Applying for jobs a thousand times while the candidate is sleeping? Candidates and AI (2/5)

In the second article of this five-part article about the AI ​​use of candidates: stories about software developers who send out thousands of AI applications and how job seekers train themselves to become ‘job search prompt engineers’ via YouTube.

Who chooses who?

On the one hand, the candidate, shrewdly using ChatGPT to create a resume and motivation letter that seamlessly matches the desired criteria. On the other hand is the employer, who uses an arsenal of algorithms to scan and filter the AI-filled applications. Who chooses now who exactly? Is it still a game between candidate and employer, or has a new distribution of power emerged, with AI as the invisible director? While we have already written numerous articles about the ways in which companies use AI to make their recruitment process faster, more efficient or better, in this series we focus on the person on the other end of the spectrum: the candidate.

This series focuses on the person on the other end of the spectrum: the candidate.

Software developer lets AI apply for jobs

Software developer Julian Joseph sent his CV and motivation letter to around 300 companies. The response? About twenty interested people invited Joseph for an interview. The final score? No job. Joseph it was absolutely sick of. He was yet another victim of waves of layoffs in the tech sector. With his second layoff in two years, he reluctantly spent months filling out repetitive application forms and sending them into some kind of digital black hole.

With two computers diligently rushing through vacancies, he went to sleep. By the next morning, the robot had applied for nearly 1,000 positions.

The tech-savvy Joseph specializes in user interface automation. After some online research he came across LazyApply, a company behind AI-powered service called JobGPT. The tool promises to apply to thousands of vacancies ‘with one click’. Joseph only had to enter some basic information about his skills, experience and desired position. With two computers diligently rushing through vacancies, he went to sleep. By the next morning, the robot had applied for nearly 1,000 positions.

SprAI and prAI

That spray and praytechnology is now offered by several companies. For example, there is Sonara, which promises a fully automated job search. The platform now has 5,000 users, according to initiator Victor Schwartz to Wired. He is now working on a feature that automatically matches resumes to individual vacancies before they are sent. The examples are plenty. Meanwhile, in another American initiative, Jobsolvwhich makes similar promises: Apply to $100K+ remote jobs with a single click so busy that job seekers end up on a waiting list before the AI ​​starts working for them.

Training to become prompt engineers

Various instructional videos are now also appearing on YouTube. ‘Land a job using ChatGPT: The Definitive Guide’ by YouTuber Jeff Su, with almost 700 thousand subscribers, takes candidates through an extensive prompt course for a better job application. Su takes viewers through the most frequently asked questions — and essentially helps them to prompt engineers to become.

“ChatGPT is only as good as the prompts you use, so it’s important to apply Prompt Engineering techniques when using ChatGPT for your job search,” says Su. In this video, you’ll learn how to use ChatGPT effectively for your job search, covering crucial aspects such as crafting a compelling cover letter, customizing your resume, and structuring responses during job interviews.”

A thousand sources and candidates

One thing is certain: AI is here to stay when it comes to the way organizations use it for the recruitment process. But candidates don’t live under a rock either. Research from assessment supplier Arctic Shores shows that 70% of job seekers plan to use ChatGPT in the next 12 months when completing application forms or taking assessments.

And that American software developer Julian Joseph? Thanks to his 5,000 AI-powered applications, he once again sat at the table for a job interview at 20 companies: an application conversion rate of about 0.5%. “I’m satisfied with it,” said Joseph.

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In this five-parter we dive into how candidates use AI to apply for jobs easier, faster and more efficiently.