In today's increasingly competitive job market, approximately half of all job seekers are turning to artificial intelligence tools to aid their application process. This trend is overwhelming employers and recruiters, who are already navigating a saturated labor market, with a flood of applications that are often of lower quality.
Generative AI, the technology behind conversational AI products like ChatGPT and Gemini, has become a go-to resource for candidates. These tools help craft CVs, write cover letters, and even complete assessments, often with minimal effort from the applicants themselves. According to data gathered by the Financial Times through interviews with employers and recruiters, as well as various published surveys, it's estimated that up to 50% of job applications are now generated with the help of AI.
Khyati Sundaram, CEO of the recruitment platform Applied, noted that the influx of AI-assisted applications has resulted in a significant increase in the number of candidates per job opening. However, this surge in quantity has come at the expense of quality, making it more challenging for recruiters to identify truly suitable candidates. "We’re definitely seeing higher volume and lower quality, which means it is harder to sift through," Sundaram remarked, explaining that candidates can easily use tools like ChatGPT to generate responses to application questions and then paste them directly into application forms.
This trend is exacerbated by the current economic climate. Labor markets on both sides of the Atlantic have softened, with employers needing to fill fewer positions and a growing number of individuals seeking work after layoffs. The long-term rise of online job boards has also played a role, making job openings more visible to a wider audience and simplifying the application process, thus increasing the overall volume of applications.
Recent surveys underscore the extent of AI's role in this landscape. A poll of 2,500 UK workers by HR start-up Beamery found that 46% of job seekers are using generative AI in their job search and application process. Another survey by creative platform Canva, involving 5,000 global job seekers, revealed that 45% had employed generative AI to build or enhance their CVs.
Andy Heyes, the regional managing director of UK-based tech recruitment firm Harvey Nash, has observed a marked increase in the use of AI among applicants. He mentioned that tell-tale signs like "American grammar" and "bland" content often indicate the use of AI in applications. Many recruiters are now dealing with a deluge of AI-generated CVs, where candidates have used these tools to polish their personal statements and insert critical keywords. However, these figures might only represent the tip of the iceberg, as many AI-generated applications may go undetected unless they are blatantly unedited and thus easily identifiable.
Victoria McLean, CEO of career consultancy CityCV, highlighted that while AI can assist in creating CVs, it often results in documents that are "clunky and generic," lacking the personal touch that hiring managers look for. "CVs need to show the candidate’s personality, their passions, their story, and that is something AI simply can’t do," McLean asserted.
Some of the largest employers have adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards the use of AI in job applications. The Big Four accounting firms—Deloitte, EY, PwC, and KPMG—have reportedly cautioned graduates against relying on AI for their applications, emphasizing the importance of authenticity in the hiring process.
Beyond CVs and cover letters, an increasing number of candidates are using generative AI to cheat on recruitment assessments. Jamie Betts, founder and chief product officer at Neurosight, a consultancy that advises companies like Virgin Media, Grant Thornton, and the NHS on psychometric testing, noted a significant rise in AI-assisted cheating, particularly among younger applicants who are "highly adept" at using advanced generative AI tools and capable of evading detection.
Neurosight's recent survey of 1,500 student job seekers found that 57% had used ChatGPT to support their job applications. Interestingly, those who used the free version of ChatGPT were less likely to pass psychometric tests, whereas those who invested in the paid version were more successful. Betts pointed out that those who paid for ChatGPT were overwhelmingly from higher socio-economic backgrounds and tended to be male, non-disabled, and predominantly white, highlighting a correlation between socio-economic status and access to advanced AI tools.
Despite the increasing reliance on AI, many employers and recruiters still believe that in-person or virtual job interviews will reveal any discrepancies between an applicant's AI-generated materials and their actual abilities. Ross Crook, global managing director at recruitment agency Morgan McKinley, noted that while automation is becoming more prevalent in the hiring process, the need for human interaction remains crucial in making final hiring decisions. "Candidates are becoming quite lazy about how they stand out in the job market, so they just turn to generative AI to give an inflated version of their actual experience," Crook observed, but emphasized that human-to-human interaction is irreplaceable in the final stages of selection.
As AI continues to permeate the job application process, both candidates and employers are grappling with the implications. While AI can streamline certain aspects of job hunting, the challenge for recruiters remains in discerning genuine talent from AI-generated facades, ensuring that the right candidates are selected for the roles they are truly suited for.
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