The AI Advantage: How Job Seekers Are Landing More Interviews And Higher Salaries

• ChatGPT users are more likely to negotiate higher salaries and receive more interview requests than those who don’t use AI tools.
• Younger job seekers lead in using AI tools for job applications, with 24% of 18-24 and 25% of 35-44-year-olds using ChatGPT.
• Even though the quality of AI content is typically perceived as good quality, career strategists still highly recommend that AI should be used to improve — not to replace — personal experience and insights in job applications.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT have been used by a large portion of job seekers this past year, and it’s helped many land more interviews and negotiate higher salaries than those who don’t use them. 

In the future of work, as the workforce’s ease with AI improves and the tools themselves become more sophisticated, usage of AI in the job search process will surely proliferate. But how can you reap the benefits of using them now, and could it backfire? 

Who is Using AI in Job Searches?

A survey published by ResumeBuilder.com reveals that 18% of U.S. workers who actively searched for jobs within the past year have used ChatGPT to improve their applications, help negotiate salaries, and prepare for job interviews. 

The study found that ChatGPT users (85%) are more likely to negotiate higher salaries than those who don’t use it (52%), and more likely to receive interview requests (71%) than those who did not use the tool (53%). 

The labor market demand for employees with AI skills also helps in determining if AI users can negotiate higher salaries. These chances only increase for workers going into AI-related fields. 

One study published by Biz Report reveals a notable variation in AI worker salaries across different states. For example, in Tennessee, the average AI-related salary is $84,190, and while this average is on the lower-end for AI-related jobs, it’s still reported to be higher than the average wage in 39 other states for different occupations. 

Younger job seekers, in-particular, are leading the charge in using AI tools in the job application process. Almost a quarter (24%) of 18- to 24-year-olds and 25% of 35- to 44-year-olds are reported to have used ChatGPT in the past year. 

“First, younger generations have historically been more likely to embrace new technologies,” said ResumeBuilder’s resume and career strategist Julia Toothacre. “Second, there are a lot of people on social media right now sharing their ChatGPT hacks for job searching, so I think it’s something that younger generations are learning about more rapidly. They are likely frustrated with the hiring process and want to try anything they can to get ahead of the competition.”

In comparison, only 9% of 45- to 54-year-olds reported using the tool when job seeking. Men were also found more likely than women to admit to using ChatGPT — with 25% of men compared to 10% of women.

Why Using AI in Application Process is Helpful

There are several reasons why job seekers are increasingly embracing ChatGPT in the job application process. 

Primary motivations include anything from improving application quality, to appearing more professional, to saving time. The desire to improve and speed up the application process is leading applicants to leverage ChatGPT in job research (75%), resume creation (73%), interview preparation (69%), cover letter creation (62%), email communication (51%), completing assessments (51%), then even during the interview itself (37%).  

Due to the fact that HR platforms are using AI systems to help recruit employees, job applicants can use AI tools to their benefit when applying to jobs. Many recruiters use AI to initially screen candidates based on keywords and other prerequisites that many HR platforms scan for. 

Some companies like Grammarly have created cover-letter specific tools that produce an AI generated cover letter based on your resume, and the job title and job description from the position that you are applying to.

This is a strategy that experts attribute to the success rates of applicants using tools like ChatGPT. Toothacre believes job seekers who use ChatGPT are receiving more interview requests because they are matching their experience to the original job posts. “Most people apply to a lot of positions but don’t take time to tailor the content,” she explains.

Hazards of Using AI When Applying

However, the widespread embrace of ChatGPT in the job application process is not without its challenges and concerns. 

A significant 29% of respondents who used the tool reported they were not hired because potential employers discovered their use of ChatGPT. This apprehension stems from a mix of ethical concerns and worries about authentic and unique content. 

Interestingly, over half (55%) of respondents received praise from employers for using ChatGPT, but career strategists still highly recommend that AI should be used to improve — not to replace — personal experience and insights in job applications.

The quality of ChatGPT’s output has generally been positively perceived by job seekers who use it. A majority, or 70%, of respondents rated the quality of AI-generated job application materials as high quality, 30% rated it medium quality; there were no respondents who labeled it as low quality. 

Notably, job applicants are taking expert recommendations to heart and not becoming cookie-cutter job applicants. They are instead making meaningful edits to AI generated material. Only 1% of Resume Builder’s survey respondents said they did not make edits to their AI-generated application materials, while the majority acknowledged making at least some revisions before submission.

What the data shows is that job seekers must learn new skills to maximize the benefits and avoid shortcomings of these advanced tools. While ChatGPT offers clear advantages to improving productivity, application materials and salary negotiations, job seekers should use it cautiously — only as a draft or idea starter rather than a final submission. 

As job hunting and AI demand within the labor market develops further in the future of work with new technological advancements, balancing the use of AI tools with personal insights and authenticity will become more of a skill in itself for both applicants and employers.