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Freedom251 › Blog › AI hiring

How to Request a Human Review of an Automated Hiring Decision

By Freedom251 Team · · 5 min read

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If an automated hiring tool may have contributed to your rejection, write to the recruiter, HR contact, or privacy contact listed in the application materials. Identify the job and decision, ask whether automation was used, request review by a person, and explain any specific error or context that may have affected the outcome. Whether the employer must provide that review depends on where the job is and how the system was used; there is no universal U.S. right to appeal an AI-assisted rejection.

What to ask for—and what a request can accomplish

Make a focused written request rather than assuming that every automated rejection is legally appealable. Ask the employer to clarify whether an automated system screened or assessed your application, what review process applies, and whether a person can reconsider it. You can also ask what information and criteria materially affected the decision and request correction of inaccurate application or assessment data.

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A request can create a clear record and may surface a parsing error, missing qualification, inaccurate assessment record, or relevant accommodation issue. It does not itself guarantee reconsideration or a particular response time unless a law or employer policy provides one.

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How to prepare and send the request

  1. Find the right contact. Use the recruiter or HR contact in the application materials. If the issue concerns personal data, also consider the listed privacy contact; for disability accommodation or possible discrimination, contact the employer’s accommodation or equal-employment contact as well.
  2. Identify the application. Include the job title or requisition number, application date, date of the decision, and candidate ID or application email if available. Mention any automated tool or notice identified in the process.
  3. State the request plainly. Ask whether an automated tool materially contributed to the decision, request human review, and ask how review works for that role.
  4. Describe relevant facts. Point to the specific missing or inaccurate information, assessment problem, or context you want considered. If you need an accommodation or alternative process, say so and briefly explain the request.
  5. Ask for an explanation and correction route. Request a plain-language explanation of the information and criteria used, and ask how to correct inaccurate personal or assessment data.
  6. Keep a dated record. Save the job posting, application, notices, rejection, message, and response. These records help you identify what happened and support a targeted inquiry if needed.

Copy-and-adapt request

Subject: Request for human review of application for [job title / requisition]

Hello [recruiter or HR contact],

I applied for [role] on [date] and received [decision] on [date]. I am requesting a review of my application by a person. Please let me know whether an automated system was used to screen or assess my application, how I can request review under the process that applies to this role, and what information or criteria materially affected the decision.

I believe [briefly identify any inaccurate or missing information, assessment issue, or relevant context]. Please consider this information in the review and tell me how to correct any inaccurate application or assessment data. [If relevant: I also request an alternative selection process / reasonable accommodation because …]

Please confirm receipt and explain the next step and expected response time. Thank you,
[name]
[application email or candidate ID]

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Use only the bracketed options that fit your situation. Do not assume a response deadline unless the applicable law or employer policy sets one.

If the job is in New York City

New York City Local Law 144 applies to a defined class of automated employment decision tools (AEDTs) used for hiring or promotion. Under New York City Administrative Code § 20-871, covered employers must provide notice at least 10 business days before using a covered AEDT. The notice must give a candidate an opportunity to request an alternative selection process or accommodation. If information about the type and source of collected data and the employer’s data-retention policy is not already available on the website, a candidate or employee may request it in writing; the information is due within 30 days, subject to the law’s exceptions. See the New York City Administrative Code § 20-871.

These provisions create advance notice and specified request opportunities, not a general post-rejection appeal right. If you believe a required notice or other Local Law 144 compliance step was missing, NYC311 describes how to report specified violations. Its complaint process concerns compliance; it is not a guarantee that the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) will reverse a hiring decision. NYC311 asks complainants to provide the suspected violation date, explanation, job posting or position details, AEDT name or type if known, and any notice received. See NYC311’s AEDT guidance and the DCWP AEDT page.

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If the job is in the European Union

GDPR Article 22 concerns decisions based solely on automated processing, including profiling, that produce legal effects or similarly significantly affect a person. A hiring rejection may be significant, but whether Article 22 applies depends on the system’s actual role, the effect, applicable law, and circumstances. The regulation recognizes exceptions for decisions necessary for a contract, authorized by law with safeguards, or based on explicit consent. For the contract and consent exceptions, safeguards must include at least the ability to obtain human intervention, express a point of view, and contest the decision. Read GDPR Article 22.

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If you have reason to believe the decision was solely automated and significantly affected you, identify the applicable GDPR rights in your request and ask for human intervention, a chance to express your view, and a way to contest the decision where the relevant safeguard applies. In a 2025 judgment, the Court of Justice of the European Union said that “meaningful information about the logic involved” calls for an intelligible explanation of the procedure and principles actually applied—not merely a complex formula or exhaustive processing-step dump. The judgment does not automatically require disclosure of the full algorithm. See the CJEU judgment, CELEX 62022CJ0203.

If the job is elsewhere in the United States

Do not assume there is a general right to appeal an automated hiring rejection. Federal and state discrimination rules may still apply to an employer’s selection procedure, but the applicable options depend on the job’s location and facts. Check the location tied to the job and seek jurisdiction-specific assistance if you suspect discrimination, need an accommodation, or believe the employer holds inaccurate personal data.

Choose the right route for your concern

  • Reconsideration: Ask the recruiter or HR contact whether a person can review the application under the employer’s process.
  • Accommodation or alternative process: State the request clearly and use the employer’s accommodation contact as well as the recruiting contact. In NYC, make a request through the notice process where possible.
  • Data correction or explanation: Identify the information you believe is wrong or incomplete, ask how to correct it, and request a plain-language account of the information and criteria used.
  • Possible legal or procedural violation: Keep the relevant records and use the complaint or advice route available in the job’s jurisdiction. A regulator complaint about a notice or audit requirement is different from asking the employer to reconsider its decision.

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AI hiringautomated hiringemployment lawGDPRhuman reviewJob ApplicationsNew York City

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