Job seekers are increasingly turning to AI in their effort to “fake it to make it.”
According to a new report from iHire, 17.3% of job hunters admitted to using Artificial Intelligence tools to craft their resumés or cover letters in 2023, up from 2.8% the previous year.
The result, according to KTLA 5 News consumer reporter David Lazarus, is less work for the job hunter and more work for recruiters trying to decipher real from fake.
“Job seekers are using AI to fluff their resumes and customize them for different employers,” says Lazarus. “It makes it easier for job seekers to deluge companies with AI-generated resumes, using bots to send those resumes in.”
Even if a candidate’s resume stands out from the crowd, Lazarus says recruiters face another new challenge during the initial interviews: cheating.
“If and when you get that Zoom interview with a potential employer, you can use AI and ChatGPT to finesse some of the answers,” he says. “Some HR officials are noticing that candidates are looking away from their screens to ChatGPT for the best answers. Moreover, some HR officials say ChatGPT is preparing people for interviews in such a uniform fashion that there’s now a sameness to all the job applicants, making it harder for individuals to stand out.”
The survey, which was conducted in June, included responses from 1,637 job seekers and 586 employers across 57 industries.