When we first started asking job candidates in 2024 whether or not they used generative AI (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc.) to help them improve their resumes and cover letters, we assumed that that it would be a much higher percentage than what we found.
This was also true for most recruiting leaders and their teams I presented to recently at the ERE Recruiting Innovation Summit. When I asked what percentage they thought it was, I heard shout outs of 35%, 50%, and even as high as 85%.
But the reality in our CandE Benchmark data is that it’s less than 15%. Globally. From over 300,000 candidate responses. Now, there have been those who have asked if candidates were wary to admit they use AI in their job search, and that may be true, but our candidate responses are anonymous – we don’t capture any candidate contact information of any kind.
Now, that percentage will most likely change in the years to come, but so far in our 2025 CandE Benchmark data collection, it’s still less than 15%.
For employers, it’s much higher. In 2024 and 2025, over 50% of employers participating in our benchmark research said they are using generative AI (and now including AI agents) to help them with job descriptions, candidate communications, and more. That will also continue to increase in the years to come.
Another reality check: What percentage of job candidates are using AI platforms to apply for jobs (like LazyApply.com, jobhire.ai, and many others)? When I asked this question, I also received answers of 35%+. While these platforms are most likely being used by tech candidates and serial appliers, our data so far in 2025 reveals that only 3% of candidates said they were. Again, this will probably increase over the next few years.
In 2024, our benchmark research showed that about 20% of employers used AI recruiting technologies, but this was primarily for candidate communications and recruiting activities (chatbots, interview scheduling, status updates, etc.), followed by sourcing activities (matching candidates to jobs), but very few used AI for candidate selection at the point of application. However, we are hearing from our CandE community that investing in AI for candidate selection is coming (whether already available in their recruiting tech or not), primarily due to the increase in job applications across industries that leaner recruiting teams have been drowning in.
But what do job candidates believe? The negative sentiment is crystal clear in our benchmark research – the majority of candidates who are dispositioned soon after they’ve applied believe that AI and automation are selecting them out of the running. That humans are no longer screening them. That they never had a chance in hell. None of which is true.
Railing against technology and automation isn’t new; it’s been a negative-sentiment theme since the internet came online and candidates could apply for jobs online. This sentiment hasn’t changed much in the nearly three decades since. A few CandE community employers I’ve spoken with recently are trying to combat this is to include messaging on their career sites and in their candidate communications emphasizing that actual recruiters are reviewing their applications in a timely manner.
AI misconceptions abound while our CandE Benchmark research shows otherwise. But the realities of AI’s impact on recruiting and hiring are here today. Sourcers and recruiters are being displaced, recruiting teams are leaner, and business leaders, including HR and TA, will need to do a much better job at optimizing their recruiting processes and recruiting tech stacks. For candidates, it’s taking a lot longer to get hired, especially for professional and management candidates.
Yes, we all want to engage with humans, whether we’re the ones applying, or we’re the ones screening. But to stay competitive in the deluge of applications, more candidates will continue to use AI to help them in their job search, and more employers will continue to use more AI to help them find the candidates they need.
