Why EI will continue to outperform AI in the room

What AI can and can't do 

I use AI LLMs every day. Claude, Copilot, Gemini… I've tried most of them. On a busy week, the right tools give me back somewhere between 14 and 28 hours I'd otherwise spend on admin: drafting role summaries, structuring interview notes, organising candidate profiles. That's a weekend back, which of course is real value to me. 

But the main message for the students, and my advice to candidates: the moment you let AI replace your thinking, you're doing yourself a disservice. 

I can tell when a candidate has used AI to generate their interview answers. I can tell when a résumé has been built entirely from a prompt. After 20-plus years in this space, the difference between someone who is genuinely engaged and authentic and someone reciting a polished script is obvious, and it matters enormously to the hiring managers I work with. 

What emotional intelligence actually looks like in a recruitment context 

EI isn't abstract. In recruitment, it shows up in very specific ways. 

It's the tone in someone's voice when they talk about a role they genuinely want. It's the hesitation that tells me something's not quite right. It's the candidate who asks a considered question about the organisation's safety culture, not because they just Googled it, but because they're thinking about where they want to work and why. 

Values alignment can't be screened. The best way to assess a cultural fit is in-person, where body language, eye contact, expression and personality aren’t hidden behind a laptop. 

With psychosocial safety now a legal obligation, the HSE professionals who will thrive are those who understand that safety leadership is fundamentally about people. Physical safety and mental health safety are increasingly inseparable, and the ability to assess and respond to how people are doing is a skill no algorithm can replicate. 

Practical advice for HSE candidates 

A few things I shared with the students that apply just as much to experienced professionals: 

• Do your research. If you can't tell me why you want to work for a specific organisation, you've already lost ground. Look at their mission, their values, their strategic direction. If you can get hold of their safety strategy, even better. Managers notice curiosity and appreciate initiative. 
• Be authentic in interviews. Psychological safety in an interview setting matters. The candidates who perform best aren't necessarily the most polished, but they’re present, feel comfortable to be honest about where they want to grow, and are genuinely interested in the role. 
• Use AI to prepare, not to perform. There's nothing wrong with using an LLM to organise your thoughts, tighten your language, or stress-test your answers. But your voice needs to be in there. The moment it sounds like a prompt response, you've lost the room. 
• Show enthusiasm. This sounds obvious, but it's underrated. A candidate who is visibly excited about a role, has done their homework, and asks good questions has already done 80% of the work. Attitude carries more weight than people think. 

The combination is the point 

I'm not anti-AI. I'm pro-human. The professionals who will do best in the next decade are those who use AI to work smarter and show up with the EI to make every human interaction count. 

If you're navigating the HSE job market and want to talk through where your skills sit and what opportunities might be the right fit, I'd love to hear from you. 

Stephen Coldicutt is Associate Director at The Safe Step, Australia's specialist HSE recruitment consultancy. Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn or get in touch