AI Is Changing Hiring as Job Seekers Try to Sound More Human

Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important part of the hiring process, but new research suggests it is creating an unusual problem for both employers and job seekers.

Candidates are increasingly using AI to improve their CVs and applications, while employers are using automated systems to evaluate those same applications. As a result, some job seekers are now rewriting their applications specifically to make sure they do not sound like they were written by AI.

The situation has created a growing sense of frustration on both sides of the hiring process.

Job Seekers Are Trying to Get Past AI Screening

Getting a job in 2026 can involve more than submitting a CV and waiting for a recruiter to respond.

Many companies now use automated systems to review applications, identify keywords and rank candidates before a human recruiter gets involved.

Research from hiring platform Greenhouse shows just how widespread this has become.

In its broader 2026 Future of Hiring Candidate Report, 77% of U.S. job seekers surveyed said they had used AI during their job search in the previous year.

At the same time, 60% said they had changed or considered changing how they write applications because they were concerned their work could be mistaken for AI-generated content.

For younger applicants, the concern is even more pronounced.

The report highlighted that 63% of Gen Z respondents had rewritten an application or considered doing so to avoid having it identified as AI-generated.

The Hiring Process Is Becoming an AI-to-AI Conversation

The growing use of AI has created something of a feedback loop.

Job seekers use AI to improve their CVs and increase their chances of getting noticed. Employers then receive more polished applications that can look increasingly similar.

Recruiters may respond by relying even more heavily on automated systems to sort through the growing number of applications.

That can encourage applicants to optimize their CVs even further.

The result is a hiring process where both sides can end up relying heavily on AI without necessarily getting a better outcome.

Greenhouse Chief People Officer Sharawn Tipton described the situation as one in which candidates send applications into a "black hole" while employers face large numbers of AI-polished resumes that can look alike.

Many Applicants Never Speak to Anyone

One of the most striking findings concerns how frequently job applications disappear without any human interaction.

Greenhouse's research found that 81% of U.S. candidates had been rejected from a job during the previous year without speaking to anyone at the company, whether that person was a human or an AI system.

The problem was particularly noticeable among Gen Z. The report found that 38% of Gen Z respondents said this happened often or almost always.

That means a significant number of candidates may spend considerable time preparing applications without ever receiving an opportunity to explain their experience or demonstrate their abilities in a conversation.

Candidates Want to Show More Than a CV Can Offer

A CV can summarize someone's experience, education and skills, but it does not necessarily demonstrate how a person thinks, learns or solves problems.

Greenhouse found that 96% of job seekers wanted an opportunity to show potential employers something more clearly than their application currently allows.

More than half, or 52%, specifically wanted to demonstrate their ability to learn and adapt.

This may explain why some candidates are increasingly interested in interviews and other methods of demonstrating their abilities earlier in the recruitment process.

AI Interviews Are Becoming More Common

AI is not only being used to screen CVs.

Candidates are also increasingly encountering AI-powered interviews.

Greenhouse's research found that 48% of surveyed U.S. job seekers had taken part in an AI interview during the previous year. Among those candidates, 70% said the AI interview allowed them to demonstrate their skills effectively.

Interestingly, most candidates are not completely opposed to AI in recruitment.

The issue appears to be transparency and human oversight.

Candidates want to know when AI is being used and how their responses will be evaluated. Greenhouse found that 88% wanted at least one legal requirement requiring employers to disclose their use of AI during interviews, with advance notice being the most common preference.

Applicants Are Also Using AI to Beat Automated Systems

The relationship between candidates and hiring technology becomes even more complicated when applicants try to understand how automated screening works.

According to Greenhouse's research, 62% of candidates had attempted some kind of tactic to get past automated screening.

Among those respondents, 54% said they had used AI to determine what a screening system might be looking for, while 40% said they had added skills or keywords they did not actually possess.

Some respondents even reported using hidden text intended to attract the attention of an AI reviewer.

These practices can create an additional problem for employers because automated systems may receive applications that have been heavily optimized rather than applications that accurately represent the candidate.

The Hiring System May Need a Different Approach

The growing use of AI does not necessarily mean AI should be removed from recruitment.

Automation can help recruiters handle large volumes of applications and reduce repetitive administrative work.

The bigger question is how companies use these systems.

Candidates want a fair opportunity to demonstrate their abilities, while employers need reliable ways to identify people who are genuinely suitable for a position.

A combination of automated tools and meaningful human interaction could potentially address both problems.

Early interviews, work samples, portfolios and skills-based assessments could give employers more useful information than an automatically ranked CV alone.

Job Seekers Should Focus on Authenticity

For people applying for jobs, the research also highlights the importance of maintaining an authentic application.

AI can help improve grammar, organize information or identify unclear sections of a CV. However, applicants should avoid adding qualifications or skills they do not actually have simply because an automated system appears to favor certain keywords.

A strong application should accurately represent the candidate's real experience.

Where possible, applicants can also include a portfolio, examples of previous work, measurable achievements and other evidence that demonstrates what they can actually do.

Final Thoughts

AI is rapidly changing the way people search for jobs and the way companies recruit employees.

But the technology may also be creating an unusual situation where applicants are using AI to impress employers while employers use AI to evaluate increasingly AI-assisted applications.

The result is growing frustration on both sides.

Job seekers want a genuine opportunity to demonstrate their abilities, while employers want a more reliable way to distinguish qualified candidates from applications that have simply been optimized for automated screening.

As AI becomes more deeply embedded in recruitment, transparency, human oversight and better ways of assessing real-world skills could become increasingly important.

The future of hiring may not be about eliminating AI. Instead, it may depend on finding a better balance between automation and actual human judgment.