It’s been less than a year and a half since ChatGPT was released, and generative AI has already become a crucial job search tool.
It’s no secret that applying for jobs can be exhausting, and no one pays you for the time and effort you invest in all those cover letters, resumes, and interview preparation. That’s likely one reason why, according to a new report from ZipRecruiter, 53% of recently hired U.S. workers say they’ve used generative AI tools to help them with the job search process.
That percentage of job seekers using AI has increased since the job site last surveyed new hires in the second quarter of 2023. At that point, just 25% said they had used AI while trying to find a new job.
How job seekers use artificial intelligence
Resume writing is the No. 1 way job seekers use tools like ChatGPT, with 23% of those who have used generative AI reporting it was for that purpose.
New hires also say they’ve leveraged AI to help them with these tasks:
- Writing a cover letter: 21%
- Research careers: 19%
- Preparation for interviews: 18%
- Researchers’ salaries: 16%
- Completion of a pre-employment assignment: 15%
- Correspondence writing: 11%
Career experts have mixed opinions on whether AI should be used to apply for jobs. On the one hand, these tools could save you time, allowing you to cast a wide net and potentially increase your employment chances by getting more applications.
But the quality of an AI-generated cover letter, for example, often won’t be as good as what you could write if you dedicated a couple of manual hours to the task, nor will it be as authentic a representation of who you are. who you are and why you are the right person for a particular role.
Workers may also have problems if they use AI in the application process to perform tasks that they otherwise would not be able to perform. Your employer will likely be unhappy on your first day on the job to discover that you lack the skills you appeared to have in the application process.
Who uses artificial intelligence to find jobs?
As you might expect, younger job seekers have adopted AI to a greater extent than older ones, according to ZipRecruiter. Here’s a breakdown by generation of the percentage of recent hires who said they used AI in their job search:
- Gen Z, which includes people aged 18 to 24: 56%
- Millennials, ages 25 to 34: 71%
- First Generation X, ages 35 to 44: 60%
- Late Generation X, ages 45 to 54: 31%
- Baby boomers, aged 55 and over: 15%
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