How should employers approach the use of AI in the recruitment process?

As the use of Artificial Intelligence ("AI") becomes more prevalent in day-to-day life, employers face the challenge of balancing both its benefits and its pitfalls in the workplace. A particular area where we are seeing this is during the recruitment process where hiring managers are seeing an increased use of AI by candidates in their job applications. In fact, a recent study has shown that:

• 53% of job seekers are using AI tools to help them in their current job search.
• 77% of those using AI say they have used it to exaggerate or lie about their skills on a CV, cover letter, job application, or skills assessment.

Having outright bans on the use of AI by candidates is unlikely to work in practice as AI becomes more and more sophisticated, it may become harder to spot.  There are software tools out there that can help identify when AI has been used, but that too will become outdated and the costs will mount in trying to keep up. For many organisations, candidates who are able to grapple with AI will actually be of great value.

Balancing the use of AI

A key issue concerning the increased use of AI is that employers will often receive application forms from candidates who, on paper, meet the criteria for the role.  However, an over-reliance on AI can result in a misrepresentation of the individual's skills, which can lead to candidates falling short of the requirements for the role.  Therefore, you do need to ensure that your recruitment process has some ability to test the skills and knowledge of the individual and not rely so heavily on written applications.  There still is value in the use of case studies or interviews, either in person or virtually. 

AI may actually mean that it creates a more level playing field for candidates.  Candidates are always a mixture of those who are very happy to blow their own trumpet and those that undervalue their experience.  If both types of candidates use AI to prepare their applications, potentially the output could be similar, giving those that struggle to promote their experiences more of a chance.  Also, the use of AI may support increasing diversity in certain workforces allowing for more applications from certain groups who often don’t perform as well during the application process such as non-native English speakers or those who are neurodivergent. 

Of course, in many roles the ability to adapt to new technology, such as AI, is an attractive skill set and could lead to higher quality candidates.

Given how easily accessible AI software such as ChatGPT is, businesses will struggle to prevent the use of AI in the recruitment process. Perhaps the better option is to consider utilising it for its benefits, whilst having clear and transparent guidance in place on the use of it in the application process. An example of this would be to include specific wording in a job advert that the use of AI will be monitored and that applicants will be required to declare if they have used AI in the preparation of their job application.

Practical Considerations

• Review and update your recruitment processes: Employers should incorporate AI awareness training for HR managers. This can help locate AI-drafted applications and minimise the risk of overlooking suitable candidates and ensuring that there are elements in the recruitment process to verify the skills and knowledge of the candidates.
• A combined approach: Given the potential for candidates to use AI in their applications, recruitment decisions should never be solely made on written applications alone.  There should always be some element of human interaction with the candidate and verification of what has been presented in their application.  Consider whether you can adapt the questions that are asked in the application form to make it harder to use AI to respond and/or identify if AI has been used.  For example, setting a case study which requires more "human" analysis of a situation/ demonstration of softer skills.
• A fair and transparent process: AI is with us for the future, so businesses should carefully consider whether they want to potentially limit the pool of candidates by banning or discouraging the use of AI in applications. Adding wording to job adverts, recruitment documentation that the use of AI will be monitored and that applicants will be required to declare if they have used AI in the preparation of their job application/CV might be the balanced way forward.  Explaining your reasons for this, such as AI may mean that the candidate's response does not address all the key criteria, and that personalisation (rather than the use of AI) means that a candidate is more likely to be able to convey their own individual skills and experience.

How we can help

If you would like more advice on how to navigate the legal and practical complexities of AI in the recruitment process, please contact Kathryn Evens below.