Employer Perspectives: The Future of Work and AI in Recruitment

What are your most popular questions for employers about AI use and job hunting? Let's take a look:

  • Can I use AI in my applications?
  • How are employers using AI in recruitment?
  • What AI skills do I need for the world of work?
  • How is AI changing the nature of job roles?

Don’t forget to also look at the Careers Service's wider advice on using AI in your career-thinking and job-search:

Remember, this page has general advice and information, it is always worth checking the AI usage guidance for the organisation you are applying to.

Can I use AI in my applications?

Before deciding whether to use AI in an application, always check whether the employer has shared any guidance on applicant AI use during the recruitment process, either on their website, in their communication with you or via social media. Increasingly, employers are providing guidance on whether AI use in applications is acceptable, and if it is, how it can be used. Often these are larger employers such as:

However, not all employers have guidance in place so we have created some general tips and advice: Using AI for applications (The University of Manchester). Although effective AI use can enhance an application, it can equally reduce its impact. For example:

  • AI might take away your authentic voice, making your application sound generic and therefore meaning it doesn’t stand out. For example, AI will tend to mention you have skills, but not demonstrate how you used them or what impact this had. It relies on you to contribute these insights.
  • AI cannot fully reflect on your experiences, achievements or learning in the way that you can. For example, what the outcome of an experience was, how you behaved or your personal learning.
  • Using AI during a live interview is generally not recommended, unless an employer explicitly states that it is permitted. It can detract from your performance, distracting you, creating a delay in your responses, not providing you time to check what it is suggesting and reducing the opportunity for the employer to get to know you and your own responses.
  • Want to know more? In the 2025 Student Recruitment Survey from the Institute of Student Employers (ISE), 61% of employers they surveyed (92 organisations) highlighted that ‘using AI during interviews without disclosure or permission’ was a form of cheating that they had detected during their recruitment process. The Careers Service has also had feedback from some employers who were able to detect when an interview candidate is reading from a script or using AI prompts. You can read more about the ISE survey here: How are employers using AI in early careers recruitment? | ISE

If you plan to use AI in your applications, we recommend reading our further guidance on using AI effectively in applications for more information:

How are employers using AI in recruitment?

Each employer will be navigating use of AI in their recruitment processes differently; for example, some may use it for creating recruitment materials, whilst some may not use it at all.

In the 2025 Student Recruitment Survey by the ISE, when 119 organisations were asked about the disadvantages of using AI in recruitment, 71% said that they had a preference for a more human-centric approach in the recruitment process, 67% said that there was potential for bias in AI decision-making and 65% had concerns about reliability. You can read more about the survey here: How are employers using AI in early careers recruitment? | ISE. Employers may consider a number of things when deciding whether and how to use AI when hiring. For example, broadly speaking AI has potential to make some parts of hiring quicker, perhaps by helping with writing job adverts. Whereas for more subjective stages of recruitment, such as interviews or assessment centres, AI may not be seen as reliable.

It is worth noting that how employers design their recruitment processes may change in the coming years in reaction to developing technologies and how AI is being used by applicants.

Some graduate recruiters use Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) systems in their recruitment. ATS systems have been in use for years and whilst they can incorporate AI, this isn’t necessarily the case. Using AI in recruitment could mean using tools that scan, interpret or infer information from an application, whereas ATS systems are used as a way to manage applications, scanning CVs for keywords, for example.

The Careers Service advice on the application process should help you to build effective applications regardless of whether an employer is using AI in their recruitment process or not.

Find our advice here: Applications / interviews (The University of Manchester)

What AI skills do I need for the world of work?

The AI skills you need will depend on the roles and sectors you are interested in. You do not need to become an AI specialist, but it is useful to build confidence using AI tools critically, responsibly and appropriately. The Institute of Student Employers (ISE) found that critical thinking, AI literacy, communication and adaptability are among some of the skills that employers expect to become increasingly important as early-career roles evolve.

A good starting point is AI literacy. This means understanding what AI can and cannot do, writing clear prompts, checking outputs carefully and knowing when your own judgement is needed. ISE's interviews with IBM and The Coca-Cola Company show that employers also value the ability to learn, problem-solve and work effectively alongside AI as tools develop.

One simple way to write clearer prompts is RTF: Role, Task, Format. Tell the AI what role you want it to take; the task you want it to complete and the format you want the answer in. Always check the output and apply your own judgement.

To build your AI skills, start with one role you are interested in:

  • Find three job descriptions and note any AI, digital or software skills mentioned.
  • Choose one relevant skill and take a short online course to develop it.
  • Put it into practice using a task similar to how AI is being used in your sector. For example, Skills England reports that AI is being used for campaign planning and content creation in the Creative Industries, document review and contract analysis in legal services, and coding assistance and predictive analytics in Digital and Technology. You could practise by asking AI to develop campaign ideas for a product, summarise or review a publicly available document, or explain and improve a simple piece of code, depending on the area that interests you. Always review the output critically rather than accepting it at face value.
  • If you cannot find clear examples of how AI is being used in your preferred job or sector, consider contacting someone working in that area and asking how AI is affecting their role, which tasks are changing, and what skills they would recommend developing.
  • Review the output: check what is accurate, what is missing and what you would change.
  • If you aren’t sure what area you want to work in, but you do want to start building your digital and AI skills, a good starting point is the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report. In 2025, AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity, and technological literacy were all in the top 10 fastest growing skills by 2030.

This practical approach reflects the Prospects and ISE AI and Early Careers report, where half of respondents wanted hands-on support to build confidence using AI.

Is AI impacting roles in my industry?

It is understandable to feel uncertain about how AI may affect your career plans. The Prospects and ISE AI and Early Careers report found that 13% of respondents had changed their career plans because of AI, while a further third of respondents had considered doing so.

Current employer evidence suggests that roles are changing, but widespread job displacement is not expected in the short term. ISE's Student Development Survey 2026 found that 87% of employers expect AI to reshape graduate and apprentice roles in some capacity. But this research from the ISE survey indicates that 40% expected no entry-level roles to be replaced over the next three years and 42% expected only a small proportion (1–10%) to be affected.

ISE's interviews with IBM and The Coca-Cola Company give examples of what this reshaping can look like. At Coca-Cola, AI is increasingly supporting tasks traditionally completed by junior employees, while IBM is seeing entry-level employees use AI as part of delivering solutions for clients. Both continue to recruit graduates and apprentices.

The key is not to treat AI as a simple question of whether a job will disappear. In many sectors, some tasks within a role may be automated or supported by AI, while other parts of the job become more important. When thinking about your career plans, ask not just “Will AI replace this job?” but “How is AI changing this job, which tasks are likely to change, and what could I do now to adapt?

Whilst it is important to be aware of how AI might impact your area of interest, you can also focus on the unique skillset that you bring to a role, for example, your transferable skills such as communication, collaboration and critical thinking. In the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report from 2025, creative thinking, analytical thinking, curiosity and leadership were all mentioned in the top 10 fastest growing skills by 2030, skills that remain highly valued alongside AI. This is also reflected in the employer interviews on this page.

To understand what this means for a career you are considering, you could:

  • Explore the sector: search the GOV.UK AI Champions' Adoption Plans for your sector of interest, or Google search “AI + (insert your sector) + the current year”. Note one example of how AI is being used.
  • Research an employer: choose an organisation you might apply to and search its website for “AI” or “artificial intelligence”. Check its news, careers and graduate pages.
  • Check the role: find two current vacancies on CareerConnect, Prospects, LinkedIn or employer careers sites. Look for references to AI, automation, digital tools, data or software.
  • Ask someone doing the job: ask a professional or alumnus: “Has AI changed any of the tasks you do, and is there anything you would recommend learning before entering the sector?” You can use LinkedIn to find relevant contacts.

Then ask yourself: What is changing, what still needs human input, and what is one skill I could start developing now? Whilst jobs are changing and adapting, having a clear sense of your skillset, digital, as well as technical and transferable, and how you are continuing to develop it is key.

In summary

  • Can I use AI in my applications? Depends on the employer - check their guidance! If you are going to use it, do so effectively. Use our advice if you're unsure: Using AI for applications (The University of Manchester)
  • How are employers using AI in recruitment? This varies from employer to employer. No matter if they are using it or not, focus on making your applications as effective as possible by articulating your interest and how you meet the requirements of the role. Our advice on applications goes into more detail: Applications / interviews (The University of Manchester)
  • What AI skills do I need for the world of work? Depends on your role / industry. Always research your area of interest and the skills they are currently looking for - this can be a great way to guide development of both your digital and AI skills, as well as your personal skills. The Prospects Job Profiles can be really useful for this: Job profiles | Prospects.ac.uk and see our other top tips above!
  • Is AI impacting roles in my industry? This varies from industry to industry. Keep researching and speaking to people in your area of interest. Focus on your skills, interest and experience and how they can be applied.

Further resources