AI in hiring leaves most job seekers rejected without a conversation

“It’s the doom loop of candidates feel like they need to do it to stand out,” Hyde said. “Recruiters are drowning in volume because the candidates can use AI to apply so many times, multiple jobs, multiple roles, you know, create this volume.”

How AI in hiring created a volume problem

Candidate use of AI is now close to universal. According to the report, 84 per cent of Australian job seekers used AI in their search, alongside 87 per cent in Germany, 78 per cent in the UK and Ireland, and 77 per cent in the US.

Much of that use is aimed at beating automated screening. Among US respondents, 62 per cent tried at least one tactic to get past screening software. Of those, 40 per cent added skills or keywords they do not have, and a third inserted hidden text aimed at an AI reviewer.

Candidates are also working to disguise their use of the tools. Just over half (51 per cent) of Australian respondents rewrote an application so it would not appear AI-generated.

Hyde said traditional screening signals are losing their value as a result. He described a Melbourne-based customer who was recruiting a chief marketing officer. She had shortlisted 12 applicants, and six of them submitted cover letters.