The Josh Bersin Company How Costa Coffee Uses AI To Hire "Best Fit" Staff Which Candidates Love!
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Jan 29, 2026 David Hughes, a global talent leader who led Costa Coffee’s AI hiring push, explains how Costa shifted from hiring the “best” to the “best fit.” He describes a five-question AI chat assessment that scales to hundreds of thousands of applicants. Topics include behavior-first hiring, candidate experience rated 9/10, Gen Z engagement, implementation challenges, and plans to scale AI beyond frontline roles.
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Hire For Fit Over 'Best' Talent
- Costa hires for relevance and cultural fit rather than chasing the "best" candidate by CV alone.
- David Hughes argues behavioral fit drives store success more than experience or technical skill.
Switch To A Five‑Question Chat Interview
- Costa replaced traditional situational tests with Sapia's AI chat interview for every applicant.
- The five-question chat evaluates behaviours and produces a 'fit with Costa' score for each candidate.
Give Applicants Personalized Feedback
- AI lets Costa give every applicant a personalized two-page insight report after the assessment.
- Candidates appreciate feedback, pushing Costa's assessment NPS to nine out of ten.