ResumeBuilder.com Survey Finds 6 in 10 Hiring Managers Have Received More High-Quality Applications Since ChatGPT Launch

Although many recruiting managers acknowledge the utility of ChatGPT, some still believe that using the AI tool is ‘cheating’

ResumeBuilder.com, the premier resource for professional resume templates and career advice, has published a recent survey report that examines how hiring managers feel about applicants using ChatGPT to write their resumes and/or cover letters. The report also shares insight into how ChatGPT has altered the hiring process. Overall, researchers collected and analyzed responses from 1,000 hiring managers in the United States.

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According to survey results, 61 percent of hiring managers say they noticed an increase in qualified applications since ChatGPT became available in November 2022. Likewise, 63 percent of respondents say the candidates they believe used ChatGPT-generated materials appeared to be more qualified than the candidates they believe did not use ChatGPT. Additionally, 71 percent of respondents rated the quality of application materials written by ChatGPT as ‘high’ or ‘very high’ quality.

Survey results also indicate that 91 percent of hiring managers say they receive application materials they believe were written by ChatGPT ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ often. However, based on a previous ResumeBuilder.com survey from February 2023, only 46 percent of job seekers say they use ChatGPT to write their resumes and/or cover letters. This suggests that hiring managers may be overestimating the use of ChatGPT among job applicants. In fact, only 18 percent of respondents were able to successfully identify three consecutive cover letter introductions as written by a human or by ChatGPT.

“As I suspected, this new technology is having great results, with over 60% of these hiring managers seeing more qualified applications,” comments Stacie Haller, Chief Career Advisor. Haller has been a ChatGPT proponent as this technology continues to evolve.

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“Clearly, a better written resume helps candidates highlight their abilities, so hiring managers are seeing an increase in high-quality applications” she continues. “The message here is for candidates to jump on this technology as well. Staying current on tech is key for candidates in this evolving market.”

Aside from job applicants, survey results reveal that 85 percent of hiring managers ‘somewhat’ or ‘often’ use ChatGPT to write job descriptions and 85 percent ‘somewhat’ or ‘often’ use ChatGPT to correspond with job applicants. Despite their usage of the AI platform, 28 percent of hiring managers still ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ agree that using ChatGPT is cheating, and 27 percent would be ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ likely to reject a candidate who used ChatGPT. Ninety-three percent of respondents are even ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ considering removing take-home projects from the application process, since applicants can readily use ChatGPT to complete them.

This survey was commissioned by ResumeBuilder.com and conducted online via survey platform Pollfish from March 22-26, 2023. In total, 1,000 participants in the United States completed the full survey. All participants passed through demographic filters to ensure they were currently employed for wages, worked at a company with at least two employees, had an annual household income of at least $50,000, and were at least 25 years old. Additionally, respondents identified their company role as either a C-level executive, HR manager, President/CEO/Chairperson, owner, or partner. Respondents also went through a primary screening to include only respondents who ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ frequently review candidates’ application materials, and a secondary screening to include only respondents who believe they have reviewed materials written by ChatGPT.

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