The Rise of AI in Job Applications: Automation Reshapes Hiring Landscape

The Advantages (and Disadvantages) of Using AI in Your Job Search

You can use AI to write your resume and cover letters, and even apply for you -- but should you? Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT are transforming many areas of our digital lives, from smartphone apps to web searches, and they're pushing their way deep into the recruitment industry, too: Companies are increasingly using AI to sift through applications -- and applicants are increasingly using AI to find the right roles. Over at 404 Media, Jason Koebler reports on an automated job application tool called AI Hawk, which is helping job seekers apply to a multitude of jobs with a few mouse clicks: It'll find open positions for you, fill out the necessary forms, and even compose a few lines on why you actually want the job, while you get on with something else. On the other side of the fence, around one in five big companies are using AI to help with "human resources and talent acquisition," according to IBM. You might even find yourself interviewed by AI for your next job. So what AI tools are out there to help you stand out from the crowd in the job market? And should you be using them? How AI can boost your chances of landing a job AI Hawk takes a few moments to install and is coded in Python. It'll automatically scour LinkedIn for jobs matching your specifications for you, and then take care of the application: You can plug in a Large Language Model or LLM (such as ChatGPT or Gemini) to take care of any text generation that might be required. It's hard to argue with some of the results reported by AI Hawk users: As per its Telegram community and the 404 Media report, it's helping people apply to hundreds or even thousands of jobs with very little effort. It has led to actual interviews and actual job offers, though it's difficult to gauge just how effective it is to apply to huge batches of roles at the same time. LinkedIn, of course, has AI tools of its own, though you need to be a Premium subscriber (from $29.99 a month) to make use of them. You can get help from AI with filling out your profile, deciding if you'll be a good fit for certain roles and companies, looking for roles that match your specific criteria, and even messaging recruiters. Need a little help sprucing up your resume as well? A plethora of apps are now available to help, from Kickresume to Enhancv, though they'll typically ask for a few dollars a month from you (or limit what you can do on a free plan). They're simple and straightforward to use, and can produce text on demand based on a few details you provide about your education and experience. Don't forget the traditional chatbots like Copilot, ChatGPT, and Gemini as well. You can get assistance from any one of these with writing cover letters, giving the text on your resume more impact, and messaging recruiters. Even if you don't want all of the words you write to be produced by AI, you might want to consult these bots for some tweaks in terms of style and tone. Another way to use generative AI chatbots is to think about roles you might be suitable for. Plug in some details about what you've done for work in the past, and what your skills are, and you'll get back some suggestions about the sort of roles that might suit you -- and you could get back some ideas you wouldn't have otherwise thought of. These tools can help in prepping for interview questions, too. Other AI platforms such as Teal (free or from $9 a month) give you a comprehensive, all-in-one job seeking package: You can produce multiple resumes, get feedback on them, search for relevant jobs, track the interviews you've been called up for, and more. It's a heavy-duty suite of tools for professionals. The case for not using AI to find a new job For a lot of professions and roles, it's tough for applicants out there -- and if you're job hunting, you're perfectly entitled to use any tool at your disposal to try and get ahead. I don't want to warn you off using AI assistance if you think it might improve your chances of getting hired, but there are a few reasons to think twice about whether it's for you. While it's difficult to generalize across every job and every industry, knowing a lot about the company you're applying to and the role that's on offer often helps -- not least when you get to the face-to-face interview stage. If you're applying to hundreds of positions while you're asleep, then you can't really know much about what you're applying for, or where you're applying. Then there's the rather generic nature of AI-generated text. Remember, if you get AI to write your resume, it's smushing together all the millions of resumes it's ever been trained on, ready to write something stuffed with buzzwords, cliches, and banalities (and a few personalized touches added by you). I gave ChatGPT a quick request for a cover letter, and got back such well-worn phrases as "proven track record" and "expertise and passion." And let's not forget AI hallucinations, either -- a generative AI problem that hasn't gone away but which now seems to be largely ignored. Chatbots like Google Gemini, by their very nature, are designed to be creative and deviate from their training models -- so mistakes will inevitably creep in. Jason Koebler, for example, reports that the AI Hawk bot sometimes gave his location as Italy, not the U.S. It would be a shame if you missed out on your dream role because AI slipped up. Koebler reports that the bot sometimes got stuck, sometimes mixed up company names, and sometimes applied for roles he didn't want. On top of all that, automated tools like this are actually banned by LinkedIn anyway (though obviously they still sneak through): AI Hawk cofounder Federico Elia has himself been banned by LinkedIn for this reason. There are problems for recruiters as well, by the way. Studies have shown that AI can introduce bias for or against certain groups of people, even on something as simple as a name. Both in training data and algorithm design, AI models can have trouble being fair -- so if a role is usually filled by a certain type of individual, the AI may continue to favor the same traits in the future, and perhaps even reject the best applicants. Then you have to think about where all of this is heading. If we're going towards a world where AI chatbots apply for jobs, and then get screened and interviewed by other AI chatbots, then where's the nuance and the human touch? Before too long, the logical conclusion might be that AI chatbots might as well fill these roles, too (after all, they've done all the hard work of applying).

'I Applied to 2,843 Roles': The Rise of AI-Powered Job Application Bots

Using AI Hawk's Auto Jobs Applier bot, I applied for 17 jobs in an hour on LinkedIn. Before I put my laptop aside at the restaurant I'm working at, I open a terminal window, enter a single command, and hit enter. The server gives me my breakfast and I push my laptop away as the bot springs to life, opening a Chrome window and navigating to LinkedIn. It starts scrolling through job listings, and opens a few of them. I watch the bot find a job at a company called Alpha Lion and click "Easy Apply." It enters my biographical information, generates a resume, and writes a cover letter. It tells Alpha Lion I am authorized to work in the United States, that I do not mind remote work and in fact prefer it, that I have not served in the military. It explains that "I am particularly drawn to Alpha Lion's commitment to personal excellence and innovation in sports nutrition" and that "I am looking forward to the opportunity to discuss how my skills and experiences align with the goals of Alpha Lion and how I can help propel your video marketing efforts to new heights." It clicks apply. I take a bite of my toast. The bot finds another job at a marketing firm and tells them "I thrive on building strong teams and driving innovation through entrepreneurship and emerging technologies. Let's create the future together!" While texting one of my friends, I watch it tell the jewelry company Brilliant Earth that "Your mission to cultivate a more transparent and sustainable jewelry industry resonates deeply with my professional values, and I am eager to contribute my expertise in developing innovative social media strategies that align with your brand's vision." By the time I finished breakfast, I had applied to 12 different jobs all over the United States. This is Auto_Jobs_Applier_AIHawk, which is currently "trending" on GitHub and is one of the most popular new projects there. It is actively being used by thousands of people to use AI to automatically apply for jobs on LinkedIn at scale. It is essentially a Python program that navigates LinkedIn and uses an LLM (OpenAI's GPT products and Gemini both work) to generate custom cover letters and resumes based on a series of biographical details that a user codes into a script and tweaks them as necessary based on the job description and other information that the company has put on LinkedIn. Various tutorials and guides have been created for how to get the code up and running, which basically just requires users to install Python, tweak some code according to a template, program in an OpenAI API key, and log in to LinkedIn. I was able to get the program running within 15 minutes. In recent days, AI Hawk has gone viral and has inspired a few clones and forks, including a company called "JobMagic," whose tagline is "apply for jobs while you sleep" and proposes to essentially be AI Hawk for people who can't figure out how to get the Python code running. AI Hawk's Telegram community has 4,700 members and is full of people who have said they've gotten job interviews within days of having the AI submit tons of applications. "Ran it overnight, applied to around 150 jobs. got an HR call this morning..and i'm just getting started lol. I'm gonna have it run 24/7," one user wrote. "Planning to apply to thousands of jobs. This time I (the candidate) have the leverage, not some random HR." "I've been using the platform for a little over three months now, during which I applied to 2,843 roles," another user wrote. "In that time, I've had four interviews, received one offer for a Senior Data Engineer role at £85k, and I'm awaiting feedback on another offer, pending the results of a test." "So far for less than 4 weeks, I applied to around 200 jobs," another said. "Six interviews. It's really painful being unemployed for monthssss and super difficult to get an interview chance in Bay Area. Before using the bot, got rejected for 2 roles at final round interview recently. One that I spent 2months+ with multiple interviews but still I failed. " "Applied to 200 jobs so far," another said. "It's saved me more than 2 weeks of applications at my previous rate. Wonderful application. Absolutely bonkers helpful." "Just started and already 20 applications sent in ~20min," another said. "The bot will be running all night lol." The sudden explosion in popularity of AI Hawk means that we now live in a world where people are using AI-generated resumes and cover letters to automatically apply for jobs, many of which will be reviewed by automated AI software (and where people are sometimes interviewed by AI), creating a bizarre loop where humans have essentially been removed from the job application and hiring process. Essentially, robots are writing cover letters for other robots to read, with uncertain effects for human beings who apply to jobs the old fashioned way. All of this is very dystopian and continues a race-to-the-bottom where the internet more broadly is flooded with AI-generated drek to the point where navigating anything becomes tedious at best and impossible at worst. But in this case, it is at least possible to understand the instinct to use a bot like this as companies, recruiters, and HR software companies attempt to automate away any possible human interaction you might have with a company as part of the jobs application process. (Some HR companies have even proposed "AI employees," taking the human job candidate out of the equation altogether.) It also comes as a response to the longstanding problem of job seekers feeling like applying to and interviewing for jobs can be an endless process, which are often filled with requirements to complete tedious assignments and go through many rounds of interviews spread out over the course of months. Through that lens, it is understandable that people may want to automate the beginning stages of a process that is often a nightmare. AI Hawk was cofounded by Federico Elia, an Italian computer scientist who told 404 Media that one of the reasons he created the project was to "balance the use of artificial intelligence in the recruitment process" in order to (theoretically) re-level the playing field between companies who use AI HR software and the people who are applying for jobs. "Many companies employ automated screening systems that are often limited and ineffective, excluding qualified candidates simply because their resumes lack specific keywords. These systems can overlook valuable talent who possess the necessary skills but do not use the right terms in their CVs," he said. "This approach creates a more balanced ecosystem where AI not only facilitates selection by companies but also supports the candidacy of talent. By automating repetitive tasks and personalizing applications, AIHawk reduces the time and effort required from candidates, increasing their chances of being noticed by employers." He said part of his ultimate goal is to "revolutionize the job market through a completely AI-driven job board designed to assist both job seekers and companies in overcoming the inefficiencies and lack of personalization present in traditional recruitment processes." Essentially, this sounds like he wants to create a place where people are more or less automatically matched with jobs; AI applies for jobs, AI reviews them and a match is made. I asked him if he is worried about a Dead Internet feedback loop where humans are essentially not involved in the process at all. "I understand the concern, but our goal with AIHawk is to create a synergistic system in which AI enhances the entire recruitment process without creating a vicious cycle," Elia said. "The AI in AIHawk is designed to improve the efficiency and personalization of applications, while the AI used by companies focuses on selecting the best talent. This complementary approach avoids the creation of a 'Dead Internet loop' and instead fosters more targeted and meaningful connections between job seekers and employers." Elia said that he personally has already been banned by LinkedIn "due to the use of AI Hawk for automating applications." A spokesperson for LinkedIn told 404 Media it was already aware of AI Hawk and that automated tools are not allowed on its platform. "We remain focused on helping recruiters find quality candidates quickly and jobseekers safely find their next role on LinkedIn while protecting the information people share with us," the spokesperson said. "As part of this, we don't permit the use of third party software (such as bots) that scrapes or automates activity on LinkedIn. We invest in technology that limits unauthorized activity so that the vast majority of our applicants are real people and our members' information stays secure." It's worth mentioning that LinkedIn itself has been implementing AI features into its platform and its job application process. LinkedIn encourages users to talk to its chatbot to help generate strategies for applying to specific jobs, for example. "We've invested in new AI tools to help professionals more easily find the right job for them," the spokesperson said. "For example, our new AI powered job experience for Premium subscribers helps job seekers assess if the role is a fit for them based on their skills and experience, and what to do to stand out." The source code of AI Hawk reveals the prompts it uses, and shows how it is designed to fill out applications. Specifically, the AI is tasked with creating "ATS-friendly" resumes and cover letters. ATS is "Applicant Tracking System," a widely used HR automation tool that reviews resumes and cover letters for specific keywords that match the job description before it is ever seen by a human. There are many guides teaching human beings how to write ATS-friendly resumes, meaning we are already teaching a generation of job seekers how to tailor their cover letters to algorithmic decision makers. While testing AI Hawk, I watched it apply for everything from "Editor Comedy Trailers Video" at TCL North America to "Static Application Security Tester" at General Dynamics and "Senior Digital Designer" at an e-learning platform for first responders. I applied for jobs at Neiman Marcus, a talent agency, a moving company, a credit monitoring company, and a makeup company. In total, I applied for 17 jobs in a little less than an hour, which included me stopping and starting the bot several times as I tweaked various parameters. Doing this cost me $.34 worth of OpenAI tokens. As I watched the applications get generated, I was pretty surprised by how rote and boring most of the application processes actually were -- many did not actually ask any questions about me or ask for a cover letter at all and could have been applied for with a few clicks in a minute or two anyway. For these jobs, it didn't feel like the AI was actually "doing" anything other than filling in my biographical information and clicking submit. Others had many questions, to which the AI did its best to answer them. The bot is not perfect. It sometimes tells jobs that I live in Italy rather than the United States. It answers some questions that should be answered with a single word with full sentences and biographical details about myself. I panic-terminated my terminal window because it tried to apply to a job at Tom's Guide, a publication we love and respect here at 404 Media and a company at which I did not want to spam with an AI-generated application. It then sent two separate cover letters to Alpha Lion. One which was tailored to Alpha Lion (which I mentioned above), and one that explained "my hands-on approach to developing editorial calendars and maintaining up-to-date buying guides will ensure that Tom's Guide remains a trusted resource for consumers seeking information on antivirus solutions, identity theft protection, and home security products." The bot also sometimes gets hung up on specific menu items, gets stuck, and exits the job application process for specific jobs, perhaps forever altering the future path of my life because I will not in fact become a UX Web Designer at TekWissen, "a start-up trying to help other start-ups and small businesses to go online in order to scale up." Unless I pay close attention while it's running or unless I look up what specific calls it made to OpenAI's API after the fact, I also do not know exactly what the bot is telling companies about me, which could prove difficult if I ever get an interview with any of them. The process truly is automatic -- while at the restaurant I went to pee and came back and had applied for two jobs in the two minutes I was gone. Then again, most of what it wrote is so vague that it probably doesn't matter. "I believe my collaborative spirit and detail-oriented approach would make me a valuable addition to your creative team," my AI bot tells one company. "I look forward to the opportunity to discuss how my background and skills can contribute to the exciting journey of helping individuals become superhuman."

A reporter used AI to apply to 2,843 jobs | TechCrunch

AI is spamming up job applications. 404 Media's Jason Koebler writes about how he used a free tool, AI Hawk, to apply for 17 jobs in an hour while working a restaurant shift -- only stopping when he'd reached 2,843. The tool automatically entered Koebler's bio info, generated resumes, wrote customized cover letters, and checked all the necessary (and literal) boxes before filing the paperwork on his behalf. AI Hawk is one of many AI job-applying tools out there -- and they're contributing to a bizarre loop, Koebler writes, where humans have essentially been removed from the job application and hiring process. An increasing number of companies use AI software to review -- and even interview -- candidates. In fact, 42% of companies in a 2023 survey admitted using AI screening tools. As Koebler writes, the effects on candidates filling out applications the old-fashioned way aren't yet clear.