AI Academy/Module 7
How Are Candidates Using AI to Apply for Jobs?
About four in ten candidates now use AI when they apply: to check and tailor resumes, draft answers and practice interviews. Here is what they use it for, which uses are fair, and what to tell candidates.
- 7module
- 1 of 5lesson
- 10 minread
The short answer
Most candidates now use AI somewhere in their job search. They use it to check their resume against applicant tracking systems, rewrite it to match a job ad, draft cover letters, answer application questions and rehearse for interviews. A smaller group uses tools that apply to hundreds of jobs for them, or that feed them answers during a live interview.
Most of this is normal and fine. Your job is to decide which uses you welcome, which you do not, and to tell candidates clearly before they apply.
How many candidates use AI to apply?
Around four in ten, and rising. A Gartner survey of 3,290 job candidates at the end of 2024 found that 39% used AI during the application process. The same research found that only 26% of candidates trust AI to evaluate them fairly, and 52% believe AI screens their application.
That second number explains a lot. Candidates assume a machine reads their resume first, so they use a machine to prepare for it.
Volume tells the same story. The New York Times reported in 2025 that LinkedIn was processing about 11,000 applications a minute, up 45% on the year before, with AI tools part of the reason.
What do candidates actually use AI for?
Less writing from scratch than you might think, and more checking. Kickresume, a resume builder, looked at 1.2 million people who used its AI features in 2025. About 64% used AI to check their resume for applicant tracking systems, roughly half used it to write or improve resume content, and only about 2% used it for interview practice. That is one vendor’s own users, so treat the exact shares with care, but the pattern is useful.
| Use | What the candidate does | What you will notice |
|---|---|---|
| Resume checks | Runs the resume through a tool that scores it against applicant tracking systems | Cleaner formatting, standard section names |
| Tailoring | Rewrites the resume to match the words in your job ad | Resumes that mirror your ad almost line by line |
| Cover letters and answers | Drafts the letter or the application questions with a chatbot | Polished but similar sounding text across many applicants |
| Interview prep | Researches the company and practices answers with AI | Better prepared candidates |
| Auto apply tools | Lets a bot find and submit applications in bulk | Floods of weak fit applications, covered in Lesson 2 |
| Live interview help | Uses a hidden assistant that suggests answers in real time | Delays, reading from a screen, covered in Lesson 4 |
Which uses are fair and which are not?
A useful test is whether AI helps the candidate describe their real experience, or replaces it. Anthropic, the company behind Claude, publishes guidance for its candidates built on that test. It encourages candidates to write their own first draft and use AI to polish it, and to use AI to prepare for interviews. It does not allow AI to invent experience, to complete take home assessments unless invited, or to help during live interviews.
You do not need to copy any one company’s policy, but you do need one. Most recruiting teams land somewhere like this:
| Usually fine | Usually not fine |
|---|---|
| Polishing a resume the candidate wrote | Claiming skills or jobs they do not have |
| Checking grammar and formatting | Hidden text aimed at AI screeners |
| Researching the company | AI answering during a live interview |
| Practicing interview questions | AI doing a test that is meant to show their own skill |
Why should recruiters care?
Three reasons. First, resumes tell you less. When every resume is polished and matched to the ad, keyword screening stops separating good candidates from average ones. Second, volume goes up, so you spend more time on the top of the funnel. Third, trust goes down on both sides. Gartner found only half of candidates trusted that the jobs they applied for were real, and employers now worry about candidate fraud too.
The fix is not to ban AI. It is to move the real test to the places AI cannot fake: a conversation about the work, a reference, a work sample done in a way you control.
What should you tell candidates?
Put a short AI statement on your careers page and in your job ads. Candidates guess the rules otherwise, and honest candidates lose to the ones who guess in their own favor.
You are welcome to use AI tools to polish your resume and prepare for interviews. Please make sure everything in your application is true and written about your own experience. Do not use AI during live interviews or assessments unless we invite you to. If you need an adjustment for any part of the process, tell your recruiter.
Be open about your own use too. Module 4, Lesson 4 covers what to tell candidates about the AI you use to screen or interview them.
Quick answers
Should I reject a candidate because they used AI?
Not for that alone. Judge what is true and what they can do. Using AI to write clearly is a skill many jobs now want.
Do candidates tell you when they used AI?
Rarely, unless you ask. A clear policy makes honest disclosure more likely.
Is this only a tech hiring problem?
No. High volume roles in retail, customer service and admin see the same pattern, often with more applicants per job.
Will this settle down?
Unlikely. The tools are getting cheaper and better, so plan your process around them rather than waiting.
Try it on a live req this week
Add one line to a live req's application page that says which uses of AI you welcome, such as polishing a resume, and which you do not.
Explore in the directory
Module 7: When candidates use AI too
- How are candidates using AI to apply for jobs?
- What do you do when auto apply bots flood your job posts?
- Can you tell if a resume was written by AI, and does it matter?
- How should you handle candidates who use AI in interviews and assessments?
- Will AI replace recruiters, and which skills keep you valuable?