AI on Your Resume? Think Again, Hiring Managers Warn

Think twice about using artificial intelligence to help you when applying for your next job, as  researchers are warning that a majority of hiring managers say they dislike AI-generated content on cover letters and resumes.

A recent report by CVGenius found after interviewing 625 hiring managers that using AI to help generate cover letters and resumes can be a deal breaker. As technology reshapes the job market, hiring managers are urging applicants to avoid relying on AI tools for crafting cover letters and resumes, favoring more traditional methods.

“[Eighty percent] of hiring managers view AI-generated content on CVs and cover letters negatively, with 57 [percent] stating they’re ‘less likely to hire’ when they see it or consider it a ‘dealbreaker’,” the report says.

Even though it may seem easy to get away with using AI content, 74 percent of hiring managers say it’s possible to tell when AI is used to write a job application, the report found, with researchers noting that an overreliance on technology can do more harm than good to a candidate’s prospects for success.

Some tools that hiring managers use to verify if content is original or AI generated include GPTZero and Originality.AI. If the hiring manager determines that AI has been used, 57 percent of managers say that they won’t hire the applicant.

The legal and tech sectors hold the greatest opposition to AI generated content, with 47 percent of respondents in the legal sector and 45 percent of respondents in the tech sector stating that they would throw out an application if it seemed AI generated.

Instead, experts recommend using AI to support your resume and cover letter instead of writing it, such as filtering through job options to find a good fit, optimizing LinkedIn profiles, and preparing for networking meetings.

AI can also be used to prepare for interviews by generating prompts that applicants can practice responding to and providing frameworks for replying to questions.

And using AI as a supplemental tool to develop frameworks and identify ideas and problem solve while applying to jobs can also be helpful.