askST Jobs: Is AI rejecting my job applications even before a human sees them?

askST Jobs: Is AI rejecting my job applications even before a human sees them?Sign up now: Get tips on how to grow your career and moneyAI tools trained on a company’s past hiring data may reinforce existing biases. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUITimothy GohPublished Jul 27, 2026, 05:00 AMUpdated Jul 27, 2026, 05:00 AMSet as preferred sourceSummariseAI is widely used in recruitment for tasks like screening, interviewing, and scheduling, helping recruiters focus on culture fit and motivation.

AI can reinforce hiring biases and may deter senior candidates, affecting talent acquisition quality.Candidates should highlight key skills clearly, back claims with examples, and use AI as a tool, while employers must combine AI with human judgement for fair hiring.AI generatedIn this series, business correspondent Timothy Goh offers practical answers to candid questions on navigating workplace challenges and getting ahead in your career.

Get more tips by signing up to The Straits Times’ Headstart newsletter.Q: How are employers using AI in recruitment, and how can candidates improve their chances?Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used for high-volume recruitment tasks such as drafting job advertisements, sourcing candidates, ranking resumes, scheduling interviews and conducting first-round screening interviews.

“Where it’s used well, it frees up recruiters to spend more time on judgment calls, culture fit and career motivation – things a system can’t assess once they actually sit down with candidates who’ve made it through the screening,” said Michelle Koh, managing director at executive search firm The Edge Partnership.Koh also noted that the use of AI chatbots to conduct first-round interviews has moved from “experimental to mainstream” in recent times. Such systems can ensure candidates are asked the same questions in the same order, reducing the “mood of the interviewer” variance that can affect human screening.

Chatbots can also save recruiters’ time by answering routine questions about salary bands and company culture, while allowing candidates to complete interviews at their convenience rather than taking leave to attend one.But AI tools trained on a company’s past hiring data may also reinforce existing biases.“For example, if a company has historically hired from the same two or three universities or filtered out candidates who have taken career breaks, the algorithm will keep doing that at scale, just faster and less visibly than a person would,” said Koh.

She said candidates should make use of AI to refine and tailor their curriculum vitae to the role, but warned against relying on it too heavily.“It’s now easy, and genuinely worth doing, to use AI to review what you’ve written and tailor your CV to what the job description is asking for,” she said.However, applications that are overly polished or obviously AI-generated can also backfire.

“The AI version of your CV should still be a well-thought-through one,” she said, adding that candidates still need to provide the right input so that their applications reflect both the role’s requirements and their personal brand.Koh also cautioned against relying solely on AI-generated CVs and online job portals.“Build relationships with recruiters and people in your field before you need a job, and keep your LinkedIn genuinely current rather than keyword-stuffed,” she said.

“Both the algorithm and the human reading it afterward will notice the difference.”Kevin Chan, chief executive of HR technology company Epitome Global, said humans should ultimately decide which criteria matter, which requirements are essential and what the system should reward.“Even when a machine executes a pass or rejection, employers remain accountable for the process behind it,” he said.

Still, candidates are increasingly using AI to generate and tailor applications, creating a recruitment arms race.“Recruiters receive more polished applications, but many use similar language and reveal very little about the individuals behind them. This is why employers then turn to more automation to manage the volume,” said Chan.

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He said candidates can improve their chances of progressing through the hiring process by making key qualifications and skills easy to identify, while backing up claims with specific examples and measurable achievements rather than generic descriptors.He also encouraged job seekers to build portfolios or other evidence of their work, especially if they have taken a non-traditional career path, and to cultivate professional relationships that can provide context beyond a CV.While AI can help improve clarity and tailor applications, it should be used as an editing tool rather than a substitute for personal judgment, said Chan.

“The candidates who stand out will be those who can demonstrate what they can do