Robots Hiring Robots: Graduate Job Hunting in the Age of AI

I have a lot of conversations with recent graduates and early career developers, a side-effect of being heavily involved in the Tees Valley’s booming tech sector.?Of late, there’s been a bit of a common theme in a lot of those conversations – almost everyone I’ve spoken to has been finding job hunting incredibly stressful.??

After a recent talk I delivered at Teesside University, I had a great chat with a couple of fantastic but disheartened students.?Before I could stop myself, I was?rattling off all the generic advice that I’d hated getting when I was just starting out. ?

“Just keep at it!”??

“Try reaching out on LinkedIn!”??

Super helpful. ?

The more we spoke, the more I began to understand that the challenges these guys?were facing were radically different to the ones I’d experienced when I’d been in their position, and my advice was woefully out-of-date. When I got home, I spent the evening falling down a rabbit hole trying to understand what had changed, and what useful advice even looked like in this brave new world.??

I’m going to share what I learned, both in industry and through research to help you navigate this rapidly evolving landscape. But two things to note first:?

1. I’m not your mum, I’m not here to tell you not to use AI, that you’re a lovely person and any company would be happy to have you – whilst I'm sure that’s all true, it’s just not particularly helpful. Whilst there’s certainly a nuanced conversation to be had about the ethics of AI in job hunting, this article isn’t that. I’m looking to help you land a job that you like. That’s all for today. ? ?

1. I’m also not a careers advisor, and there are plenty of aspects of job hunting that I can’t speak to. What I do know is AI—and there’s a lot it can do to help you navigate today’s hyper-competitive job market, or drown in it – if you don’t know what you’re doing. ?

So, how did we get here? ?

It’s no surprise that AI tools can make applying for jobs easier, you can take your existing CV and a job-spec, throw both at ChatGPT (or any one of a number of more specialised tools) and let AI take the wheel. It’ll do a decent enough job of tailoring your skillset and language for the job. It won’t be perfect, almost certainly not better than if you sat down for a couple of hours and really gave it your all, but for a time-in/result-out perspective? It’s hard to argue with the gains in efficiency.??

The involvement of AI in job hunting doesn’t end there. People are increasingly turning to AI tools to generate professional-looking headshots for LinkedIn, they’re also happy to have AI write their accompanying cover letter. Great, right? No one likes applying for jobs. It’s universally understood to be a massive hassle. You spend hours filling in applications, doing meticulous research, endlessly re-writing your CV, all to receive a boilerplate ‘Sorry, nah.’ (if you get a response at all). Anything that takes some of the sting out of the process can only be a good thing, right???

In 2024, The Institute of Student Employers reported that graduates are applying for jobs in far, far higher numbers than ever before. There was an uptick of 59% since 2023 (a year which had also seen a big increase on the year prior). This increased ease in applying for graduate roles has opened the proverbial flood gates. If all it takes is fifteen minutes and a few prompts – why not throw your hat into the ring? This mindset has resulted in the average UK graduate scheme position to receive upwards of 140 applicants per role (!). It’s undeniably harder than ever before for any one candidate to stand out from the crowd.??

Right, so – massive uptick in applicants per role, gotcha – but I don’t think this is inherently a problem. If an applicant is spending ten minutes on an application as opposed to three hours, that increase in competition is balanced by the number of applications they’re able to submit. Not only that, but if the average employer is seeing a massively increased number of applications, surely that means they’re even more likely to find the perfect fit? Increased accessibility, decreased faff. Everyone’s a winner, yeah???

(If it’s not already incredibly obvious, I’m winding up to deliver a: ‘Well, no, actually!’)?

As companies are being flooded with applicants, those companies are increasingly turning towards AI tools, such as CV screeners and automated interview systems to sort the wheat from the chaff. A recent IBM survey showed that up to 42% of companies were already using some form of AI tech in their hiring process. Another 40-ish% were currently considering adopting it. These systems are undeniably useful, cutting down the time and costs associated with sifting through CVs massively, but they’re not perfect.??

We’ve already seen examples where qualified candidates have been screened out due to scoring poorly on body-language analysis, where others have changed their date-of-birth to make themselves younger after having been screened out, then landing an interview with the age-tweaked application. You don’t need to look hard to find similar horror stories. It could well have happened to you – though you’ll likely never know.??

The above examples are the kind of teething-pain issues you expect to see isolated instances of as a burgeoning piece of technology finds its feet – individually regrettable, but not worth abandoning the tech for – it’s simply too useful.??

The problems compound when you know the landscape. A massive flood of applicants on one hand, a bevy of AI tools promising to find the best amongst them on the other, an overwhelmed recruiter isn’t going to think twice. The human oversight that previously nipped these issues in the bud ages before they metastasised into real problems is simply stretched too thin.??

“Why should I painstakingly triple-check every screened-out application when the vast majority of them are going to be generic AI-generated buzzword soup?”?

Many aren’t going to bother.??

Okay, but what now? If you’re applying for jobs, you can’t opt out of the AI-age, nor do I necessarily think you should even if you could. Once you know what you’re up against, you can (and should) leverage the tools available to you far more effectively. I’m a big fan of actionable advice. Stuff you can actually implement to make a difference, here’s what I’ve landed on:?

1. Chances are, your application is going to be read by a robot. Make sure it likes what it sees.

As we discussed earlier, most large companies are now using AI to scan CVs for specific keywords before a human ever sees them. This means your CV must be tailored to pass these filters. Use job-specific language and focus on keywords that match the role’s description.??

You can run your CV through a service like Jobscan or CVScan to ensure it’s optimised for AI filters. These tools help you see where you stand and highlight areas to improve for specific roles. Don’t treat their suggestions as gospel truth, but they should certainly act as a good litmus test for how your application may be perceived by your robot overlords.???

2. Balance AI Tools with A Personal Touch?

AI can help generate cover letters and even suggest content for your applications, but please don’t rely solely on it. Personalisation is crucial. Show that you’ve researched the company. Tailor your application to reflect how your skills can help with recent initiatives or major projects.

This is generic advice that you’ll hear any time when you’re applying for jobs.??The problem that what a lot of applicants are experiencing (in many cases, totally unknowingly) is that their AI?‘enhanced’ CV is incredibly generic. This is especially the case for graduates and other early-career job seekers as they don’t have decades of experience and qualifications to set them apart from the crowd. You might read what ChatGPT has spat out at you as slick and professional, but the AI tools your would-be employer are likely using often detect it, and human recruiters and hiring managers are wearied by it – it’s likely the fiftieth ‘slick and professional’ AI-airbrushed CV they’ve read that morning.

Now, this isn’t to say you can’t use AI to help this process. Get AI to give you a summary of the case studies the company has listed on their site, ask it to identify competitors in their industry. Always double-check the information it's giving you. Use AI as an aide to a quality application, rather than using it as a replacement for one.

3. Don’t be caught off-guard by AI interview tools.??

AI is now being used for video interviews and online assessments. These can be tough if you’re not prepared, but you can use AI-driven tools to your benefit. Platforms like HireVue use AI to assess facial expressions, tone of voice, and language in interviews. You can practice for these interviews using similar software that gives real-time feedback on how you present yourself.??

Mock interview tools like Big Interview or Interview School can prepare you for real-world video interviews. These platforms provide feedback on your communication style, helping you perform well under both AI & human scrutiny, as their metrics will often be similar to those used by your prospective employer.

I'm also a big believer in interview preparation being massively underrated. For an audition that could determine where you spend the majority of your time for the next few years, people are shockingly cavalier with how little they prepare.

4. All jobs were not created equally.?

An under-discussed aspect of the AI job application age is that, if you as a candidate are machine-gunning through applications, you’re simply not prioritising properly. Jobs and companies are massively different from one another, and you’re not going to be equally suited to all of them, so then why are you applying to them like they’re interchangeable? ?

Spend time mapping out jobs that you want, weight them based on how well they fit your goals and background and then act accordingly. Your dream job necessitates a dream application. ??

Where does this all leave us???

So, with all this in mind, I’m still not an AI-doomer. While there are certainly real challenges—competition is undeniably fiercer, and the 'floor' of application quality is significantly higher than it used to be—the proper implementation of AI tools can new opportunities. For savvy, strategic candidates, these tools offer the potential to significantly elevate their applications with less time and effort than ever before. However, like any tool, the key lies in using them thoughtfully and effectively.?

AI should not (and cannot) replace the human touch in your job search but rather complement it. It can streamline the process, get your foot in the door. It cannot do all the work for you. Throwing out a dozen sloppy applications might ‘feel’ productive, but in the current climate, you need precision over speed. Being middle-of-the-pack a dozen times isn’t going to get you anywhere.??