Artificial intelligence is changing recruitment from both sides of the hiring process. Employers are exploring how AI can help with sourcing and screening candidates, while jobseekers are increasingly using tools such as ChatGPT to write CVs, tailor job applications and prepare for interviews.
For employers, this raises an important question: If AI can help someone produce an excellent CV and prepare impressive interview answers, how do you make sure you are assessing the candidate rather than simply how well they have used AI?
How are candidates using AI when applying for jobs?
AI can now support almost every stage of a job search. Candidates can use it to improve the wording and structure of their CV, tailor their experience to a job description, draft covering letters, research an employer and generate potential interview questions.
This is becoming a recognised part of the job search. The UK Government’s own JobHelp guidance explains that AI can help jobseekers build or improve a CV, identify what to include in a covering letter and prepare more efficiently for interviews.
Importantly, using AI does not automatically make someone a poor candidate. Used properly, it can simply help an individual communicate their genuine skills and experience more effectively. The difficulty arises when the quality of an AI-assisted application no longer accurately reflects the candidate’s own capability.
How common is AI use in recruitment?
Research from the Institute of Student Employers gives us an indication of how quickly things are changing. Its 2025 Recruitment Survey found that 49% of employers had no problem with candidates using AI during recruitment, with permitted use largely focused on drafting CVs and covering letters or answering application questions. However, 79% of employers were redesigning or reviewing their recruitment processes in response to developments in AI.
The issue is becoming even more significant. ISE’s 2026 research reports that around two-thirds of employers are concerned that graduates and school or college leavers could misrepresent their abilities when using AI during selection processes. While this research relates specifically to early-career recruitment, it illustrates the wider challenge facing employers: polished applications are becoming easier to produce.
Can candidates use AI to prepare for interviews?
Absolutely, and this is where employers may need to think differently about how they interview. A candidate can give AI a job description and ask it to predict likely interview questions. They can then use it to develop and practise possible answers before the interview.
Again, good preparation is not a bad thing. We would expect a strong candidate to research an organisation and think carefully about the questions they might be asked. The problem comes when employers mistake a well-prepared answer for evidence of genuine competence. Rather than trying to catch candidates using AI, a better response is to make sure your interview process encourages them to go beyond a prepared answer.
How can employers look beyond an AI-assisted CV?
This is where good recruitment and interviewing skills become increasingly important. If a candidate gives a strong initial answer, explore it further. Ask what they specifically did, why they made a particular decision, what went wrong, what they would do differently and what they learned from the experience.
Employers should also think carefully about what they are actually assessing.
Does the successful candidate really need every skill listed in the job description from day one? Could someone with strong transferable skills, motivation and potential ultimately outperform somebody whose CV appears to tick every box? The growth of AI does not make CVs or interviews redundant. It simply means employers need to look beyond the polish and understand the person behind the application.
Is AI changing recruitment permanently?
AI is not only being used by candidates. The Information Commissioner’s Office notes that employers are increasingly using AI and automation themselves, including to review CVs and score assessments. It cites research suggesting that 70% of employers expect to increase their use of AI and automation in recruitment over the next five years.
The UK Government has also published dedicated guidance on the responsible use of AI in recruitment, covering its use across sourcing, screening, interviewing and selection. For employers, therefore, the question is probably no longer whether AI belongs in recruitment. It is how recruitment processes need to adapt to it.
Want to Get Better at Spotting Great Candidates?
This is exactly what we’ll be discussing in our next free employer webinar:
Beyond the CV: How to Spot a Great Candidate
Wednesday 23rd September 2026 | Free 30-minute webinar
We’ll look at how experienced recruiters get beyond polished CVs and well-prepared interview answers to identify genuine ability, motivation and potential. If you’re a Business Owner, Hiring Manager or Human Resources professional involved in recruiting people, we’d love you to join us.
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