Should you use AI in your job search?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise, and many are considering using it to streamline the job search process.

Applying for jobs can be a tedious and time-consuming process. Best practice is for applicants to write a customized resume and cover letter for each job opening.

AI in general is a controversial topic, Newsweek We asked experts for their opinion on whether using it in a job search is a good or bad thing.

And, as with many parts of society, opinions varied.

David Reid, global head of talent acquisition at global insurance claims management company Sedgwick, said it was important to consider “the good, the bad and the ugly” when applying for a job using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).

“A great use of GenAI is to build a solid foundation for your job search by leveraging the technology to find jobs that interest you, and then create and customize your resume and cover letter to increase the chances of a recruiter considering your application,” he said.

But Reid added that the technique could lead to applicants making misleading representations about themselves if they don't properly review the letter before submitting it.

“Overall, GenAI has a lot of powerful use cases for job seekers, but there should always be a human element involved, especially fact-checking AI-generated materials before sharing them with employers,” he said.

Kyle Samuels, founder and CEO of Creative Talent Endeavors and a 20-year veteran of the recruitment industry, said “blindly copying” an AI-generated cover letter or job application should be “a cardinal sin in the hiring process.”

He points out that recruiters are now “experts” at detecting where AI is being used, and unless candidates train the AI ​​tools themselves, “it won't reflect aspects of your personality that will set you apart from other applicants.”

Samuels continues: “There's still a lot of value in doing your own research on a company and taking a personal approach to structuring your CV and writing your cover letter that reflects your knowledge and interest in the role — and recruiters are well versed in picking up on that level of authenticity.”

From entry-level roles to senior roles, “use the AI ​​only as a reference. This is your first draft of your first draft and you need to mould and shape it into your own voice and demonstrate your enthusiasm for the role.”

HR Business Partner Daniel Space (aka Dan From HR) said that from his experience on the employer side, AI can be used as a tool to help with creating applications, resumes and cover letters because “content can be created much faster and is much easier to react to and adjust than creating it from scratch.”

It can also help people who have difficulty expressing their accomplishments to “tweak and focus their message”, he said, but warned against “overusing or relying on it”.

In his experience, employers won’t “penalize” applicants who use AI, but they will “favor applicants who see that it’s personalized” rather than just copying and pasting ChatGPT’s prompts.

“The purpose of a resume is to stand out, but if 100 people all use ChatGPT to write resumes for the same job description, you will again be just 1 out of 100 qualified,” he argued.

“It's best to look at it as a tool. Use it for brainstorming, use it as a starting point, but make sure you edit it, update it and customize it,” he said.

And Justin Marcus, CEO of www.bigfourtalent.com, asked, “As long as applicants are honest and aren't applying for a writing position, why would we punish someone for using a service that helps them better present their resume?”

“A better way would be to use AI to demystify each section of the resume one at a time, then proofread it to make it more human,” he said.

According to a Statista survey, nearly 70% of companies surveyed claim to be using AI in their operations by 2024.

At the same time, 63% of respondents claimed to use it for both internal and external communications, and just under half said they use it for HR and training.