"I Applied to 200 Jobs" — Why Using AI to 'Spray and Pray' Your Resume Often Backfires

HR experts warn that using AI to "spray and pray" may cost you more than it's worth.

Do you use artificial intelligence (AI) to help write your resume or cover letter? What about online assessments or video interviews?

Graduates and recruiters say we're increasingly using this technology to help with job hunting, and many employers say it's acceptable as long as it's used in moderation.

But when does it cross the line from "acceptable" to "unethical" — or even "cheating"?

Tom, 22, from Maidstone in the UK, graduated with a geography degree last year. He says he applied to more than 200 jobs before landing a restaurant manager position last month.

He told the BBC that the whole job-hunting process was "exhausting" and "demoralizing," and that employers often didn't even reply. Without AI's help, he says, he simply couldn't have kept going.

"Employers want you to put your best self into each application, but if you're applying to 10 to 20 jobs a day, that's just not realistic," Tom said. He stressed that he never used AI in assessments or interviews, but did use it to help write cover letters and resumes, or to identify the "keywords" that early screening processes look for.

He also thinks it's "hypocritical" for companies to tell applicants not to use AI while using AI themselves to screen candidates. "It's like walking a strange tightrope. You can't rely too much on AI, or you won't seem like a real person; but if you don't write like AI, you might get filtered out by the AI screening system entirely."

Students face fiercer competition

Tom says it's "hypocritical" for some companies to ask job seekers not to use AI while using AI themselves to screen applicants.

This summer, the UK's Institute of Student Employers (ISE) surveyed 155 of the UK's largest graduate employers and found they had become "more accepting" of applicants using AI at "certain stages" of the recruitment process.

The most commonly accepted use, according to the industry body, was writing cover letters or resumes, followed by completing online application questions.

However, the survey also found that 92% of employers had encountered or suspected "inappropriate use" of AI in the recruitment process — up from 85% last year.

The most common cases included using AI as a real-time assistant during online video interviews, or to complete online assessments.

What's more, the technology also lets applicants fire off large numbers of applications at once — an industry practice known as "spray and pray." ISE co-CEO Stephen Isherwood told the BBC that this "drives up competition and pressure on students," in a graduate job market that is already highly competitive.

"An uneven playing field"

Hollie Moody, a recruitment representative for French energy giant EDF, says using AI in job applications is an "ethical dilemma" for both employers and employees.

Hollie Moody, head of early careers recruitment at energy giant EDF, told the BBC that given how "brutal" the job market currently is, she doesn't blame graduates for using AI in their job search.

But she believes it has become a problem.

The company opened its graduate recruitment program three weeks ago but closed it early after receiving 12,000 applications — a 10% increase on last year.

Moody told reporters that AI has almost certainly fueled this surge in applications, and that in the actual selection process, it is being "used more freely."

She added: "We don't have a level playing field, because some candidates use AI heavily throughout the process, while others don't use it at all."

Like many companies, EDF has now issued AI usage guidelines and tries to make its recruitment process as "AI-proof" as possible.

The company only looks at resumes in the later stages of recruitment, and uses skills- and behavior-based online assessments and video interviews to assess candidates more accurately.

But Moody says some applicants still try to exploit loopholes, especially in video interviews.

She explained: "We hear a lot of the same answers. Or someone will pause and wait for AI to give them an answer. It feels like they're reading from a script."

Another trainee accountant, who recently started work and spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity, said he applied to 50 graduate positions and used AI for every one.

But he said he only used it to research roles, polish his resume, and generate practice questions for video interviews.

He told the BBC he would never use the technology to cheat on assessments, but he knows people who do.

"I know someone who applied to 100 jobs and eventually became desperate. If they see everyone else using AI, they think: how do I compete?"

According to the ISE, the graduate market has stabilized after a sharp decline last year, but it remains tough. Each UK graduate job now attracts an average of 141 applications.

Only 16% of employers in the survey use AI in their recruitment process, but 29% plan to introduce it within the next year.

In response, Moody told the BBC that her company does not currently use AI in its recruitment process, but may have to adopt it in the future.

For her, using AI in job hunting remains an "ethical dilemma" that both employers and applicants will continue to face. But she stressed that it cannot replace the qualities companies look for in new hires.

She told the BBC: "What matters is authenticity, and personality. We want diverse thinking in our company."