UK graduate employers report rising AI misuse in recruitment
A survey of UK graduate employers found 92% suspected or confirmed misconduct during recruitment, with unauthorised AI use the most common concern. Employers are also considering AI screening as graduate roles attract an average of 141 applications.
theguardian.comUse of AI in job interviews on the rise – but UK recruiters say they can spot the cheats
bbc.comIs it OK for jobseekers or employers to use AI?
Recruitment misconduct reaches new high
Reports of misconduct in graduate recruitment have reached a record high, according to the Institute of Student Employers’ annual survey. It found 92% of employers suspected or confirmed misconduct during assessment and selection, compared with 85% the previous year and 78% the year before that.
Unauthorised AI use during interviews and online assessments was the most common form of misconduct. Some 66% of respondents reported at least one incident of a graduate misusing AI in an interview, while 47% reported applicants using it to complete online assessments.
Recruiters describe warning signs
Chris Morrow, who runs Manchester recruitment agency Digitalent and recruits for the AI sector, said candidates were using apps that listen to virtual interviews and suggest answers in real time. His agency tends to end interviews when it detects such use, which he considers cheating.
Morrow said warning signs included delays while candidates waited for responses, filler phrases and unnaturally formal language. ISE chief executive Stephen Isherwood warned that misrepresenting abilities could leave candidates in jobs for which they were ill-suited.
Preparation versus misrepresentation
An unnamed trainee accountant told the BBC he had used AI in all 50 of his graduate job applications, but only to research roles, tidy his CV and generate practice interview questions. He said he would not use it to cheat on assessments, although he knew people who would, and described pressure on applicants who believed others were using it.
EDF’s Hollie Moody described AI in applications as a “moral dilemma” but said it could not replace the authenticity, personality and diversity of thought the company wanted from recruits.
Employers weigh their own AI use
Graduate roles attract an average of 141 applications, according to the ISE. Only 16% of surveyed employers use AI to screen candidates, but more than half plan to introduce it because of application volumes. EDF does not currently use AI screening, though Moody said it might have to in future.
The ISE survey reported that graduate hiring rose 4% in 2026 after an 8% decline the previous year, with employers expecting a further 7% rise over the next 12 months. Isherwood attributed reductions in hiring to economic uncertainty rather than AI adoption, saying concerns about AI’s impact were “two or three years down the line”.
