How to use Ai wisely? Tara Ratnayake, an HR Business Partner & Immigrant Career Coach, asks? 

‘Ask for help- don’t copy and paste. You  decide what goes into your CV, not AI.  Be careful with common AI phrases. Protect the integrity of your experience section. Watch Spellings and Use AI to review, not to exaggerate.’ She clarifies.

After a recent conversation with a colleague about the quality of candidate applications, I felt the need to write this article because, as always, I care deeply about supporting our community with practical and honest job search advice with my experience. We were discussing something many recruiters are noticing lately: while application volumes are high, the quality of applications is often disappointing due to overly AI-generated. 

The labour market has been competitive globally, not just in New Zealand. MBIE’s economic snapshot shows that unemployment sat at 5.4% at the end of 2025 and is expected to rise slightly to 5.6% by June 2026. At the same time, economic pressure, job cuts throughout 2024, and ongoing restructuring and hiring freezes have added another layer of complexity to the New Zealand labour market. Therefore, candidates have been a bit desperate about job search and presenting their skills. 

Using AI in different ways by using different tools to draft CVs, cover letters and get ready for online interviews. But is this working?

From my experience, AI is not yet mature enough for employers to rely on highly AI-generated content as an accurate reflection of a candidate’s real skills. In fact, it can damage trust, because from recruiters’ side most recruiters and hiring managers can recognise AI-crafted CVs very quickly and highly polished but generic applications often create doubt, not confidence, especially when the language doesn’t sound human or authentic. 

So, the real issue is not whether to use AI but how to use it wisely.

• Ask for help- don’t copy and paste- If you need help you write, ask for help but don’t totally rely on AI to provide correct information on your skills, so don’t copy paste the entire content. So go through the AI version and use it appropriately, don’t paste all the polished vocabulary that even you don’t understand, be simple on your CV. This is one thing that I was talking about with my colleague: candidates having words that not we use day to day language. 
• You decide what goes into your CV, not AI – Understand the areas you need to add in your CV, don’t let AI decide what to add, then ask help if you want to know how to articulate it, then you can write it in your own way. Then, if needed, ask AI to help you articulate it better. From my coaching experience with many immigrants, I often see CVs that don’t align with the New Zealand context using unfamiliar phrases, technical terms, or overseas-style descriptions. Remember. You know your skills better than any AI tool.
• Be careful with common AI phrases- Phrases like “highly motivated,” “results-driven,” or excessive adjectives can make your CV feel unnatural. In New Zealand workplaces, plain, practical language is valued. Too many adjectives can actually work against you and I have seen this a lot in recent CVs and cover letters.
• Protect the integrity of your experience section- Experience sections are the most important section in your CV, because that is where employers get an understanding of your skills, especially what you have done in your previous roles. So, don’t add things that you haven’t done or not matching with your skills, know everything you add in your CV. Don’t use AI to rewrite you experience section, just use it when you need help to articulate but write it authentically. Recruiters can easily spot duties that don’t match your seniority or background.
• Watch Spellings– AI tools mostly have American spellings, don’t use American spellings and be mindful when you use words as recruiters will know in a second what you have done.
• Use AI to review, not to exaggerate – use AI prompts correctly, to catch mistakes not to rewrite or add fancy words. By this way you can be confident in what you have in your resume and be confident in an interview.

A note on AI and interviews- I’ve also seen candidates using AI-generated interview scripts, especially during video interviews. This is risky because hiring teams can easily tell when responses sound scripted or read. Use AI to understand the question, get guidance on structure but then answer in your own words, naturally.

Hiring managers focus on reducing hiring risk and finding suitable candidates they can trust. That’s why unusual or doubtful applications will be out of the pool. Show them you are a safe pair of hands who understands their own skills, rather than letting AI define you

Tara Rathnayake – New Zealand

(HR Business Partner & Immigrant Career Coach- DoitrightNZ)