Experts weigh in on how you should and shouldn’t use AI to job search today.<\/p>\n
Getty<\/p>\n
As artificial intelligence becomes a bigger part of the hiring process, job seekers are asking themselves one main question: How much AI is too much AI when applying for jobs? <\/p>\n
From being advised to use ChatGPT to help with your resume and cover letter, to hearing recruiters say they\u2019re tired of reading \u201cAI-generated applications,\u201d professionals today are inundated with conflicting advice about how the technology may or may not aid their job search. <\/p>\n
To clear the air, I spoke with AI experts and hiring managers about the ways in which they would and wouldn\u2019t use AI if they were looking for a job today. Here\u2019s what they had to say. <\/p>\n
Brian Elliott, future of work strategist and CEO of the think tank organization Work Forward<\/a><\/p>\n Elliott, who previously worked as an executive at Google and Slack, says one of the biggest ways he would use AI if he were job searching today is to research potential employers. <\/p>\n \u201cI would definitely use it to help me understand a company better, to get a deeper understanding of what they do and what type of people they hire,\u201d he says. \u201cI would use it to try to get a better understanding of the types of work that happen within the company and how they support people because part of what you’re looking for are companies that are going to support long-term growth and skills development, which is what people really need.\u201d<\/p>\n But Elliott, who was named to Forbes\u2019 2023 list of top 50 leaders rethinking the world of work<\/a>, says he would definitely not use AI to write his resume or cover letter. <\/p>\n \u201cI might write my cover letter, run it through AI to see if it’s got suggestions for improvements to make sure that I’m not making grammatical errors or that I’m stating things in a good way,\u201d he says. \u201cWe’ve certainly seen the issue of people letting AI do the whole thing as far as writing their cover letter and filling out all of their job applications, and then the person sort of runs into a wall.\u201d<\/p>\n Crucially, this advice goes against what many job hunters are doing today. In a survey of nearly 3,300 job applicants, global research and advisory firm Gartner found<\/a> that nearly 40% used AI during their job application process. Of those who used it, 54% said they used it to generate text for their resume\/cover letter, 36% said they used it to generate text for a writing sample, and 29% said they used it to generate answers to questions on an assessment. <\/p>\n As a result, some hiring managers have developed an AI-induced hiring paranoia<\/a>, where they worry that candidates are using the tool to inflate their capabilities, leading them to underperform if they actually get the job. This is the wall Elliott says job seekers can run into if they submit an AI-generated application that sounds generic and inauthentic to employers. <\/p>\n Margaret Burke, Principal, Talent Acquisition & Development Leader at PwC<\/p>\n Burke says that even when talking to her own kids about how to navigate the job market she advises them to use AI, but with special parameters. <\/p>\n \u201cAI can be used to tighten up your resume and it can be used to enhance your cover letter, but it still needs to be your own voice and it still needs to be your own experiences on that resume,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n Additionally, she says AI can be helpful when it comes to \u201cdoing research on the company you\u2019re interviewing with, helping you prepare for what questions could be asked, and helping you understand how the market is affecting them right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s very valuable from that perspective,\u201d she adds. \u201cAll the things that maybe would\u2019ve taken hours to do research on can really be done in minutes with AI.\u201d <\/p>\n As someone with over 20 years of experience in the HR and talent acquisition space, Burke says that if she was job searching today one of her biggest dont\u2019s when it comes to AI would be using it in the actual interview process. <\/p>\n \u201cIn the interview you have to talk about your own true experiences,\u201d she says. \u201cAI can make things sound a bit sterile and generic and interviewers can see right through that.\u201d<\/p>\n Clara Shih, Founder and Executive Director of New Work Foundation<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think that people should use AI in two different modes,\u201d says Shih, whose non-profit<\/a> is geared towards equipping young workers with the tools, information, and skills needed to navigate an economy that\u2019s being reshaped by AI. \u201cThere’s apprentice mode and there’s productivity mode.\u201d<\/p>\n Shih, who previously served as the Head of Business AI at Meta, explains that apprentice mode is when someone is brand new to learning something. \u201cIt could be writing your first cover letter. It could be learning how to do software programming. It could be creative writing. If you’re brand new to something, there is incredible learning value from working through and struggling and making mistakes,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n For young professionals who are just entering the job market, Shih says that using AI in apprentice mode isn\u2019t a bad idea as it \u201ccan be an incredible coach and give you feedback on your cover letter and say, \u2018This is what is good about it and here’s where you can improve.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n But, she says, using AI to completely write your resume or cover letter, especially when you don\u2019t have much experience with writing one on your own, is never a good idea. She warns that \u201cyoung people should resist the urge to delegate that learning phase to AI.\u201d <\/p>\n However, if you\u2019re an experienced professional who has written several resumes and cover letters throughout your career, then she says you may be at the point where you can use the tool in productivity mode because you have the knowledge to assess whether its output is good or bad. <\/p>\n \u201cSay, AI generates a creative writing assignment or software program, can you critique it?\u201d she asks. \u201cIf you cannot do that then that means you haven\u2019t graduated from apprentice mode yet. It’s very similar to when you’re joining the workforce. Nobody ever gets hired as a people manager. You haven’t earned it yet. You haven’t even done the job yourself so what business do you have delegating to a person or to an AI until you’ve done the job yourself and can critique it, evaluate it, reject it, and judge it. That’s how I would encourage people to think about AI.\u201d<\/p>\n When taking Elliott\u2019s, Burke\u2019s, and Shih\u2019s advice into account, it\u2019s clear that there are a few red flags and green flags for using AI in your job search. <\/p>\n How To Use AI In Your Jobs Search:Do use AI to research a companyDo use AI to get suggestions on grammatical errors and how to improve your resume and cover letterDo use AI to understand how the current market is impacting a companyHow Not To Use AI In Your Job Search: Don\u2019t use AI to write your resume and cover letterDon\u2019t use AI to generate text for a writing sampleDon\u2019t use AI to generate answers for an interview<\/p>\n Want to be more successful? Subscribe<\/a> to the weekly Forbes Careers newsletter to get insider tips and insights.<\/p>\n More from ForbesForbesThe Ex-Meta And Salesforce Exec Using AI To Fix Gen Z\u2019s Jobs CrisisBy Courtney Connley-Hampton<\/a>ForbesAI Is Changing Work. These Are The Human Skills Employers Want MostBy Courtney Connley-Hampton<\/a>ForbesWhy Gen Z May Have An Unexpected Edge In The AI Job MarketBy Courtney Connley-Hampton<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Experts weigh in on how you should and shouldn’t use AI to job search today. 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