It is the worst-kept secret in hiring: Candidates are using AI to apply. Recruiters are using AI to filter them. It is a robot fighting a robot.
But what happens when a human recruiter finally opens your PDF? Can they tell you didn’t write it? And if they catch you, is it an automatic rejection? We spoke to hiring managers across Tech, Finance, and Creative sectors. Here is the verdict.
1. Yes, We Can Tell (The “Tapestry” Problem)
AI models like ChatGPT and Claude have “tells”, words they use obsessively. If your cover letter contains the words “Delve,” “Tapestry,” “Landscape,” or “Foster,” the recruiter knows.
- The AI Sentence: “I am eager to delve into the rich tapestry of marketing challenges at your firm.”
- The Human Reaction: Eye roll. Delete.
- The Fix: Use AI to generate the structure, but rewrite every single adjective.
2. The “Hallucination” Trap
AI lies with confidence. We have seen resumes where candidates claim to be proficient in software that doesn’t exist, simply because the AI needed a filler word.
The Rule: If you didn’t do it, don’t let the bot say you did. If an interviewer asks, “Tell me about this project,” and you stare blankly because ChatGPT invented it, the interview is over.
3. When Recruiters Love AI
Recruiters don’t hate AI; they hate laziness. If you use AI to:
- Clean up your grammar.
- Format your bullet points (See: The Resume Guide).
- Match keywords to the job description. …that is called Resourcefulness. That is a skill we want.
4. The “Voice” Test
The biggest giveaway is a mismatch in “Voice.”
- Your Resume: Perfect, Harvard-level grammar (Written by AI).
- Your Email / Interview: Casual, typo-filled, slang-heavy (Written by You). When these two don’t match, recruiters feel like they are being “Catfished.”
- The Fix: Prompt the AI to write in your voice.
- Prompt: “Rewrite this cover letter to sound professional but conversational, like a human being, not a robot.”
Use It as a Co-Pilot, Not a Ghostwriter
Using AI is not cheating. It is standard practice. But there is a difference between using a tool and surrendering to it.
- Bad: Copy-pasting a generic ChatGPT response and hitting send.
- Good: Using AI to brainstorm strong action verbs, then editing it to reflect your actual personality.
Recruiters hire humans, not algorithms. Make sure the human is still visible on the page.
