The Josh Bersin Company Kmart Australia’s Chief People Officer Tristram Gray Uses AI Assessment To Hire At Scale
Dec 9, 2025
Tristram Gray, Chief People Officer at Kmart Australia, discusses innovative AI-driven hiring strategies that have transformed recruitment. He shares how Kmart processes hundreds of thousands of applications to hire 12,000 people each year, achieving a 73% reduction in time-to-hire. With mobile-first AI assessments focusing on culture and behaviors, candidate satisfaction soared to 90%. Tristram emphasizes ethical AI use, proactive recruiting, and the importance of personalized feedback, making a significant impact on diversity and retention in a large workforce.
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Mobile-First Simulation Replaced CV Screening
- Tristram Gray describes using Sapia.ai to run mobile-first, simulation-based interviews that ignore CVs and focus on cultural fit and behaviors.
- The system matches candidate responses to benchmarks built from high-performing employees to surface job-fit rather than experience.
Hire For Behaviors, Train For Skills
- Kmart trains technical skills but hires for behaviors like pace, curiosity, customer orientation and teamwork.
- Hiring for values and behaviors yields better frontline performance because technical tasks are teachable.
Give Every Applicant Feedback
- Provide every applicant a feedback report whether they are hired or not to improve candidate experience and personal development.
- Use the feedback as a brand and reputational benefit by turning rejects into learning experiences.