Journal of E-Technology Linda Schildknecht, Judith Eißer, Stephan Böhm 9 4 2018 10.6025/jet/2018/9/4/109-123 http://www.dline.info/jet/fulltext/v9n4/jetv9n4_1.pdf Human resource management and recruiting in particular are subject to constant change – not least due to ever increasing digitalization. One way to improve efficiency in digital recruiting is to automate process steps using innovative technologies. In this context, chatbots are innovative conversational systems that offer such a potential. When applied to the field of recruiting, a chatbot can establish a new channel for the communication between a company and potential applicants. This paper investigates motivators and barriers of recruiting chatbot usage as well as the candidates’ expectations and preferences on the chatbot design. Moreover, factors influencing the perception of recruiting chatbots derived from the theory of social presence were investigated. The empirical study was carried out in the form of a quantitative online questionnaire within a sample of 213 respondents in Germany. As a result, the study reveals a general interest in the usage of recruiting chatbots as well as important motivators, barriers, and design preferences from the candidate perspective.