AI is creeping into every aspect of our lives with the suggestion that it will make our lives easier – with ‘knowledge’ more accessible than ever and tools to help us with every task.  So, it is inevitable then that the use of AI in recruitment is becoming ever more prevalent, particularly for job applicants seeking to impress.

AI offers applicants a multitude of tools to help them find and secure their ideal job.  Where practical job-hunting skills appear to be fairly low on the agenda in formal education settings, having access to tools to help you improve your chances of finding work seems on the surface to be a good thing.  However, recruiters beware – AI can, at the least, make applicants seem more polished than they actually are, and, on the other end of the scale, can create an entirely false reality allowing people to secure jobs under false pretences.

AI in recruitment is unlikely to be going away any time soon so recruiters will have to accept that it can and will be used a degree by potential applicants.  It is therefore important they are aware of how it might be used and decide whether or not that matters in their own particular process.

How are job seekers using AI?

Job matching tools, such as Talentorise or Fortay, see AI being used to help candidates find the right job.  Job seekers can complete questionnaires covering their key skills etc. and be matched to available vacancies that are pulled from across the internet, speeding up the process of finding suitable jobs.

Resume builders are AI tools that help job seekers create CVs that are more tailored to the role they want.  Users enter in the job title for the role they are applying for and the tool will suggest things to point to include in a CV, leaving it to candidates to select the points they feel best represent them and their experience.

Resume optimisation tools go one step further, helping job applicants optimise their CV and covering letter, and potentially even LinkedIn profile, to suit a job listing.

AI tools can also be used to assist applicants complete job application forms.  Type in any question and you’ll receive suggestions on how best to answer it.

According to a recent report from ResumeBuilder, 7 in 10 job seekers who use ChatGPT saw a higher response rate from hiring managers, so you can see applicants would be tempted to give it a try.

The pros and cons of AI in recruitment for recruiters

Whilst the use of AI in HR recruitment has numerous positives for job seekers, for recruiters on the other side, the outlook is not so clear.

Job matching tools could get your vacancy in front of a higher number of more suitable candidates, however, it does rely on the quality of data candidates are inputting and also means you could miss out candidates that aren’t perfect on paper but have great potential.

Resume builders have the potential to make applicants appear more polished and skillful than they actually are, where a self-written CV may have revealed a lack of writing ability and attention to detail.  Spell-check and other such tools already go some way to correcting mistakes (and recruiters should see anyone who doesn’t even bother to use this as a big red flag) but AI takes it further.

Resume builders also rely on candidates being honest about their skills and experience.  It is much easier to be tempted to exaggerate, or all-out lie, when presented with well-crafted ‘suggestions’ at the click of a button.

Resume optimisation tools have similar pitfalls to resume builders, however there is also a flipside. As a recruiter you should be looking for candidates that have shown an understanding of the role, and your company, and made an effort to tailor their application to show you why they are the right candidate to match.  You may see the use of resume optimisation tools as the candidate being proactive.

Candidates using AI to complete application forms, or even prepare for interview questions, may think they are being resourceful and getting one up on the competition, but, used badly, recruiters face receiving a host of copycat applications all sourced from the same place, with candidates failing to demonstrate individuality.

Ultimately, whether you see the use of AI in recruitment as a good or bad thing, depends on a number of things including your own understanding and confidence in technology and the role and its requirements.  You may decide its use, when done well, demonstrates a good understanding of today’s technology which is a positive thing for your role, or you may feel that using it means someone lacks creativity and independent thought. The key thing is to be aware of how and when it’s being used and decide to what extent you’re prepared to tolerate it.

How recruiters can spot use of AI in applications:

There are content detectors that you can use to help spot AI use, picking up, for example, on language patterns commonly used in AI generated-text.  These tools are however not failsafe – you are essentially using AI technology to spot AI technology!  They should therefore be used alongside common sense – does the text seem repetitive and use a lot of words to say not very much. Or is it overly detailed and verbose? Just simply asking yourself if it sounds like a real person wrote it, helps to sense check things.

If it’s unclear from a written application or resume whether AI has been used, then phone screening interviews can be used to help get a sense of the person.  We use phone screening as part of our Fixed Fee recruitment service to filter out candidates that not only fail to meet our client’s criteria but also those who fail to prepare and present themselves well in person.  Candidates can look perfect on paper but are sometimes caught out when asked to expand further over the phone.

You can also think about the questions you use in interviews.  If someone has used an AI to prepare answers to commonly asked interview questions, consider whether they are as eloquent in their responses to questions that are more bespoke to your role or company.  Consider also discussing any relevant current events or news stories – ChatGPT only has knowledge up to 2021.

If you require support with AI recruitment or would like to know more about Pure’s Fixed Fee Recruitment, contact us today.