AI has touched all of us, whether we like it or not, including the job search process. We see changes in how to rewrite a resume, candidate commitment, and the role recruiters are playing in the job market. AI is a good tool for the applicant, the recruiter, and the hiring manager, but human judgement will always play an important role when companies are looking for the best talent.

AI has not changed what candidates want from a good job but how quickly and easily they can pursue job opportunities. What this means for recruiters is more applications, smarter screening, and faster engagement. Candidates can rewrite their resume to improve formatting, keyword alignment, and professional language but it can also mask gaps in experience, inflate responsibilities, and can reduce differentiation of the good from the bad. Applications can be customized in seconds, cover letters and outreach messages are auto generated, and the mass application volume has skyrocketed. More applications do not always correlate to better candidates.

For the recruiter, AI can assist with sorting and analyzing the increasing volume of resumes which are flooding in. Beyond that function the recruiter’s experience and judgement will play a decisive role in assessing the true capabilities of a candidate and their suitability for a specific placement.

This article will address these ideas and hopefully make the recruiter aware of the benefits, and the pitfalls, of AI. 

AI has lowered the barriers to applying for a job.

To get some insights on this I spoke with my long-time friend, Henry Glickel, executive recruiter and president of Sales Recruiters, Inc. Henry noted that AI has fundamentally lowered the barriers to applying for a job, making it easy for applicants to prepare a resume. AI allows the job seeker to immediately do detailed research on the hiring company as well as on the specific requirements of the role they are seeking. An applicant’s resume can be custom tailored in seconds to fit the stated job requirements of the position and appropriate key words can be included to ensure the applicant is not culled out too soon by an ATS. Cover letters and outreach messages can be auto generated and quickly prepared for mass application. AI has changed how quickly and easily applicants can pursue opportunities. All this is great for the applicant but does not necessarily lead to a better hire.

Impacts on recruiters and HR.

With so many resumes going out, HR departments and hiring managers are bogging down trying to deal with the volume. To some degree the positive effects of AI on resumes have offset the rising volume by offering improved formatting, keyword alignment, and use of professional language. On the downside, AI effects tend to mask gaps in experience, inflate responsibilities, and have made many resumes look just the same. This means that HR and recruiters can no longer rely on resumes alone to assess capabilities.

AI has affected candidate commitment.

I asked Henry about candidate commitment and how it has changed with the advent of AI in the job market. He noted that because applying is so easy, candidates apply more broadly with less real commitment to pursue a specific job. Henry says that “ghosting” has increased and interview no-shows have become more common. Another indicator is that offer-stage drop-offs happen more often. So, it seems that AI has reduced the friction of applying for a job but has also reduced the emotional investment on the part of the applicant.

Speed impacts of AI.

Speed has always played an important role in the hiring process in getting the best candidates in front of the hiring manager. AI has compressed hiring timelines by enabling candidates to apply even faster, reducing the time available for hiring managers and recruiters to evaluate and respond before a potentially good candidate disengages and looks elsewhere: slow processes lose talent. This requires recruiters to move faster than ever to compete.

Changing role of the recruiter.

Recruiters are no longer simply resume gatekeepers. They are now signal interpreters, motivation validators, and advisors to clients navigating a noisy pipeline! AI has not replaced the recruiter; it has raised the bar on the effort needed to find a good candidate. All this means is that recruiters are seeing a new demand for their services. With more and more resumes and applications to deal with and less differentiation among candidates there is a greater reliance on human judgement.

The good side of AI for the recruiter.

I asked Henry for his thoughts on the “good side” of AI. He noted that AI provides the recruiter with smarter screening of applicants by developing proof-based questions instead of just resume scanning, consistency checks between a written resume and conversations with the candidate, and early human touchpoints where short phone calls can outperform automation. Another benefit for the recruiter is faster engagement because of rapid follow-up, shorter screening cycles, and by establishing clear expectations early in the hiring process. Lastly, AI can help recruiters focus on outcomes, ownership, and decision-making to better validate the candidate’s fit for the position: less emphasis on polish, more on substance.

What the industry is saying about AI impacts.

 To learn about the real everyday effects of AI on the job search industry I asked Henry about what impacts are being seen. Indeed reports a significant increase in applications per role as AI tools become more widely used by job seekers. He cited Harvard Business Review reports that AI improves presentation but does not improve underlying competence. Similarly, LinkedIn highlights rising recruiter concern around application volume and candidate authenticity. A key insight from this is that AI accelerates job search activity but weakens differentiation – making recruiter judgement even more important – not less!

The bottom line for recruiters.

The upshot of all this is that AI doesn’t make better candidates; it allows for faster applications, with recruiters seeing more resumes. AI handles speed and volume with recruiters adding value through judgement, validation, and trust. When applying takes seconds, commitment drops. Early human contact matters now more than ever! The role of the recruiter is changing – not going away!

I enjoyed exploring the topic of AI with Henry and it was good to hear that the role of recruiters is evolving, going to the next level. The role of communicating, talking, reviewing, and helping in the decision-making process is key to a successful placement.

If anyone has any questions or would like to talk with Henry, he can be reached by phone at (603) 894-0007, by email at henry@salesrecruiters.com, or by visiting his website at: https://www.salesrecruiters.com/.

If you enjoyed this article, found it interesting, and would like to discuss any of the ideas talked about, please let me know by phone at (713) 858-2677 or by email at judy@jcsrllc.com. Please visit my website at https://www.jcsrllc.com/ and feel free to check out my new YouTube channel: Just Ask Judy!