In a nutshell: It's getting harder to land a job these days, which is why a lot of candidates are turning to generative AI for help. But this shortcut may be backfiring as overwhelmed recruiters get swamped with low-quality, robot-written submissions.
According to surveys and sources cited by the Financial Times, around half of all job applicants are now leaning on AI writing tools like ChatGPT for at least some part of their materials. This wave of machine-generated content is overwhelming hiring managers already struggling with a glut of applicants in many industries.
"We're definitely seeing higher volume and lower quality," Khyati Sundaram, CEO of recruitment platform Applied, told the publication. She added that the applications are harder to sift through when candidates can just copy-paste content from ChatGPT.
The barrage of AI resumes only adds to long-brewing trends that have significantly boosted application volumes. These include the rise of online job boards that have made applying to jobs easier than ever before, and, of course, the tight labor market. Recruiters were already getting swamped before AI came along, and things have gotten a lot worse.
Today, recruiters are contending with resumes and cover letters that are eerily generic, filled with keywords and written in that distinct AI language style that's just a little... off. "Bland" applications with "American grammar" are frequently flagged as potential AI work, according to Andy Heyes of tech recruiter Harvey Nash.
Many major employers have strict policies against AI use in applications, and some are attempting to crack down. The Big Four accounting firms – Deloitte, EY, PwC, and KPMG – have warned graduates against going the AI route.
However, it's an uphill battle. A survey by Neurosight found that 57% of student job seekers resorted to using ChatGPT. Those springing for the paid premium version, which outputs more refined and human-like text, have an edge over others; free ChatGPT users were found to be less likely to pass psychometric tests.
Jamie Betts, founder of Neurosight, also told FT that those who pay for ChatGPT are "overwhelmingly those from higher socio-economic backgrounds, male applicants, non-disabled, mostly white."
In other words, students with more resources are gaining what is essentially a paid-for hack against hiring challenges, such as timed written tests and logic problems.
What's an embattled recruiter to do? Most are banking on that old-fashioned, AI-proof solution: the personal interview. No matter how convincing that ChatGPT cover letter is, they figure the real human will be unmasked when it's time to chat.
Ironically, at the same time, many candidates would simply avoid employers using AI for hiring in the first place. A study last year found 66% of Americans would refuse to apply to any place using AI recruitment tools.
Recruiters overwhelmed as 57% of young applicants are using ChatGPT for job resumes
