AI doesn't just take over the workplace. I've also taken over the place I used to work.
According to a 2025 Market Trends Report for Career Group Companies, approximately 65% of job seekers use AI at some point in the application process. That 65%:
- 19% are used to create resumes
- 20% will be used in cover letters
- 9% is used for headshots
- Use it for 7% interview practice
- 5% is used for work samples
- 5% will be used for career guidance
Gillian Lawrence, senior vice president of a career group company, says he saw AI use Skyrocket last year.
“I'm now anyone who's a savvy job searcher… if they haven't looked into it, it'll surprise me. [AI]”Laurence says CNBC will make it.
However, its widespread use is not universally preferred. According to a survey by career platform Zety last year, 42% of HR managers find that using AI in the application process is unethical. These concerns are heightened when AI is applied to skill assessments. Skill ratings indicate that more than two-thirds of HR managers are at least somewhat concerned about their use.
Zety's career expert Jasmine Escalera says these concerns are fair. “If you use it to improve your skills or show off skills you don't actually have, that's a problem,” she tells CNBC. “Baseline, you may not be able to do your job.”
Applicants' Best Practices
Lawrence recommends job seekers reassessing the accuracy of what they use AI. Candidates should take the time to see how they look, as everything the AI touches can hallucinate and can always give an untrue response.
“AI can be repeated, and it's not always right,” she says. “Everything that is not actually true will come out during the cleaning if it's not right.”
CNBC is contributor to Jeremy Schifeling, author of Career Coach GPT, a book on the use of AI in job processes. He suggested last year that he “review, review, review” everything that uses AI in a CNBC Make IT article.
“The last hope is to sit in the final round of interviews and have your future boss boss ask about the bullets on the resume that AI-made. I forgot to update!” he said.
Escalera also suggests that using AI can help you coordinate applications to job descriptions. That includes matching a specific word with the person in the job description, using action words, or even proofreading your job.
“You're the foundation, and AI comes to strengthen that foundation and really help it stand out,” she says.
Lawrence says he is wary of uploading personal information to an AI program if a data leak occurs.
As AI use in the recruitment process continues to grow, one thing is clear to both Lawrence and Escalella. It's just beginning.
“I definitely think it's going to be wider,” Lawrence says. “This will be in the coming years. It's absolutely like everyone is thinking about how to best use this.”
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