AI Hiring and HR Governance Kit

Establish clear oversight for AI tools used in hiring. Adopt a policy, give candidates notices before a tool runs, hold vendors accountable for their audit results, and apply the four-fifths check to your own selection data.

Seven tools for managing AI use in hiring

The kit brings together an adoptable policy, candidate notices, a vendor accountability letter, a memo for documenting the calculations, and a tracker for the full record. Use them together to manage each hiring tool.

• Start Here. A two-page guide to each piece, the order to use them, and the jurisdictions whose rules the kit tracks. Begin here.
• AI in Hiring Use Policy. A twelve-section internal policy to adapt and adopt. It covers scope and definitions, principles, the tool inventory, human oversight, bias and adverse-impact testing, candidate notice, records, vendor management, roles, prohibited uses, and the review schedule. A definitions table explains what counts as a covered tool.
• AI Candidate Notice. Five copy-ready notices, Options A to E: a one-line statement, wording explaining what the tool assesses and offering an alternative, a human-review version, the video-interview notice and consent, and advance notice with the 10-business-day lead time. Options B, D, and E include accommodation contact language, with a closing note covering accommodation requests.
• Vendor Bias-Audit Request. A ready-to-send letter requesting each vendor’s most recent bias-audit results, methodology, data categories, selection rates and impact ratios, known limitations, and support for notice and accommodation. Includes a vendor response grid and reply-by date.
• Adverse-Impact Review Memo. An internal memo documenting a four-fifths review of a tool or hiring round, including the selection-rate table, findings, action taken, and sign-off line. A flagged result calls for closer review rather than serving as a final determination.
• Governance Tracker. Six tabs: Start Here, the AI tool inventory, the bias-audit tracker that calculates the next-audit date, the adverse impact log that calculates the four-fifths ratios, the candidate notice log with the business-day count, and the governance log for approvals and reviews. Opens on a worked example. Works in Excel or Google Sheets.
• Governance Assessment. Use the assessment in any browser to check bias-audit, notice, and human-oversight requirements and see which obligations apply to each of your locations. The result is a self-assessment, not a compliance determination.

How to put the kit to work

Start by identifying which rules apply. Then adopt the policy, complete the checks, and keep the records. The kit provides the structure and documentation. Have qualified counsel resolve uncertain legal questions.

• Identify your tools and hiring locations. List every tool that screens, scores, ranks, or assesses candidates. Check requirements for New York City, Illinois, California, Colorado, the EU, and federal law everywhere. Start Here and the assessment guide you through the review.
• Record each tool and adopt the policy. Give every tool one row in the tracker and name its owner. Adapt and adopt the use policy to establish your team’s oversight, notice, and recordkeeping rules.
• Complete the checks and notices. Run the four-fifths check on your own selection data, send each vendor the bias-audit request, and provide candidates with the applicable notice before a tool is used.
• Maintain the record and review it regularly. Log audits, notices, approvals, and decisions in the tracker. Review at least yearly and whenever a law changes or a tool is added. Bring uncertain legal questions to counsel.

Who it is built for

Built for

• An HR team using resume rankers, automated scoring, chatbot screeners, or AI video analysis and establishing a formal approach to oversight.
• A company hiring in New York City, Illinois, California, or Colorado, or employing people in the EU, that wants to manage notice, audit, and oversight requirements in one place.
• A team preparing to explain its AI hiring practices to a board, customer, or counsel, with a policy and documented record of its decisions.

If you are looking for

• For a broader HR policy rather than a hiring governance system, see the AI in HR Policy and Risk Checklist. It covers AI use across the function.
• For a separate review of EU AI Act readiness, the EU HR AI Risk Checklist maps the Act’s employment obligations and timelines.

Before you buy

What format are the files and can I edit them?

One Excel tracker, four editable Word documents, a Start Here PDF, and a web assessment that opens in any browser. The tracker works in Excel or Google Sheets, and the Word and Excel files are editable.

Which rules does the kit track?

There is no single law covering every use of AI in hiring. The kit tracks common requirements under New York City Local Law 144, the Illinois Human Rights Act and AI Video Interview Act, California’s FEHA automated-decision rules, Colorado’s SB 26-189, federal Title VII, the ADA, and the ADEA with the four-fifths screen, and the EU AI Act. Each file names its sources and shows its review date.

What counts as an AI or automated tool here?

The policy defines a covered tool as a machine-based system that infers from its input to produce a score, ranking, recommendation, or decision used in hiring. Resume rankers, automated scoring, matching algorithms, chatbot screeners, and AI analysis of video interviews usually qualify. A plain keyword filter or an applicant database that only stores records usually does not. Have counsel review borderline cases.

What is the four-fifths rule?

Divide each group’s selection rate by the rate of the group selected most often. A result below 0.80 flags potential adverse impact for further review. It is a screening measure, not proof of discrimination. The tracker calculates the result, and the memo documents the review.

We use one resume-screening tool. Does the kit still apply?

Yes. The obligations depend on the tool, not how many tools you use. Even one covered screening tool used in New York City needs the independent bias audit, posted summary, and advance notice. One video-analysis tool in Illinois still needs notice, an explanation, and consent. The kit provides the same structure for one tool or ten.

Does it cover the New York City notice timing?

Yes. Notice Option E provides the advance-notice wording. The tracker’s candidate notice log counts the business days between notice and use and checks the result against the 10-business-day minimum. It excludes weekends but not public holidays, so the log treats exactly 10 business days as marginal and advises additional lead time when a holiday falls within the notice period.

When do the Colorado and EU requirements take effect?

Colorado’s SB 26-189 takes effect 1 January 2027. The EU AI Act’s high-risk hiring obligations were deferred to 2 December 2027 by the Digital Omnibus, Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, published in the Official Journal on 24 July 2026 and in force since 27 July 2026. Both require an inventory, oversight, notice, and records, which take months to establish. The kit helps you build that structure, and each file shows its review date so you can see when the requirements were checked.

What is the refund policy?

Digital products are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. To request a refund, email support@truestephr.com or reply to your receipt within 30 days of purchase.

What happens after I buy?

Your download link appears immediately after checkout. Your receipt arrives by email with the same link. Open the Start Here page first for the recommended order. For setup questions, email support@truestephr.com.

How the download works

Your files arrive as a single ZIP download, best opened on a computer. Save it, extract it (right-click and select Extract All on Windows, or double-click on a Mac), then open the Start Here file first. PDFs open in any reader, and editable files work in Microsoft Word and Excel or free equivalents, including LibreOffice, Google Docs, and Google Sheets. No other software is needed. Step-by-step help for every device is at truestephr.com/pages/download-help.

Scope

These working tools and editable templates help you run a clear, consistent, and defensible HR process. Rules vary by jurisdiction and change over time, so adapt each template to the facts of your situation to avoid unintended legal exposure. Have qualified counsel review your policies, notices, and individual decisions against applicable law before you act. General HR information, not legal advice.