While 71% believe AI has made recruitment processes more efficient, 46% believe it is making things more difficult as candidates are overusing tools like ChatGPT to enhance their CVs.
Analysing recently submitted CVs and cover letters, digital PR agency Reboot Online scanned 100 of their most recent job applications to understand just how many candidates are using AI. Their recruitment expert and MD also provided her top tips for filtering AI applications and rewarding originality.
Key findings
- Almost two-thirds of CVs and cover letters analysed were written by AI
- Surprisingly, LinkedIn applications had a lower rate of AI submissions
- ‘The opportunity to contribute’ and ‘writing to express my interest in’ are among the most common phrases in AI cover letters
After analysing one hundred CVs and cover letters submitted this year, digital PR agency Reboot Online discovered that just two in five (39%) job applications were original, with almost two-thirds (61%) flagging as AI-generated.
Despite being integral to many recruitment teams, LinkedIn and Indeed’s easy apply features are often a magnet for bad applications. However, Reboot found that the percentage of AI-generated CVs and cover letters was lower coming from LinkedIn and Indeed (55%) than from their website career page (70%) – though the number from both is still high.
A recent study found that 73% of hiring managers recognise AI-generated content, and it’s no surprise. Reboot collated the AI-generated cover letters to pull the most common phrases used and discovered the following:
- …thank you for considering my application… (43%)
- …writing to express my interest in… (22%)
- …the opportunity to contribute… (21%)
The following, more niche, phrases were also flagged multiple times:
- …bring my skills and energy to your team… (9%)
- …I am confident in my ability to contribute to… (9%)
They analysed applications from jobs across the digital landscape and discovered that paid media, growth and marketing applicants were most likely to use AI in their applications. Interestingly, PR, data-science and sales applications were least likely to be flagged as AI-generated.
But how can HR teams stop getting duped by AI applications? Zoë Blogg, Managing Director and recruitment expert at Reboot Online, explains:
“Our research found 61% of recent applications were flagged as AI-written. Having to think twice about whether applications are AI-generated has put a spanner in the works for hiring managers. But there are ways we can spot the differences.
“Human-written job applications generally include more personal anecdotes, statistics and real-world examples. Keeping an eye out for candidates explaining ‘times when’ is a great indicator that they haven’t just asked ChatGPT to simply write a cover letter for your company based on the job description.
“AI also tends to spit out the same cover letter buzzwords and phrases, which can easily be spotted when we’re reading hundreds of applications back-to-back. Polished and overused words like ‘passionate’, ‘dynamic’ and ‘excited’, alongside the commonly heard phrases like ‘I’m writing to express my interest in’ and ‘I am confident in my ability to’ come up most frequently in AI responses, proving to be strong indicators.
“In the future, hiring managers can discourage AI use and reward originality in the process. Whether it’s designing more human-centric applications to include shorter questions and video responses, or using application portals which require real-time responses and timers. There are creative ways we can reangle the hiring process to favour human-written content, rather than AI.”
Zoë adds that networking and human touchpoints, especially through LinkedIn or industry events, are becoming crucial ways for candidates to differentiate themselves in 2025.