Experts say the recruitment industry is changing as more applicants and employers rely on artificial intelligence.
Brodie Shane works in IT and uses AI when applying for jobs.
He said he keeps a “master document” of his work history, including skills and accomplishments, from which the AI can draw to create a resume tailored to each position’s listing.
“I’ve actually been on the other side of this process and have seen a tool that some recruiting departments use called keyword matching,” Shane said.
“I’m very specific in the prompts I give. [the AI] So that doesn’t constitute my experience. ”
Recruiters say AI resumes are making it “incredibly difficult” to identify good candidates. (ABC News)
Shane said he’s not worried about his application not standing out.
“Just knowing that so many companies are already using their own versions of AI to filter all applicants doesn’t have to keep you up too late.”
he said.
“My experience points don’t make up for anything, it just makes the process a lot faster.”
David George, senior managing director at recruitment firm Michael Page, said the rise of AI was making it “incredibly difficult” for employers to identify good candidates.
David George, senior managing director at Michael Page, said all resumes “look the same” with AI. (Supplied)
“What we’re finding with AI when it comes to job applications is that people are applying all at once, and all resumes look the same,” George said.
“It makes little sense now to actually try to understand what a good and bad resume is.
“There is an increasing emphasis on people skills, and we are finding that interviews are where job seekers need to sell themselves.”
Michael Page’s recent 2026 Talent Trends report, which surveyed more than 60,000 professionals around the world, found that 67 percent of job seekers are using artificial intelligence to “tighten their language, tailor their resumes, and summarize their skills.”
AI needs to be combined with a “personal touch”
George said that with AI being so widespread among applicants, it would be “crazy” for future job seekers not to take advantage of the technology.
However, he said applicants should be careful to maintain their individuality.
“AI can’t summarize what you actually accomplish at work. It has to come from yourself,” he said.
”You can definitely use AI to polish up your resume, but you need to add a personal touch.”
“You’re an artist. You have to be someone who can say, ‘I actually did this.'”
David George says job seekers should “absolutely” use AI, but they should always add a “personal touch”. (ABC News: Nick McBean)
Employers may be missing out on great applicants
Brisbane-based recruitment consultant Meka Smith said she advises clients to be more intentional with their job descriptions and application guidelines to avoid mass submissions of AI-generated resumes and CVs.
Including video questions as a requirement could also be helpful, Smith said.
“If you create a process in advance to weed out the wrong people and get the right people to opt in, that process buys you time to actually interact and engage with people,” she said.
Recruitment consultant Meka Smith says employers need to be intentional about job descriptions and application requirements. (Supplied)
“Whether they used AI to create their resumes or not, those people will find it more legitimate.”
George warned that employers could “miss out” on top candidates by overusing AI in recruitment.
“If employers are using chatbots or AI very early in the interview process, they’re pushing people away from jobs,” he said.
“AI tools may not find the human skills you are looking for, so you may not find the best candidates.
”Your organization’s potential future superstars may have such poor experience that they won’t join your business in the first place.”
Reducing AI usage is ‘not an option’
University of Queensland data science professor Gianluca Dimartini said recruitment had become “a game” between applicants and employers, with both using artificial intelligence to increase efficiency.
Professor DeMartini said artificial intelligence “inevitably” makes mistakes, such as selecting candidates based on biased attributes such as race or gender that are unrelated to job requirements.
Gianluca Dimartini, a data science professor at the University of Queensland, said reducing the use of AI was “not an option”. (Supplied)
“On the applicant side, all of these tools produce very similar types of resumes, so this unique flavor and individuality of the applicant is being lost,” he said.
“But perhaps the bigger risk is on the other side, where employers using AI to screen applications could find themselves implicitly discriminating against certain minorities applying for jobs.”
However, Professor DeMartini did not believe that the use of AI would or should decrease.
“Efficiency increases,” he said.
“We can do things faster, we can do things in an easier way and at scale, but we have to be skeptical about how we use it.
“It is important to ensure that the humans using AI tools are in charge and accountable for the decisions made or recommended by these AI tools.”
