Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a powerful tool for job seekers, offering new ways to create polished application materials and even prepare responses to interview questions. As this trend grows, search committees must understand both the benefits, and the challenges AI presents throughout the recruitment process.

While AI can help candidates present themselves more effectively, it can also blur the line between genuine skills and AI-assisted performance. Applicants may appear highly polished on paper or during early screening, only for gaps in knowledge or communication to emerge during interviews. This can make it more difficult to assess authenticity, depth of experience, and true qualifications based on initial screening alone.

Why Job Seekers Are Using AI

It’s important to understand why more job seekers are turning to AI than ever before—often with encouragement from career advisors or institutions. For instance, some universities are now recommending students use AI tools as a starting point to help generate drafts of their résumés and cover letters, which can then be personalized and refined.

The benefits are clear:

  • Speed: AI helps job seekers quickly draft materials that might otherwise take hours.
  • Convenience: Tools can auto-format résumés, fix grammar, and provide industry-appropriate language.
  • Confidence: Especially for first-time applicants or career changers, AI provides structure and clarity.

In short, AI acts as a digital writing coach—helping candidates overcome writer’s block and meet industry standards with minimal effort.

What to Look for in Application Materials

Applicants using AI tools to prepare application materials does not constitute grounds for automatically disqualifying an application. Please read our previous HR Source article Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Crafting Resumes and Cover Letters.

When reviewing application materials, AI-generated or not, the HRS recommends watching for:

  • Application materials that are generic or not tailored to the specific position or organization
  • Heavily utilize industry-specific keywords that do not align with the experience in the materials
  • A lack of authenticity or personal voice in the résumé or cover letter
  • Significant errors or inconsistencies in application materials

A word of caution: Some candidates naturally create well-crafted, professional résumés—so it’s important not to make assumptions based solely on formatting or polish. According to findings from Software Finder, while 60% of hiring managers believed they could identify AI-generated application materials, 75% were unable to do so when tested in a blind review. This highlights how difficult it can be to distinguish between AI-assisted and authentically written content—and underscores the importance of deeper evaluation throughout the hiring process.


While it may be tempting to use AI detection tools to evaluate resumes, cover letters, or writing samples, research shows they are highly unreliable. Tools like Grammarly, Copyleaks, and GPTZero produce inconsistent results and have high false-positive and false-negative rates—often mislabeling genuine human writing or missing AI-generated content altogether (source).

Due to limitations, Human Resource Services does not recommend the use of AI detection tools in the hiring process. Other universities—including Vanderbilt, the University of Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Northwestern, and the University of Texas—have similarly disabled or advised against these tools, citing issues with accuracy and bias.

What to Watch (and Listen) for During Interviews

Search committees should also be aware of potential candidates’ overreliance on AI during phone screens and interviews. Signs may include:

  • Vague or overly polished responses
  • Difficulty articulating specific examples or details from past experiences
  • Answers that feel scripted, generic, or devoid of personal insight
  • Frequently asking for questions to be repeated, beyond normal clarification
  • Extended pauses or noticeable delays before responding to questions

During interviews, candidates who didn’t authentically develop their application content may struggle to provide meaningful or detailed responses—especially when asked to elaborate on their experience or provide an example.

A word of caution: if a candidate pauses, asks for the question to be repeated, or takes a moment to respond, it does not mean they’re waiting for an AI tool to provide an answer. Some candidates may simply need time to process the question. Be careful not to misinterpret natural reflection as red-flag behavior—it could lead to missing out on strong, thoughtful candidates.

When confirming the phone screen or interview information with a candidate, it may be helpful for the search committee to inform the candidates that AI should not be used during the interview process. Below is sample language that can be included in interview confirmation emails or at the beginning of the phone screen or interview.

  • The search committee is excited to learn more about the unique ideas, experiences, and approaches you would bring to this role. To ensure we get a true sense of your perspective and ideas, we ask that you do not use AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, or similar) to develop interview responses or engagement activities.
  • To ensure a fair and authentic interview process, we ask that all candidates refrain from using AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, or similar) to generate responses during the interview. Our goal is to learn more about your unique ideas, experiences, and approach—not those of a third-party tool. We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to meeting you.
  • Applicants are expected to provide original, authentic responses during interviews. The use of AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, or similar) to generate or assist with answers during the interview is not permitted and may result in disqualification.


Ask Questions That Require Thinking, Not Just “Yes/No”

Instead of asking yes/no questions like, “Are you experienced in Excel?”, opt for scenario-based or behavioral questions that prompt demonstration of skills. For example, ask “Tell me about a time you received a large dataset with missing values and inconsistent formatting. How did you clean and prepare it for analysis?”.

These types of questions help search committees assess how candidates think, while requiring a more in-depth answer, rather than memorized responses.

Remember, a key part of evaluating a qualified candidate is engagement. Search committees should be professionally personable, which can help candidates feel more comfortable and lead to more genuine, insightful conversations.

The Importance of Conducting Reference Checks

In an age where AI can enhance—or obscure—how candidates present themselves, verifying the details they’ve shared becomes even more important. Reference checks remain one of the most effective tools for validating education, experience, and job performance.

HRS strongly encourages all hiring managers to make reference checks a non-negotiable part of each recruitment process. They help confirm not only what’s on paper, but also how the candidate performs in real-work settings—and whether they’ll be a strong, dependable addition to your team.

Lastly, HRS strongly encourages search committees to take detailed notes during all candidate interactions—including phone screens, virtual interviews, and in-person meetings. These notes should capture not only whether the candidate appears qualified, but also the specific examples, experiences, and claims they share throughout the process. This information can later be cross-referenced during reference checks to ensure consistency and accuracy. Documenting candidate evaluations helps identify discrepancies, supports fair comparisons between applicants. It also reinforces transparency, integrity, and due diligence in every stage of recruitment.

For further inquiries regarding recruitment processes, best practices, or challenges, please contact your HRS Service Team or HRS Talent Acquisition at hrs.recruitment@wsu.edu. We are dedicated to assisting you in making informed decisions that align with your team’s needs.

Content credit: Addy Hamrick, Sr. Assistant, HRS Recruitment and Talent Acquisition; Bonnie Wilmoth, Manager, HRS Talent Acquisition