Will you use artificial intelligence (AI) to help you write your resume or cover letter? What about online quizzes or video interviews?
Graduates and recruiters say we are increasingly using the technology to help with job searches, and many employers say it is acceptable as long as it is used in moderation.
But, when does it change from “acceptable” to “unethical” or even “cheating”?
After graduating with a degree in geography last year, 22-year-old Tom from Maidstone, UK, said he applied for more than 200 jobs before finding a restaurant manager position last month.
He told the BBC that the job search process was "exhausting" and "demoralizing". Employers often didn't even respond, and he wouldn't have been able to survive without the help of AI.
“Employers want you to put your best foot forward when applying, but if you have to apply for 10 to 20 jobs a day, that’s simply not possible.” Tom emphasized that he has never used AI in tests or interviews, but he will use it to help write cover letters and resumes, or to find “keywords” that will be detected in the early screening process.
He also believes that it is "hypocritical" for the company to require applicants not to use AI, but it uses AI to screen candidates. "It's like walking on a strange tightrope. You can't rely too much on AI, otherwise you won't look like a real person; but if you don't write like AI, you may be skipped by the AI screening system."
This summer, the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) surveyed 155 of the UK's largest graduate employers and found that they had become "more accepting" of the use of AI by candidates at "certain stages" of the recruitment process.
According to the industry group, the most commonly accepted use is writing a cover letter or resume, followed by completing online application questions.
However, the survey also found that 92% of employers have encountered or suspected the "improper use" of AI in the recruitment process - up from 85% last year.
The most common situations include using AI as a real-time assistant during online video interviews or to complete online tests.
In addition, this technology also allows candidates to submit a large number of applications at the same time - what the industry calls "spray and pray" (spray and pray). ISE co-chief executive Stephen Isherwood told the BBC that this "drives up competition and pressure for students" in an already competitive graduate recruitment market.
Hollie Moody, head of early career recruitment at energy giant EDF, told the BBC that she did not blame graduates for using AI to find jobs, given how "brutal" the current job market is.
But she believes this has become a problem.
The company opened its graduate recruitment scheme three weeks ago but closed it prematurely after receiving 12,000 applications - a 10% increase on last year.
Moody's told reporters that AI almost certainly fueled the wave of applications and was "used more freely" in the actual selection process.
She added: "We don't have a level playing field because some candidates will use AI heavily throughout the process and some will not use it at all."
Like many companies, EDF has now issued guidelines for the use of AI and is trying to make its recruitment process "AI-proof".
The company only looks at resumes in the later stages of recruitment, and uses skill- and behavioral-based online tests and video interviews to more accurately evaluate candidates.
But Moody's said there are still candidates trying to exploit loopholes, especially during video interviews.
She explained: "We heard a lot of the same answers. Or, someone would pause and wait for the AI to give them the answer. It felt like reading from a manuscript."
Another trainee accountant who just started working and did not want to be named told the BBC that he applied for 50 graduate positions, and AI was used in each one.
But he said he only uses it to research positions, polish resumes, and generate practice questions for video interviews.
He told the BBC he would never use the technology to cheat on a test, but he knew someone who would.
"I know people who applied for 100 jobs and became desperate over time. If they see other people using AI, they will think: How can I compete?"
