62 Percent of U.S. Job Seekers Wary of AI in Hiring Process

84% Prefer Human Review of Resumes and Cover Letters.

A staggering 62% of U.S. job seekers would consider not applying to companies that overly rely on generative AI during recruitment, emphasizing the irreplaceable value of human interaction despite the efficiency AI offers. This is according to a recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey.

Job Seekers' Concerns: The Human Element Matters

While many job seekers acknowledge the appropriateness of using AI for tasks such as drafting resumes and cover letters (78%) and creating mock interview questions (78%), there is a significant concern about the over-reliance on AI. Key statistics include:

• 87% of job seekers believe meeting with a human during interviews is important, as AI cannot effectively vet candidates for soft skills such as cultural fit and attitude.
• 84% prefer to have a person conduct an initial interview to answer simple questions, rather than AI.
• 84% would prefer their resume and cover letter to be reviewed by a human.

These concerns are underscored by the belief among 73% of job seekers that the benefits of using generative AI during the hiring process are not worth the risks. Moreover, female job seekers are less likely than male job seekers to find generative AI in some job application tasks appropriate and less likely to use generative AI for specific job application tasks. Specifically, female job seekers are less likely to report that it is appropriate for job candidates to use generative AI to help draft resumes and cover letters, write outreach responses, create work samples and help complete an online assessment/test. More than 2 in 5 female job seekers haven't used generative AI during their job search, significantly higher than the 27% of male job seekers who say they have never done so.