AI is increasingly part of everyday life. In the jobs market employers are using it to recruit the right people and individuals are using it to find the right job.
There are several ways that AI can be used in your job search. For example, it can help you:
- Find vacancies better suited to your job goals, skills and experience
- Work out what to include in a covering letter to complement your CV
- Build or improve your CV to make it stand out and tailor it to specific jobs
- Make your interview preparation more efficient.
But, if you’re thinking about using AI, you need to take care. It comes with risks. As powerful as AI is, it isn’t you and it never can be. If you overuse it in your job search:
- You lose the thing that sets you apart, your personality, and that’s what recruiters are interested in
- Employers will know – with so many people using AI in their CVs and applications, recruiters can spot it with little difficulty
- It might be seen as dishonesty.
Many employers have strict rules about what you can and cannot use AI to do when you apply for a vacancy. They may reject your application if you use AI in the wrong way.
So, we’ve come up with some things you should and shouldn’t do if you’re thinking about using AI when you’re looking for a job.
DO:
Use AI to help you find job vacancies
Lots of online job sites use AI to help users find vacancies. You can input your job preferences (type of job, location, salary etc.) and the AI tool will narrow down vacancies based on your choices.
On some sites, you can also upload your full CV which the AI will match to a range of vacancies. This can give you a wider selection of jobs to look at and perhaps help you find something you hadn’t considered before.
Use AI to build or improve your CV
If you don’t know how to start writing a CV or want to know how to improve what you have, online AI tools can help by:
- Giving you prompts and ideas about what to include or highlighting where something is missing
- Improving the format of your CV so it’s clear, concise and visually appealing
- Suggesting ways to organise your CV to bring out your key skills and experience
- Checking your grammar and spelling and filtering out any jargon.
Use AI to help with your covering letter
If you need a covering letter for your application, AI tools can help you edit it or pick up any key points you might have missed. Make sure you check and personalise any AI suggestions.
Use AI to practice for job interviews
You can input the job description and your CV or application into some AI tools. They will then suggest likely interview questions. Some may also suggest possible answers that might help, but make sure you check and personalise these.
Some AI tools can give you a mock interview and can even provide feedback on how you perform, so you can build your confidence and fine-tune your responses.
Check everything
Your CV, covering letter and interview answers should be yours, bringing out your unique characteristics. An employer is looking to recruit you, not a machine, so if you use AI to help your job search, make sure what you use is accurate and truthful.
DON’T:
Rely on AI alone
AI is a powerful tool and can enhance your job search, but it can’t do everything.
There are lots of ways to find a job. Explore different things, for example, your own personal contacts might be able to help, careers advisors and your local Jobcentre Plus can support you in different ways and, of course, you often can’t beat your own instinct and hard work. Use whatever works best for you. Take a look at our ‘7 steps’.
Assume everything AI tells you is correct
AI makes mistakes. Lots of AI tools learn from online sources so inaccuracies or biases can creep into their content. Always check what it says and if in doubt, leave it out.
Try to pass off AI-generated content as your own
Everything you submit to an employer should be yours, genuinely reflecting your own skills and experience. Employers can quickly recognise AI-generated content and use it as a way to whittle down applications.
Input personal information
Before you input any personal or sensitive data into an AI tool, make sure it is a reputable and trusted platform that will handle your information responsibly.
Use AI during an online interview.
As with AI-generated CVs, employers can usually tell if you’re using an AI answer. It’s always better to be yourself and demonstrate your individual skills and experiences.