The Pros and Cons of Using AI in Your Job Applications
When you’re searching for a new job, submitting application after application can quickly become tiresome.
Wanting to speed up the process, job seekers are looking to use Artificial Intelligence to their advantage. Now, instead of spending hours writing custom cover letters and adjusting your CV for every new position, tools like ChatGPT can do a lot of the heavy lifting.
The Pros and Cons of Using AI When Applying For Jobs
PROs
Speed -Artificial Intelligence can produce written content at a much faster rate than any human. It can also quickly and efficiently research the industry that you are applying for, helping you sound like a pro
Ease - Tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, and Copilot are all designed with one purpose in mind… making your life more convenient. It will still take time and effort to make sure your job application is perfect, but Artificial Intelligence will make the whole experience smoother.
Relevance -Because Artificial Intelligence is often used by recruiters to assess and select candidates, the tool you use will understand “the language”. It’ll be keenly aware of what information to include in your CV (and what not to include), giving your application a good chance at success.
Clear -When you’re applying for a job in your second language or you aren’t very confident with spelling and grammar, Artificial Intelligence (such as Grammarly) can be used to polish your written content – enhancing the professionalism of your CV and cover letter.
Quality - Artificial Intelligence has a job to do, and it’s bound to do it well. Although it might not produce content that’s in the right tone of voice or completely relevant to you, what it does produce will often look impressive and sound professional.
Versatility -Artificial Intelligence can contribute more to the job application process than simply adjusting a person’s CV here and there. It can browse the web for positions that’d be suitable for you, research what you should include in your application, and help you update your LinkedIn to passively draw attention from recruiters.
CONs
Accuracy - Artificial Intelligence knows very little about you as a person. When you use a generic prompt to generate a cover letter, it’ll have to make assumptions to fill in the blanks – resulting in inaccuracies or embellishments that come back to bite you.
Impersonal -Although you can adjust its tone of voice with a few simple commands, Artificial Intelligence will never be able to accurately represent your unique character. Someone’s CV and cover letter exist solely to make a person shine, so an impersonal introduction can harm their chances of capturing a recruiter’s attention.
Generic -Artificial Intelligence will have been used thousands (if not millions) of times during the job application process. Thanks to advancements in Machine Learning, it’ll have learned from these past experiences and will inevitably replicate content that has been successful before.
Repetitive - When using Artificial Intelligence to apply for a job, there are certain boxes it will need to tick. The content produced may feel clunky and repetitive, repeatedly emphasising that you are a “strong leader” and a “fast learner” (without adding value by providing examples).
Reputation -Business owners have started to take note of Artificial Intelligence being used to submit job applications… they aren’t impressed. The sheer volume of cover letters and CVs they receive within minutes of listing an open position suggests that no effort is being contributed behind the scenes, starting you off on the wrong foot.
Is It Okay to Use AI in Your Job Application?
For active job seekers, using Artificial Intelligence to apply for jobs seems to be a well-earned respite. It certainly beats rewriting a near-identical cover letter over and over. However, this “hack” must be accepted with a pinch of salt. It’s not perfect. While it isn’t technically frowned upon to use Artificial Intelligence during the job application process, it could harm your prospects.
CNBC reports that “hiring managers and recruiters who receive correspondence clearly written by software can be turned off… especially if the AI plagiarises or includes errors or falsehoods.”
Artificial Intelligence, then, should only be used as a stepping stone in your journey, not the destination itself.
To successfully use it to enhance your efforts and not take away from them, try to:
Use as much detail as you can in your prompts and continue to add extra information until everything is perfect.
Provide your current CV and cover letter as a framework, stopping the Artificial Intelligence from making stuff up to fill the page.
Editing the content produced by Artificial Intelligence so that it sounds more like you. Add the human touch, and let yourself shine!
The best job applications will be completely and wholly personal to you. Recruiters don’t want to see a thousand generic CVs which are essentially exact copies of each other. They want a glimpse into your world, seeing an accurate representation of who you are and what you can bring to the table.
Working with Forward Role
For help expanding your horizons and driving change in your industry through intelligent recruitment, contact us.
At Forward Role, you’ll find genuine Marketing, Digital and Tech experts who care passionately about delivering for our clients and candidates.
If you're a client, you can expect exceptional delivery and communication as a matter of course.
If you're a candidate, we'll treat you the way we'd like to be treated when making an important life decision like moving jobs.
