More and more applicants are using ChatGTP to make their applications. In 2023, Akademikerbladet and Magistrenes A-kasse conducted a survey among 1140 academics. The study showed that 310 people had applied for a job within the past three months, and of those, just under 40 percent used AI in the job search.
The benefit of ChatGTP for the applicants
AI is a good tool for the applicants to get input for their application. They can get help to quickly formulate an application that speaks to the job advertisement. They can also get input on what different job functions contain, how the language can be improved, what the company stands for and much more. Basically, the bot can be a good sparring partner that provides new perspectives on the application. This is a great advantage, as many applicants find it difficult to look at their own competences from the outside. The quality of the application, however, depends a lot on how good the applicant is at “prompting”. Prompts are the commands or instructions that you give to an AI tool. The better you are at telling what you want and in what form, the better the result you get.
What does your company value in an application?
When you, as an employer, read an application, you probably have a number of things that you value. Those areas are important regardless of whether the application is produced using AI or not. Central, of course, is the candidate’s skills, i.e. they can actually do what is needed. This is usually stated in the CV. But the companies also place importance on the applicant’s motivation, why they want this particular job, and whether they understand the context they will be part of. It also helps if the applicant is able to describe what the person can bring the company. Phrases in the application that the candidate is responsible, has a sense of humor, is a good team player usually do not count for much, because it is the person’s own perception of himself.
The hour of revelation
The good application has examples of the skills the applicant describes. If you are very responsible or strategic, there must be an example of that. And here you can reveal the bot. ChatGTP is not good at writing anything human or unique. You will typically be able to tell from an AI application that it is just a little too generic. The bot, on the other hand, is very good at creating structure in the text, but this can also help to reveal the sender. The better you are at AI yourself, the easier it will be to reveal bot-generated texts. The question then is whether you yourself work enough with AI. And why would you even want an application if the applications you receive are generic? Perhaps you should concentrate on reading the CV, and then ask the applicant for a brief motivation in relation to the job. If the applicant has actually learned more about your company and what the person can contribute by using AI, then it is probably only an advantage to hire that employee. Then you already have one employee who actively works with AI.
