Five-minute read | Meg Burton | Job searching
The proliferation of AI in recruitment is well documented, but, perhaps controversially, I’m here to give you some reasons not to hate it.
Various reports suggest that the use of AI in recruitment tripled in a year, that three in 10 UK employers are using it in their recruitment processes, and that it is progressively being used as part of the interview process.
On the other side, candidates are likely to be increasingly using AI to tailor CVs to job descriptions, potentially creating even more risk of overstating their experience and suitability for a role.
However resistant you might be to AI, it’s here to stay. So here are some reasons not to hate it when you’re looking for a new job. I’ve even got some reasons you might want to embrace it.
Is AI a benefit in applicant tracking systems (ATS)?
AI is a core part of ATS and can help speed up the recruitment process – although whether that’s a good thing is up for debate. There have been several reports into potential bias as well as the concerns that AI tools might be filtering out the best job applicants.
The obvious way AI is being used in recruitment is in the early screening and sifting of CVs. Plenty of applicant tracking systems (ATS) such as Workday, Success Factors and Workable, as well as LinkedIn’s job advertising option, have AI built in. Simply upload the job description and person specification and the system sifts CVs to show you the most suitable applicants.
It would be easy to blame AI when you’re screened out of a process at the first stage. But we need to remember that there is a human fingerprint on a system with AI built in. A human has been involved with creating the criteria it applies to do the screening. They’ve set the parameters and given it the specification to work from.
One thing we are certain about when it comes to AI – it isn’t always 100% accurate. That’s not any consolation when you’re rejected for a job you thought you were perfect for, but, unfortunately, with hiring teams under increasing pressure to fill vacancies, working more efficiently will always be important.
Would a human be better at sifting CVs?
It’s easy to think a person would be better at screening CVs. But this is the kind of task that could be allocated to the new person in the team without a good amount of experience to draw on, which makes them less good at finding the perfect people.
The person doing the CV sifting could be under pressure to just get a shortlist together, meaning they only read CVs until they think they have a reasonable selection, leaving the rest unread. This is especially a risk with roles that attract hundreds of applications.
Or if a generalist HR or talent acquisition person is doing the sift, they could miss the transferable skills some candidates have that would make them suitable for the role, because the experience isn’t exactly what was specified. This is pretty similar to the result you’d get from AI.
I’m not saying this is what happens whenever a human does the first sift for a job, I’m just pointing out that the pre-AI solution wasn’t perfect either.
Reasons not to hate AI if you’re job hunting
AI and automation have created some benefits for people looking for their next job. From being able to choose a convenient interview slot to being able to automate rejection emails and providing notes from online interviews that can be used to create candidate feedback, it has the potential to really improve the candidate experience.
I say it has the potential, because far too many candidates are still being ‘ghosted’ by companies advertising roles – all the way through the process, not just at the application stage and interview feedback is still very thin on the ground.
AI can also help with more functional parts of applying for jobs. You should absolutely spell check your CV to catch any mistakes. AI is built into the filters in most job sites that help you find the kinds of job you’re interested in. And using a large language model like Claude or ChatGPT to analyse a job advert, research the company and highlight what you should focus your CV on or how to prepare for an interview is a great way to harness the power of the technology.
Some people use AI to re-write their CV for every application. I’m a fan of tailoring your CV and covering letter for each role, but it’s in your interests to stay involved in doing it. Your CV and covering letter still need to sound like you and be based on your real experience. (AI is well known for hallucination and you risk getting caught out in the lie at interview.)
Using AI to make your CV better is one thing. But if you’re offered an interview and then don’t meet expectations, you will have done yourself more damage than good. Whatever AI creates needs to be accurate and you’ll need to be able to confidently and truthfully expand on it during the recruitment process to stand a chance of being appointed.
I recommend using AI to point out the important aspects you need to highlight on your CV, but what it can’t do is come up with real examples that prove you have the experience. These are what you’ll need to talk about at interview, convincingly demonstrating not just what you did, but how and why you did it – the specific results and outcomes you have achieved are what helps you stand out from the crowd.
With AI so prevalent in job hunting and recruitment, where’s the human edge?
While AI has transformed lots of activities, there’s still no substitute for human intelligence and insight. How you bring your CV to life with real examples, how you write in your own voice, which means you don’t sound like everyone else, and the achievements you can draw on are where your human advantage is.
You may also want to think about the next steps in your career and whether you need to do some futureproofing if you think AI may have an impact on your role.
Although, pleasingly, there have been some high-profile examples recently of organisations which replaced lots of people with AI, re-hiring experts because they realised there’s no substitute for the critical skills of real people. A notable example is Ford, which rehired 300 human engineers in the US after AI failed to match quality checks.
If you’re looking for your next role and want reasons not to hate AI from an experienced careers coach, get in touch to book a free first chat.
