One of the UK's biggest recruiters is to accelerate plans to switch to more frequent face-to-face assessments as university graduates become increasingly dependent on applying for jobs using artificial intelligence.
He said he was originally a charity graduated to teaching graduates, and plans to set up more ratings, including tasks such as providing “micro lessons” from the largely written assignments that AI can give hidden help to applicants.
This move comes as the number of people using AI rose from 38% last year to 50% this year, according to a survey by Graduate Employment Specialist Bright Network.
Patrick Dempsey, executive director of programme talent at Teach First, said that applications have increased by nearly 30% so far this year at the same time last year, with AI playing a key role.
Dempsey said the surge in employment demand was due to softening in the labour market, but using automation in applications has made graduates easier to apply multiple jobs at the same time.
“The transition from written assessment to task-based assessment shows the need to accelerate,” he said.
Dempsey said that while much of the AI use was not detected, there may be some clever signs. “If people are leaving the tail end of ChatGPT messages in their application's answers, and of course they will be rejected,” he said.
The leading organization in graduate recruitment said the percentage of students applying for employment using AI and university dropouts has risen to five out of 10 applicants. A bright network that connects alumni and young professionals to employers has found that half of their graduates and half of their undergraduate students are currently using AI for their applications.
Over a quarter of companies questioned by a survey of 15,000 people set guidelines for AI use in their recruitment applications in time for the next recruitment season.
Kirsten Barnes, head of Bright Network's digital platform, said employers noticed a “surge in applications.”
“AI tools allow candidates of all ages to apply to many different roles, not just graduates,” she said. “Employers have told us what they're seeing is a huge surge in the amount of applications they're receiving.”
AI breakthroughs coincides with downward pressure on the alumni and junior jobs market.
Dartmouth Partners, a recruitment agency specializing in the financial services sector, said it is increasingly seeing applicants whose resumes use keywords written in white in CVS. The words are invisible to the human eye, but if a prospective employer was using AI to screen applications, it instructs the system to push candidates into the next stage of the recruitment process.
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A survey released last month by job search site Adzuna found that vacancies for graduates without degree requirements, apprenticeships, internships and junior jobs without degree requirements fell by 32%. These entry-level employment currently accounts for 25% of the UK market, down from 28.9% in 2022.
Last month, another employment search site reported that university graduates are facing the toughest job market since 2018, finding that the number of roles advertised to recent graduates has declined by 33% compared to the same points last year.
The Student Employer Institute said the entire postgraduate and school leaf market has not declined as rapidly as reported. A survey of 69 employers found that employment vacancy for graduates fell by 7%, while school liber vacancy increased by 23%. That is, there was an overall increase of 1% in the market allocated due to the impact of AI.
Group GTI, a charity that helps students move to employment, said the UK university career recruitment committee has increased by 8% compared to last year.
Interviews with graduate recruitment agencies and experts have found that AI has not yet caused serious disruption in the market for school and university dropouts, but change is inevitable, and new participants in the white-collar economy must be skilled in AI to get a chance to advance.
James Reid, CEO of the Reed Employment Agency, said it was “a shame” for young people who have acquired the debt they are studying for and are experiencing a tough job market. “I think universities should be looking at this and thinking very carefully about how to prepare young people,” he said.
He added that AI will transform the entire job market. “This change is fundamental and looks very different in five years. The entire job market,” he said.
