AI cheating in hiring is widespread. According to the latest Capterra survey of 250 job seekers in the U.K., a majority (53%) are using AI tools to help them in their current job search. Of those who are using AI, 77% say they have leveraged it to exaggerate or lie about their skills on a CV, cover letter, job application, or skills assessment.
These practices not only raise questions about the authenticity of applications but also threaten to overwhelm recruiting systems, ultimately undermining the efficiency and integrity of the hiring process.
While the use of AI in job applications is prevalent among candidates, the results show that many are abusing the tool’s power to gain a competitive advantage in their job hunt. For example, the survey found that:
- 29% have used AI to generate answers to interview questions.
- 27% of job seekers have used AI to complete a test assignment or skills assessment, potentially hiding a lack of relevant skills.
- 26% have used AI to mass apply to jobs, overwhelming recruiting pipelines.
These uses of AI could be considered excessive or deceptive, as they allow candidates to exaggerate their skills, cheat interviews, forge assessments, and hide deficiencies.
“With AI tools being so accessible in 2024, their use in job applications was inevitable. To ensure that companies hire the right talent for the job, recruiters need to be ahead of the game by setting up systems to detect cheating, while clearly communicating what uses of AI are acceptable for candidates from the offset,” says Brian Westfall, principal HR analyst at Capterra.
Deploying advanced recruiting software and reviewing hiring processes can help recruiters minimise AI cheating, flag deceptive AI content, and keep AI deceivers out of the candidate pipeline. Opting for video or in-person interviews whenever possible can also keep applicants that are using AI interview teleprompters at bay.
That said, not all uses are harmful to the candidate evaluation process. For example, the most common ways job seekers have used AI in their current search are to write/refine their CV (39%), find relevant job openings (33%), or write/refine their cover letter (33%).
The benefits of AI aren’t going unnoticed by candidates: Not only have AI users completed 42% more job applications on average during their current search, but they’ve also been 75% more likely to receive a job offer than those who don’t use AI.
Recruiters themselves are likewise embracing AI to scan resumes, screen initial candidates, and eliminate biases. In a lot of cases, applicants actually don’t mind when recruiters use AI. In fact, 64% of job seekers trust that AI is generally less biased than humans when evaluating candidates.
However, just as recruiters must be vigilant about candidates’ use of AI, 38% of job seekers would reject offers from recruiting processes that use too much AI. While 57% express a positive view of AI in recruiting, many draw the line when human engagement is reduced too much.
Therefore, recruiters must also find the right balance between automation and the human touch to ensure a positive candidate experience.
The post Nearly Half of U.K. Job Seekers Are Using AI To Lie on Applications first appeared on HR News.
