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Shoshanna Davis, a Gen Z career expert and founder of career consultancy Fairy Job Mother, said in an interview with CNBC Make It that this generation (generally defined as those born between 1996 and 2012) relies too much on AI tools like ChatGPT to respond to cover letters and job applications.
“So I'm talking to companies and employers that hire anywhere from 10 to 1,000 Gen Z employees each year,” Davis said. “And one of the main challenges that I feel at the moment is the use of AI, specifically his ChatGPT. It's not being used in the right way and it's not being used effectively.”
“Employers are receiving hundreds of cover letters that are word for word identical,” Davis said, meaning they have the same answers to job application questions, and suspects that ChatGPT's use may be at play. I explained that there was.
In fact, a Canva study published in January of 5,000 recruiters and 5,000 job seekers in the UK, US, India, Germany, Spain, France, and Mexico found that 45% of job seekers are We've used AI to create, update, and improve. And then Brazil was discovered.
And according to a February Grammarly survey of 1,002 knowledge workers and 253 business leaders, Gen Z is most likely to rely on AI. 61% of Gen Z say they can't imagine working without generative AI, the most of any generation.
Davis said we should definitely “embrace technology and AI,” but said copying ChatGPT answers could hurt your chances of getting a job.
A Resume Genius survey of 625 recruiters found that more than half dislike AI-generated resumes and believe they are a red flag that makes them less likely to hire a candidate. I did.
One reason why copying ChatGPT responses is an ineffective way to use AI is that chatbots don't always provide reliable information.
One of the initial issues with ChatGPT was that the knowledge base was limited to data released before September 2021, but this was resolved in September 2023. Its owner, OpenAI, announced at X.
“ChatGPT is not connected to the internet and may generate inaccurate answers,” the company's website states. “Knowledge about the world and events beyond 2021 is limited, and in some cases may generate harmful instructions and biased content.”
Davis shared a recent story from an employer who was hiring for a brand marketing role and asked candidates in their applications about their favorite fitness products launched in the past year.
“They said there were about 100 responses that said, 'My favorite campaign launch was Peloton,' and the employer said, 'It ended up being ChatGPT, but similarly, Peloton has been around for four or five years. It was released before,''' Davis said. The employer was referring to an ad campaign that Peloton ran in 2020.
Davis said young people “need to educate themselves” on how to use ChatGPT properly, rather than just copying the answers.
There are several uses for AI in the job search process, including helping with interview preparation and researching companies.
“In my opinion, ChatGPT can be used in the job search process, but it should be used as a tool, not a replacement,” Davis cautioned.
Michelle Reisdorf, regional director at staffing firm Robert Half, previously shared a similar view with CNBC Make It, saying that AI is “great for proofreading and enhancing what you've already written, but… “It's not a one-stop shop for building the perfect resume.” . ”
Reisdorf added, “Recruiters will be able to tell if you haven't included specific details of past work or if you're writing in a personal, human voice.” .
Davis said he uses ChatGPT to structure documents, brainstorm ideas, and create drafts, but “I never just type a question and copy and paste an answer.” .
