Job seekers, HR professionals grapple with use of artificial intelligence

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — The conversation surrounding the use of generative artificial intelligence, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft CoPilot, Google Gemini, and others, is rapidly evolving and continuing to provoke questions of thought.

The debate comes as North Carolina Governor Josh Stein signed into law an executive order geared toward artificial intelligence.

It’s a space that is transforming at a pace much quicker than many people can adapt to, and is finding its way more and more into everyday use.

One of those spaces is the job market.

“I’ll even share with my experience yesterday. So I had gotten a completely generative AI-written resume, and my first reaction was, ‘Oh, I don’t love this. ‘ And then my second reaction was, ‘but why?’ I’m going to want them doing this at work. So why wouldn’t I want them doing it in the application process?” said human resources executive Steve O’Brien.

O’Brien’s comments caught the attention of colleagues internally and externally.

“I think what we need to do is ask ourselves, how do we interview in a world where generative AI is involved. Not how do we exclude generative AI from the interview process,” added O’Brien.

According to the 2025 Job Seeker Nation Report by Employ, 69% of applicants say they use artificial intelligence to find or match their work history with relevant job listings. That is up by one percent compared to 2024. Alternatively, in 2025, Employ found that 52% of applicants write or review resumes using artificial intelligence, down from 58% in 2024.

“I think recruiters are getting very good at spotting this AI-generated content. Every resume sounds the same, every line sounds the same, and the resume is missing the stories that. I mean, humans love stories,” said resume and career coaching expert Mir Garvy.

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Meanwhile, career website Zety found that 58% of HR managers believe it’s ethical for candidates to use AI during their job search.

“Now those applicant tracking systems are AI-informed. But when all of us have access to tools like ChatGPT, in a sense, we have now a more level playing field,” Garvy said.

“If you had asked me six months ago, I’d have said that I was disappointed that generative AI had made the resume. But I don’t think that I have that opinion anymore,” said O’Brien. “So I don’t fault the candidates who are being asked to write 75 resumes and reply to 100 jobs before they get an interview for trying to figure out an efficient way to engage in that marketplace.”

The pair, along with job seekers, agree that AI is a tool that is best used to aid and assist, but not replace.

“(Artificial intelligence) should tell your story. It should highlight the things that are most important and downplay or eliminate the things that aren’t,” said Garvy.

O’Brien added, “If you completely outsource the creative process to ChatGPT, that’s probably not great, right? You are sort of erasing yourself from the equation. But if there’s something in there that you need help articulating, you need a different perspective on how to visualize, I have found it to be an extraordinary partner.”