Sandra Lavoy seen awkward pauses and hesitation from a job candidate when she requested questions on a video name. The pauses didn’t appear pure; neither did the responses.
Lavoy, the regional director at employment company Robert Half, suspected the candidate was utilizing synthetic intelligence to generate solutions throughout a reside job interview.
“I questioned it,” she recalled. “They usually jumped off the decision.”
That have wasn’t a one-off for Lavoy, so she began asking candidates to point out up in particular person.
Some job seekers are misusing AI instruments, recruiters say
With the unemployment charge round 7%, these on the hunt for work wish to get an edge on fellow job seekers. Some are turning to AI to generate pristine, error-free resumés and even put together for interviews. However that development has many on the hiring facet questioning its ethics.
Corporations have began noticing the misuse of AI instruments throughout reside interviews and it has turn into a development over the past couple of months, mentioned Alexandra Tillo, senior expertise technique adviser at Certainly Canada.
Many recruiters don’t thoughts using AI in job searches, Tillo mentioned, but it surely raises an alarm when candidates forgo all persona when writing a canopy letter or rely closely on know-how throughout interviews moderately than their very own information.
Related responses to situational or behavioural questions from a number of candidates, with a supply that lacks emotional intelligence, is what’s tipping off recruiters to inauthentic candidates, she added.
“It’s very exhausting to guage somebody’s abilities, particularly if the reply will not be actually their very own and it does result in a little bit of a waste of time … (and a) lack of belief,” Tillo mentioned.
How AI will help along with your job search
A tricky job market leaves little room for errors from candidates—doubtless one of many causes some really feel compelled to make use of AI throughout reside interviews, Tillo speculates.
Employers are taking longer to rent the precise candidate: sifting by way of a heap of purposes and relying closely on AI-powered utility monitoring methods. In the meantime, candidates are utilizing AI to insert the precise key phrases within the hopes of getting by way of these methods, mentioned Ariel Hennig Wooden, profession coach at Canada Profession Counselling.
“We’re shedding the customized resumés after which we’re shedding the customized response on the employer facet,” she mentioned.
However there are methods AI can be utilized successfully when in search of work, Wooden mentioned.
Her technique consists of step-by-step immediate engineering—telling generative AI applications and apps corresponding to chatbot ChatGPT precisely what it must do for each section of the job search.
“In the case of employer analysis, AI can positively be your finest pal,” Wooden mentioned. AI might assist collect insights on data starting from an organization’s turnover charge to why workers like working there.
The following piece is the duvet letter. She suggests beginning with a generic template borrowed from AI, then personalizing it with your individual voice by way of the precise prompts.
“As a substitute of simply saying, ‘I need a job,’ it ought to be: ‘I need this job, and because of this I’m match. Because of this I really feel linked to this position,’” Wooden mentioned.
Then tailor that analysis to the resumé and canopy letter, whereas additionally doing an evaluation of the job posting so as to add the precise key phrases, she added.
“AI must be used within the job search course of to be efficient in opposition to application-tracking methods,” mentioned Wooden.
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Getting ready for job interviews utilizing AI
Then, Wooden recommended leveraging AI for apply interview questions—corresponding to producing questions you is likely to be requested or pulling out achievements out of your resumé to make solutions related to the job interview.
“You possibly can file your self answering the interview questions, after which it will provide you with AI-generated suggestions, which could be useful,” she mentioned. But additionally get suggestions from a pal or profession counsellor, Wooden added.
As soon as a candidate lands the job, Wooden mentioned AI will help with provide negotiations.
“It could possibly scan the provide and flag something that could be out of the norm,” she mentioned. “It might inform you … the place there may very well be room for negotiation within the provide.”
AI isn’t only a instrument to shine resumés for Karan Saraf, who’s finding out public relations and is looking out for a job. Some days, he makes use of it to make sense of his scattered ideas when making use of to a job, whereas different occasions, it’s about role-playing interviews. And his technique labored, touchdown him interviews in a troublesome youth job market.
Saraf mentioned so long as he’s not plagiarizing or deceptive employers, he doesn’t really feel the necessity to disclose that he leveraged AI in his job search journey.
“However then, if I’m ever requested this query, I might be sincere about it,” he mentioned. “That’s a part of being an moral AI consumer.”
Wooden mentioned an moral AI consumer would know precisely what’s of their resumé, if questioned. “I don’t consider that you could go into an interview and say, ‘By the best way, I prepped with AI for this,’” she mentioned. “It’s such a typical instrument now that everyone’s utilizing and in case you are utilizing it ethically, there’s nothing to reveal.”
However Carlie Bell thinks that creates an imbalance between employers and job seekers. Upcoming Ontario laws mandates firms to reveal of their public job postings their use of AI in screening, choosing, and assessing candidates beginning Jan. 1, 2026. Different provinces haven’t but opted for comparable measures.
“It’s employers … who’re going to be held to authorized requirements round this type of stuff and expectations, however there may be nonetheless nothing there to actually information the job seekers,” mentioned Bell, director of consulting at Quotation Canada.
Bell anticipates employers may even begin anticipating job seekers to reveal their use of AI for transparency each methods. Nonetheless, utilizing AI in a job search isn’t prone to hurt a candidate so long as they proceed to be inventive and discuss private experiences, Bell mentioned.
“In a world the place all people’s the identical … and also you’re making an attempt to compete basically in opposition to machines on each side, what we all know is that the human actually issues nonetheless,” Bell mentioned.
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