Misuse of AI tools by job seekers and hiring companies has led to mistrust

As with most new technologies, there will be people who use it in ways that have unintended negative consequences. This is no different in the hiring process. AI can be abused by both sides of the hiring equation.

Some companies and HR professionals judge job seekers who use AI. Some large employers, including Deloitte and KPMG, maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards AI-generated applications.

The truth is there is more nuance to the story and banning AI for job seekers isn’t the right solution. There are ways to use AI responsibly in a way that actually benefits the hiring company or recruiter. There's a big difference between using AI to cheat and using AI to practice.

Building CoverDoc as an AI assistant for efficiency and personalization, not cheating

When I first built CoverDoc after getting laid off, ChatGPT was just released and I wanted to see if it could help me with my own job search. My motivation for using AI was not to cheat the system and misrepresent myself to employers. It was to make an inefficient research and writing process more streamlined. 

After launch, some users noticed there were cases where the generated cover letters would include experience they didn’t actually have on their resume or LinkedIn profile. I took this feedback seriously and put in guardrails and prompt optimizations to make sure the generated output is a more accurate representation of the job seeker’s work experience and skills.

Having been a hiring manager at previous jobs, I tried to build CoverDoc to both assist job seekers and benefit companies. For example, when I was a hiring manager I appreciated when a candidate mentioned a recent news story or announcement during the interview or in the cover letter. This translated into the product by providing job seekers a summary of recent news and a cover letter that specifically mentions a relevant news story.

How AI can be misused by some job seekers

While I used AI responsibly, that’s not how everyone acts. AI misuse manifests in a few areas of the hiring process:

Auto-applying for jobs

It sounds great in theory but there is a real impact. Spreading your time across 100 different applications means you’re not giving the best fit jobs the attention they deserve. Instead of investing in roles that align with your skills and career trajectory, you’re throwing darts in the dark, hoping one hits.

If you put yourselves in the shoes of the hiring manager, they are forced to review 1,000+ low quality, generic applications to find the best matches.

Cheating during live interviews

Job seekers can use AI tools to “cheat” by having an app listen to questions in real time and spit out answers during a live video call. These apps may get a lot of attention but ultimately they are not helping the job seeker since simply reading a script doesn’t allow them to retain the information and they could get called out on it in future rounds of interviews.

Exaggerated work experience and inaccurate cover letters

Some job seekers will blindly accept the output from an AI tool. Without oversight, they could be sending a resume or cover letter that doesn’t match their actual experience, leading to unrealistic expectations during the interview process.

A Better Approach: AI-driven research & practice with guardrails and a human in the loop

Instead of getting scripted answers to cheat during the interview, a better approach is to use AI for strategic practice where job seekers get suggested answers to predicted questions before the actual interview.

As the job seeker uses AI to practice for interviews at similar companies, the benefits compound and can have a real impact during the actual interviews.

Job seekers could use AI to analyze their answers and get better over time so their answers are more polished during the real interview.

What if AI can also streamline company research, making it easier for candidates to learn about the key challenges and opportunities faced by the target company? AI can quickly find and summarize key points pulled from news articles, earnings calls, CEO interviews and company websites. This would be beneficial to both the job seeker and hiring manager as hiring managers want candidates who take the time to research the company and role.

Does this approach work? Here’s just one example testimonial from a CoverDoc user saying he received compliments on his preparation and thoughtfulness.

CoverDoc under the hood

Here’s what we believe works in today's job market

• Preparation matters

• Authenticity is more important than ever

• Quality over quantity

We believe in the responsible use of AI and encourage job seekers to only use it in ways that benefit both hiring managers and job seekers.

There are many tools that encourage job seekers to “spray and pray” or cheat during interviews. This doesn’t really help anyone in the long run. It floods companies with irrelevant applications and frustrates job seekers when they never hear back and are unemployed for a longer time period.

Rebuilding trust will require work by both sides

Job seekers who use AI should consider using more responsible tools that don’t misrepresent them. Hiring managers need to adapt and innovate in how they assess candidates.

Share your comments below on how AI has impacted the hiring process.