When AI Writes the Resume—and Screens It Too

Let’s talk about the elephant in every recruiter’s inbox right now: AI.

We’re seeing it from both ends of the recruitment spectrum:
Candidates using tools like ChatGPT to write their resumes and cover letters.
Employers, especially in government and large orgs, using AI to screen those same documents.

Which begs the question
If AI is writing the resume and AI is screening it… who’s really in the hiring process?

 

The Government & Paper-Based Paradox

In public sector recruitment, the irony is clear. You still use paper-based selection criteria responses, often with strict formatting and phrasing — but now AI is being used to help screen those submissions.

So, what happens when:

• A candidate uses AI to perfectly match keywords and selection criteria, and the system scanning it is looking for… keywords and selection criteria?

Does that make them the best person for the job? Or just the best at prompting a bot?

 

Where’s the “Human” in Human Resources and Recruitment?

We get it — automation saves time, especially when you’ve got 200+ applications.
But there’s a risk: the people part gets lost. The nuance, the personality, the why behind the what — all flattened by algorithms trained to reward sameness.

And from the candidate side?
If everyone’s documents sound perfect, polished, and oddly similar… how do you stand out?

 

Pros & Cons of AI in Recruitment

The Good:

• Speeds up screening
• Helps reduce unconscious bias (when built well)
• Levels the playing field for candidates who struggle with writing

 

The Risky:

• Over-reliance on matching keywords
• Loss of human intuition and gut feel, who reads ‘between the lines’?
• Cultural fit and potential can’t be keyword scanned
• False positives — someone sounding great on paper but not delivering in real life

These candidates often fly through the early stages as their AI-written resumes are polished, keyword-rich, and exactly what the system wants to see. But once they’re in the interview room, the cracks show. That leads to wasted interviews, extended vetting, and sometimes restarting the whole process. What looked like a fast hire becomes a slow one — and in the meantime, better-fit candidates might be lost to faster-moving competitors.

 

So, What Do We Do With This?

We’re not saying ban AI from recruitment.

We’re not anti-AI — we just believe people still matter in people decisions

But we are saying: don’t forget what great hiring actually looks like.

• Context
• Conversation
• Chemistry
• Capability

At Elliott Gray, we’ll always value the real people behind the paper — and behind the algorithms. Because good recruitment isn’t about finding a perfectly polished document. It’s about finding the right human for the role.

Let’s talk — Are you finding your applicants at interview are falling flat? Are we losing the human edge in hiring? Have you seen AI help or hurt your job search or talent strategy?