--- description: Capterra surveyed 250 Australian job seekers to find out how they use AI to help them in their job search and how recruiters can fortify themselves against deceptive candidates. image: https://gdm-localsites-assets-gfprod.imgix.net/images/capterra/og_logo-e5a8c001ed0bd1bb922639230fcea71a.png?auto=format%2Cenhance%2Ccompress title: How recruiters can catch AI cheating in recruitment processes --- # Two-thirds of Aussie job seekers harness AI to ‘level up’ in recruitment processes Canonical: https://www.capterra.com.au/blog/7191/how-to-identify-ai-use-in-recruitment-process Published on 22/10/2024 | Written by Brian Westfall, Andrew Blair. ![Two-thirds of Aussie job seekers harness AI to ‘level up’ in recruitment processes](https://images.ctfassets.net/63bmaubptoky/1SgNlHEC40SVGjEvADnT7P/5ab6de93071d8a6c61a494c21f7cc17c/pesquisa-recrutamento-sele__o-BR-Capterra-Header.png) > AI tools can be considered fair play to enhance applicant profiles on resumes or websites like LinkedIn to stand out among the competition. However, the power of AI tools also threaten to deceive recruiters beyond exaggerated profiles. Recruiters too, can use technology to dispense with the nonsense. ----- ## Article Content AI tools can be considered fair play to enhance applicant profiles on resumes or websites like LinkedIn to stand out among the competition. However, the power of AI tools also threaten to deceive recruiters beyond exaggerated profiles. Recruiters too, can use technology to dispense with the nonsense.In this articleMost Aussie job seekers feel the need to use AI to compete against other candidatesAussie job seekers use AI tactics ranging from fair to controversial5 ways recruiters can reduce AI deception and cheatingEmbrace the right tools to keep ahead of AI cheatingAccording to data from Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), the recruitment difficulty rate, which refers to the challenges employers and recruiters face when trying to fill job vacancies, is currently 50% and has been in decline since the peak of 75% in July 2022. The recruitment difficulty rate typically assesses factors such as skill shortages and the number of applicants with relevant skills and experience. However, are AI tools, which can be used to exaggerate candidate profiles, making job seekers seem more skillful than they really are? And if so, is this contributing to the decline in the hiring difficulty rate? \[1\]Capterra’s Job Seeker AI Survey of nearly 3,000 job seekers from 12 different countries, including 250 Australian respondents, reveals that nearly three-quarters (73%) of Australians are using AI tools to help them in their current job search compared to 58% of global respondents.\* And of those that are using AI, nine out of ten Australian job seekers say they have leveraged it to exaggerate or lie about their skills on a resume, cover letter, job application, or skills assessment.For recruiters, hiring managers, or even small-business owners trying to quickly evaluate and hire the best candidate, job seekers using bots and other AI tools to mask a skills deficiency represent a new obstacle in the war for talent. Companies aren’t without their own weapons in this fight, however. With help from the right recruiting software and hiring process changes, you can minimise AI cheating, flag deceptive AI content, and eliminate fraudulent candidates.Key insightsThe top benefits of AI, according to Australian job seekers that use AI in their job search, are being able to appear as a better job candidate (26%) and being able to apply to more jobs (21%).Job seekers that use AI complete more job applications and are far more likely to receive a job offer.27% of Aussie job seekers have used AI to complete a test assignment or skills assessment, 24% have used AI to mass apply to jobs, and 22% have used AI to generate interview question answers.Most Aussie job seekers feel the need to use AI to compete against other candidatesAt the same time that recruiters are evaluating all the ways AI can benefit their operations (Gartner says recruiting has the most current use cases for GenAI in the HR space \[2\]), so too are job seekers discovering all the ways AI can give them an edge in getting hired.An online search for “job seeker AI tools” reveals an emerging market of applications that are designed to help job seekers in various stages of the recruiting and hiring process:GenAI bots, such as ChatGPT, can create or refine resumes, cover letters, and other job seeker writing samples to appear more professional.AI-powered job search tools, such as JobScan, can analyse resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and cover letters and determine whether candidates are suitable for a particular role or not.AI teleprompter tools, such as Interview Copilot, can listen in on phone or video job interviews and provide real-time suggestions and answers to interviewees.Screenshot of Interview Copilot providing real-time AI-powered answers \[3\]All told, 73% of job seekers in our survey say they are using tools like these in their current job search, and another 12% plan to use these tools in the future. Of those that use AI, just over half (52%) say it’s very or extremely important to their current job search.What is prompting this widespread interest in AI? One reason is to stay ahead of the competition. With 88% of respondents saying it's likely that other people applying for similar jobs are using AI to embellish or exaggerate their job applications, job seekers may feel the need to adopt AI simply to keep up with other candidates.Job seekers that use AI are more successful as well. When asked what they believe is the top benefit of using AI in their job search, the two most cited answers in our survey were being able to appear as a better job candidate and apply to more jobs.The numbers back this up. We find that not only have AI users completed more job applications on average during their current search (182 vs. 68), but they’ve also been far more likely to receive a job offer.Aussie job seekers use AI tactics ranging from fair to controversialFor employers trying to hire the best candidate for the job, job seeker AI usage is a complex issue. Not only can AI content or assistance be hard to detect, but some of the ways that AI is being used by job seekers aren’t even necessarily detrimental to the candidate evaluation process.For example, the most common ways job seekers have used AI in their current search are to find relevant job openings (37%) or write/refine their resume (35%). In many organisations, if the candidate is still truthful about their qualifications, these uses are not only tolerated but often encouraged to demonstrate familiarity with AI tools.On the other hand, some AI uses cross the line and represent an active effort by job seekers to deceive the employer or disrupt their hiring processes:27% have leveraged AI to complete a test assignment or skills assessment, potentially to hide a lack of relevant skills or knowledge for the job.24% have leveraged AI to mass apply to jobs, clogging recruiting pipelines with undifferentiated applications.22% have leveraged AI to generate answers to interview questions, again to potentially hide a lack of relevant skills or knowledge for the job.Companies have a difficult time identifying the best job candidate as it is. A bad hire can incur expenses such as recruitment, onboarding, training costs, and the negative effects on team morale. In a survey, 74% of companies report an average loss of $14,900 per bad hire. \[4\] If businesses don’t get on top of job seeker AI deception soon, even more costly bad hires will follow.5 ways recruiters can reduce AI deception and cheatingThe first step for your recruiting team right now is to decide as an organisation which job seeker AI uses are acceptable, and which ones need to be flagged as cheating. Your criteria should include the types of roles you’re hiring for, the sources for candidate information in your recruiting process, and the level of risk you’re comfortable with if a deceptive applicant goes undetected. Once the decision has been made regarding which AI uses by job seekers should be flagged, here are some ways you can reduce the likelihood of AI cheating in your recruiting pipeline and successfully flag AI content when it appears.1. Be clear about what is unacceptable AI use to applicantsOf the job seekers in our survey who don’t use AI, 25% express concern that using AI tools could be perceived as cheating by an employer. Stating outright on your job application page that lying about skills or credentials using AI will result in a candidate’s removal from job consideration won’t stop every cheater, but it will at least give some hesitancy to those that are thinking about using AI to deceive.2. Outsource resume screening and preliminary interviews to AIIf job seekers are flooding your inbox with AI-generated applications and resumes, reviewing each one manually will take too much time and delay your hiring decision. Luckily, you have your own AI you can lean on to evaluate candidates more quickly.Gartner says 80% of recruiting technology vendors will have embedded AI capabilities into their offerings by 2027. \[5\] If your applicant tracking system (ATS) doesn’t have AI capabilities now, it likely will soon. One such capability you’ll want to keep an eye on is the ability to automatically screen applications for relevant skills and experience and float them to the top of the consideration list. Just be sure to test the AI’s ability to find the candidates you’re actually looking for before deploying it.3. Consider in-person or video interviewsJob seekers will be more inclined to use AI teleprompter tools to feed them the right answers in interviews if you can’t see them. For this reason, consider minimising the use of phone interviews and converting them to in-person or video interviews instead.4. Check for plagiarismDespite concerns about AI cheating, popular AI content generators, such as ChatGPT, have been reluctant so far to release tools to identify AI content. \[6\] Instead, plagiarism checker software tools have been the ones to step up by adding their own AI content detection features in recent years. Recruiters would be wise to take advantage of these tools. Simply paste or upload the text from a resume, cover letter, or test assignment, and these tools will tell you if the content was likely generated by AI.5. Ask for references and check themIf a candidate says they have certain experience or a specific skill, the best way to confirm if they really do is through references. Simply asking relevant references, such as former managers or co-workers, if a candidate likely had a skill they put in a resume or said in an interview can give you the evidence you need. Reference check software can automate reference check requests and track them over time.Embrace the right tools to keep ahead of AI cheatingAs more job seekers realise the benefits of AI to their job search, employers will need to move quickly to draw their line in the sand on what constitutes AI fair play. Those that then combine the right AI detection tools with critical recruiting processes and culture changes will have a clear advantage in identifying and hiring truly talented candidates.Looking for recruitment software? Check out our catalogue\! ## Disclaimer > Note: The applications selected in this article are examples to show a feature in context and are not intended as endorsements or recommendations.Methodology\*Capterra's Job Seeker AI Survey was conducted in July 2024 among 2,997 respondents in the U.S. (n: 250), Canada (n: 250), India (n: 250), Brazil (n: 250), Mexico (n: 250), the U.K. (n: 250), France (n: 247), Italy (n: 250), Germany (n: 250), Spain (n: 250), Australia (n: 250), and Japan (n: 250). The goal of the study was to to understand the factors in AI-driven recruiting processes, and how prevalent AI tool usage is among job seekers. Respondents were screened to be actively looking for a job.Sources ﾿ Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey, Jobs and Skills Australia Innovation Insight: Generative AI in HR, Gartner (full research available to Gartner clients)Image of Interview Copilot, Final Round AIThe True Cost of a Bad Hire and How to Avoid Them: Self Management Group, Forbes AustraliaMarket Guide for Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) Technologies, Gartner (full research available to Gartner clients)There’s a Tool to Catch Students Cheating With ChatGPT. OpenAI Hasn’t Released It, Wall Street Journal ## About the authors ### Brian Westfall Brian Westfall was an associate principal analyst at Capterra, specializing in human resources with a focus on recruiting, talent management, and employee engagement. His research on the intersection of talent and technology has been featured in prominent publications like Canadian HR Reporter, HR Brew, La Presse and 98.5. ### Andrew Blair Andrew is a Content Analyst for Capterra, giving SMEs insights into tech, software and business trends. 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