The AI Job Application Dilemma
As part of a recent hiring process, outsourcing and offshoring company Oceans asked candidates to submit a video answering one question: "What is your most controversial personal conviction about the workplace?" The company received over 300 responses, and most were eerily similar.
"It was abundantly clear it was artificial intelligence," said Matt Wallaert, Oceans’ chief experience officer, describing the repeated answers that followed identical structures. "You failed the basic task of sharing your personal beliefs."
This situation left Wallaert and the hiring team bewildered about how to evaluate candidates, as even the most qualified applicants blended together.
The Rise of AI in Job Applications
Job seekers are increasingly turning to AI tools to help them land jobs more quickly in a tough labor market. With a plethora of AI tools available, some employers are now screening applicants’ résumés and deprioritizing those that appear AI-generated. Employers report an unintended consequence: many applications are looking and sounding the same, complicating the hiring process for both sides.
How Employers Spot AI Over-Reliance
It’s easy to spot when candidates over-rely on AI, according to employers. Common red flags include:
- Executive summaries that look eerily similar
- Odd phrases that people wouldn’t normally use in conversation
- Fancy vocabulary appearing unexpectedly
- Entry-level candidates using language that suggests senior-level experience
"It’s worse when they use auto-apply AI tools," some employers noted. These tools can misinterpret application questions and fill in wrong information. While individual applications might be hard to identify as AI-generated, when hundreds show the same issues, the pattern becomes obvious.
Employer Perspectives on AI Usage
Joseph Eitner, chief human resources officer for New York-based investment firm Eaton Capital Management, said he has no issue with candidates using AI to add keywords, clean up grammar, or help think through questions. However, he emphasized that candidates should ultimately write themselves, express their own ideas and personalities, and manually submit applications.
"If that’s how you apply and how you work, I don’t want to hire you," he said, calling AI auto-apply services "snake oil" and a disservice to both applicants and employers.
Not all employers rely heavily on AI to screen applicants. Ron Sharon, chief information security officer at PTMA Financial Solutions in Denver, uses an AI tool that assigns percentages to candidates based on qualifications. Anyone scoring 75% or above is considered, but AI never automatically rejects a candidate.
"I use AI as a tool to help me augment what I do," Sharon said. "Job seekers should use it to help them augment what they do. They shouldn’t use AI for the complete process."
Job Seekers’ Defense of AI
Some job seekers say employer adoption of AI for ranking candidates prompted their own use of the technology. Stephen Harris, a 37-year-old in San Antonio seeking a tech support specialist role, said he’ll stop using AI to write his résumé once recruiters stop using AI to evaluate it.
"You’re saying, ‘You shouldn’t be doing this’ when I know a good chunk of them do this," Harris said.
He argues that employers often focus too hard on finding the perfect candidate, losing adaptable ones in the process. While he still tries to stand out by mailing his résumé, using AI to quickly tailor it helps him be among earlier applicants.
The Authenticity Advantage
Prateek Singh, founder and CEO of LearnApp in New Delhi, said when candidates use AI for applications, it prevents him from evaluating what excites them about the job and what they’re less interested in. He noted candidates using phrases like "chat over coffee" in cover letters—uncommon in India—as a giveaway.
"This is the best time for you to stand out based on all of your flaws and eccentricity," he said. "If 100 applicants come to us with AI, and you are authentic, you stand out."
Success Through Authenticity
This advice proved true for Sneha Sharma, who gained more traction in her job search after stopping AI use. Over six months, she applied to up to 300 jobs using AI tools like ChatGPT and auto-apply services but landed no interviews.
After a break, she adopted a new approach: building résumés from scratch, adding personality details (like her move to the United States), and cold calling/emailing recruiters. Within two weeks, she landed seven interviews and had a job in less than two months.
"Don’t be blinded by the internet and that ChatGPT will do everything," she advised. "Use your brain, keep changing and experimenting."
Moving Forward
Oceans plans to reach back out to qualified candidates who used AI, asking them to try again. The company will also update application instructions to ask candidates not to use AI for video responses. Wallaert believes the problem will eventually solve itself but worries about candidates losing out due to over-reliance on AI.
"This gap will close over time but at what cost?" he said. "That’s the bummer."
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