum, not just current position.

Many of the elements that drove our recognition also align with where the market is heading:

• We embedded agentic AI across 25+ pre-built agents that automate intake, sourcing, executive recruiting, scheduling, and fraud detection — with governance built in, not bolted on.

• We offer industry-verticalized solutions for healthcare, BFSI, manufacturing, retail, and high-tech because generic workflows don't reflect how different industries actually hire.

• We deliver end-to-end orchestration across attract, source, screen, convert, and engage with deep integrations into Workday and SAP SuccessFactors, plus onboarding tools.

• And we built skills intelligence into the foundation, powering personalized career sites, AI sourcing, and real candidate matching that goes beyond keywords.

What should buyers look for in candidate experience and engagement platforms?

Everest Group's guidance for buyers is clear: "Most tools look similar on basics; the real differentiators are safe, controllable AI, clear skill-based matching, and how well the platform ties everything together."

They also emphasize that leading providers are "building capabilities to scale automation with governed, human-in-the-loop AI, support omnichannel personalized communication, and sell adoption of the platform and not just the software."

That last point matters. Technology alone doesn't transform recruiting outcomes — adoption does. The companies that invest in change management, services, and customer success alongside product innovation are the ones delivering measurable ROI.

Phenom, for example, offers hands-on enablement through its AI & Automation Bootcamp, where talent leaders and business stakeholders identify workflows that benefit most from AI and automation. In addition, the Phenom Credential Program, a three-month learning path that empowers HR professionals to master hiring and retention strategies while advancing their careers, is also available.

Where is recruitment technology heading?

The recruitment technology market has matured, and the consolidation is real. Offering comprehensive AI agents and skills intelligence is now table stakes for enterprise HR platforms.

As you evaluate vendors or assess whether your current stack can keep pace, independent validation like the Everest PEAK Matrix® provides clarity in a crowded market.

The future of recruitment technology isn't about having more features. It's about orchestrating better experiences with Applied AI for candidates, recruiters, employees, and the business as a whole.

Download the full report to see the complete assessment, understand the evaluation criteria, and explore what separates leaders from the rest.