UK graduates are facing the toughest job market since 2018, with entry-level roles shrinking by a third in just two and a half years. University leavers are now seen as particularly vulnerable because AI threatens to replace basic jobs like data entry or form-filling, which would’ve previously been handled by people in more junior positions.
So, it’s no surprise that the number of grads and undergraduates using AI for their job applications has risen from 38 per cent last year to 50 per cent this year. When AI can tailor your cover letter and CV within seconds, why not implement it to improve your chances of getting hired?
But, whilst there may be comfort in knowing you’re not the only one turning to ChatGPT, it also means hundreds of other candidates are flooding recruiters’ inboxes with applications that read very similarly to yours. And with AI detectors becoming more commonplace in a job’s screening process, standing out from the crowd is no easy feat.
So, here are six tell-tale ways to make sure recruiters know (or at least think) your grad job application was actually written by a human, not by AI.
1. Spelling mistakes
Yes, you read that right. What used to be considered a major red flag in a job application may now be seen as an asset. AI-generated text often has flawless grammar and syntax, so a rogue mistake could make you stand out as a human, rather than a robot.
Speaking to The Guardian, one recruiter, James Reed, said: “In the old days we used to screen out CVs that had spelling mistakes because we’d think the person isn’t paying attention to detail or is approaching things with a casual mindset. Now, if you see someone’s CV with a spelling mistake you think: ‘Wow, that’s actually written by a person – it’s the real thing.’”
2. Reference current events
Very recent events, especially those that have happened in the last month or two, won’t be in AI’s Large Language Model’s training data yet. So, if you can, reference a trending industry debate, new tech launch or upcoming book in your cover letter. It’s a sure-fire way to make a recruiter notice that this application has been written by a real person, doing real research.
3. Skills that tell a story
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Whilst you might have managed to scatter all the job description’s skills requirements into your cover letter, saying you’re an excellent communicator means nothing without a personal anecdote to back it up.
Skillsets that are supported with your own real-life examples have the specificity and authenticity that AI struggles to generate, and will likely trump a fabricated story created for you. It’s important to remember, too, that when AI does try and create a personal anecdote, there’s a high chance it’s already generated the same one for hundreds of other applicants.
Bonnie Dilber, a recruiting manager at Zapier, told HuffPost that when applicants were asked about how to use her company’s product, which automates tasks, she received numerous responses with the same use case of a flower shop. It became obvious to her that “they all plugged this into the same tool”.
4. No generic buzzwords
Avoid generic buzzwords like “adept”, “tech-savvy” and “cutting-edge”, according to one university recruiter, Gabrielle Woody. She remarked: “I mostly review intern and entry-level resumes, and many of the early-career candidates I reviewed were not using those terms in their applications before ChatGPT.”
There’s even a Reddit thread now that’s solely dedicated to the collection of overused AI buzzwords, which could be a handy tab to keep open during your editing process.
5. Varied sentence structures (that don’t include an em dash every two lines)
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AI-generated text all tends to follow the same structure, with ideas laid out in a rigid formula, the most notable being its rule of three obsession and its em dash addiction.
Whilst the tricolon is a great rhetorical tool, and the em dash is an important piece of punctuation, the frequency with which they’re used in AI-generated texts are usually dead giveaways. The em dash, for example, indicates a break in thought, adds emphasis or sets apart some extra info. Humans tend to include them quite sparingly in writing, but ChatGPT, for some unknown reason, is absolutely obsessed with them.
6. Informal language
AI tools generate text in a monotonous tone, usually avoiding informal language use like colloquialisms or slang. Human writers, on the other hand, often can’t help but infuse humanity in their writing, whether that’s a light joke, a slight tonal shift or a pop culture reference. Mixing up the style of writing will likely make your grad job application stand out to a recruiter as human written, giving you an edge over the hundreds of AI-generated cover letters they’re sifting through at their desk right now.
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