Chicago\’s hiring secret: filtering talent, not filtering out

CLARA: Redefining Talent Assessment

Chicago’s Kenneth (Kenny) Williams and Zoraida Sambolin share a steadfast vision—leveraging their influence to dismantle barriers that often sideline bright but overlooked individuals and businesses.

Ken’s Expertise, Zoraida’s Narrative Power

• Ken’s background—an MLB executive, former player, and White Sox GM—offers firsthand insight into systemic inequities, both on and off the field.
• Zoraida’s credentials—an Emmy‑winning journalist and former Chicago news anchor—underlines the influence of narrative and visibility for underrepresented voices.

These strengths catalyze CLARA, a screening and talent assessment platform that measures an individual’s potential rather than merely their resume.

Global Recognition 2025

CLARA recently secured the 2025 Global Recognition Award for its workforce acquisition approach, prioritizing equity and human potential over conventional evaluation methods.

Ethical AI-Powered Assessment

• Under Nuytten’s CEO leadership, the platform evaluates candidates based on both skills and potential, moving past traditional keyword matching.
• Engineered to counter AI’s bias amplification, CLARA rebuilds recruitment processes from the ground up.
• Its proprietary models assess critical thinking, learning agility, and the “distance traveled”—the abilities gained from navigating challenges and accounting for the delta between one’s actual and realized potential.

By capturing insights that conventional resume tools cannot, CLARA demonstrates that the future of hiring lies in evaluating what people can become—an ethic that reshapes the talent landscape.

A responsible framework drives system decisions

Reimagining AI Ethics Through Strategic Leadership

The leadership team of the platform now champions a principled stance on the development of artificial intelligence. Instead of relying on traditional keyword‑matching algorithms that frequently reinforce bias, the business has embraced individual evaluation as a catalyst for transformative decision‑making.

Embedding Fairness Into Product Design

Under the fair framework, product development and operational strategies consistently prioritize fairness over convenience, even when external pressures demand rapid solutions.

• Equity‑First Assessment Layer – The platform integrates equity directly into the evaluation layer, proving that responsible leadership can accelerate progress while staying competitive.
• Market‑Driven Resilience – Leaders remain steadfast in maintaining fairness, resisting the temptation to favor short‑term market gains.

Influencing Industry Standards for Responsible AI

By setting a new standard for principled business practices, the firm has positioned itself as a thought leader in responsible AI. Its approach shapes the wider HR platform industry’s interactions with algorithmic decision‑making, ensuring that rapid technological acceleration does not outpace fair considerations.

Future Directions for Ethical AI Implementation

Going forward, the organization will continue to refine its evaluation methods, fostering a culture where fairness is an innate component of every AI‑driven solution.

Platform delivers measurable client improvements

Revolutionizing Talent Acquisition with AI-Enhanced Filtering

Shifting How Organizations Spot and Assess Talent

The platform rethinks workforce selection by filtering candidates in rather than out, tackling longstanding bias that has stifled diverse prospects. The system’s assessment and enrichment models harness advanced AI to gauge abilities that conventional resume‑based tools miss due to their static data reliance.

Client Performance Gains

• 26% rise in qualified applicants.
• 30% faster time‑to‑hire metrics.

Seamless Integration with Leading ATS

• Compatible with Greenhouse, SmartRecruiters, and more.
• Practical adoption strategy that removes barriers while preserving sophisticated functionality.

Speedy Deployment and User Satisfaction

Teams can roll out the review solution in under 30 minutes, bypassing typical enterprise software implementation hurdles. Blending advanced AI capabilities with a user‑friendly deployment model has enabled market penetration while maintaining high customer satisfaction rates.

Addressing workforce challenges through skills-first recruitment

Bridging the Workforce Skills Gap

Beyond client success stories, the organization tackles a core global challenge: the widening skills gap as industries evolve. By prioritizing skill‑first talent selection, the firm identifies resilient, problem‑solving candidates that research flags as essential for long‑term success in shifting sectors.

Uncovering Hidden Talent

Emphasizing adaptability and transferable skills, the platform finds potential overlooked by traditional assessments. This opens doors for employers and job seekers in a competitive marketplace.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

The platform’s D E I B initiatives address the most pressing workforce acquisition issue. It delivers tangible business value beyond social responsibility metrics.

Mitigating Unconscious Bias

By expanding the pool of qualified prospects from underrepresented backgrounds, the solution actively reduces bias in staffing decisions. This inclusive selection process benefits all stakeholders, aligning social justice objectives with business performance goals. Diverse teams consistently demonstrate superior development strengths and problem‑solving skills across industries and organizational contexts.

Industry‑Wide Influence

The organization’s reach extends beyond its client base, reshaping industry thinking about hiring amid constant change.