How the Use of AI Tools Are Impacting Hiring in Ireland
It’s safe to say that over the last two years or so, AI tools have changed almost every aspect of our working lives. And that of course includes how we hire new employees, how our current employees work day-to-day and how we approach our workforce planning into the future.
In order to give both businesses and candidates more clarity on what this all should ideally look like, we launched our 2026 AI Report.
The report takes in the opinions and plans of 2,106 respondents, comprising 1,962 employees and 144 employers across seven global markets including Ireland, the UK, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.
And the statistics coming from Ireland paint an interesting picture of how the market has integrated AI tools into many aspects of our working lives, along with significant candidate and employer resistance to certain aspects. Here’s a quick runthrough of what we found:
- 71% of candidates in Ireland use AI when applying for jobs.
- 35% of candidates in Ireland are significantly less likely to apply to businesses that use AI candidate screening.
- 32% of candidates have no trust in AI screening, which is the highest in the seven regions we surveyed (22% globally).
- 31% of employers say that AI-optimised CVs have made it harder to verify candidates’ skills.
- 47% of employers do not use AI in their hiring process.
To make sense of it all and uncover how businesses in Ireland should best adjust their approach with these findings in mind, we spoke to Jay Davitt, Operations Director Commerce & Industry, at Morgan McKinley Ireland.
Here, he shares his expert advice for both employers and candidates who may be wondering about where they should and shouldn’t use AI tools for better hiring efficiency, employee experience and smarter planning.
1. Expect AI-Tailored Applications as the Norm
With nearly three quarters of candidates (71%) reportedly using AI during their job searches in Ireland, receiving AI-polished CVs and cover letters is something that employers will need to adjust to.
“We’re seeing more candidates use tools such as ChatGPT to tailor their CVs and cover letters to specific job specifications. While AI can be a valuable tool, it can also be quite obvious when an application has been generated or overly refined by AI.”
Jay’s advice? “Tailor your application yourself first. Then use AI as a tool to refine it. Start by highlighting the skills, experience and achievements that genuinely align with the role. From there, AI can help improve the structure, clarity and wording. Your application should sound like you, not like a template.”
He adds: “AI can sometimes transform a CV too much, making it overly graphical or visually complex, which won’t work for certain industries. Hiring managers want to quickly understand what you do, your experience and what you have achieved”.
2. Watch Out for ‘AI Inflation’ at All Stages of Hiring
Not only will using AI without care not always hit the right tone for your industry, it’s making it harder for employers to trust what you’ve included in your application. Our report found that 31% of employers in Ireland find AI makes it harder to verify a candidate’s skills or background. Jay advises to be particularly careful of this for both your CV and assignments:
“I’ve seen CVs where the achievements listed don’t seem realistic for the time spent in the role. AI can sometimes overstate your involvement. For example, turning contribution to a project into ‘leading’ the project. Always review your CV carefully before sending it. Make sure it reflects what you actually did and achieved. AI should enhance, not exaggerate”.
“We’ve also had many hiring managers tell us they can tell when presentations have been created entirely by AI. Again, create the presentation yourself first, then use AI to refine it. Take its suggestions on board, but make sure the content, ideas and message remain your own. AI should support your thinking — not replace it”.
3. Avoid AI Ruling Out Qualified Candidates
In our report, nearly a third (32%) of candidates in Ireland have no trust for AI screening, which reflects what Jay has encountered: “Candidates are understandably frustrated with the increasing use of AI in recruitment”:
It can also mean companies are missing out on strong candidates: “If a CV doesn’t contain the right keywords, AI screening could filter out someone whose experience is highly relevant but whose CV is simply worded differently.”
He explains: “I have had senior finance candidates tell us they don’t want to ‘put their CV into a black hole again’ and have asked us to approach companies directly on their behalf. AI screening can certainly save time, but it’s important not to let it prevent great candidates from being seen.”
4. Prioritise Direct and Authentic Candidates
The overuse of AI is also something Jay has seen that has started to frustrate employers, with 6% saying it has increased application volumes. It’s also making it difficult to trust what’s featured: "When clients see noticeable AI, they're concerned that the skillset on the CV isn't actually real. The authentic approach is always better."
Jay reminds us that hiring managers are looking for candidates to showcase their individuality during assignments: "They want to see your personality in a presentation. AI can make content feel polished and professional, but it can also make it feel overly formal and impersonal. Let your individual style come through: that’s what helps you stand out".
If candidates do create presentations with AI, it may lose them the job: "I’ve had several hiring managers say, ‘The presentation was good, but it was clearly created using AI.’ While AI can help, relying on it too heavily can work against you. Hiring managers want to see the thought, effort and personality behind the work. Use AI to support, not to create it for you".
5. Protect Your Culture Fit With In-Person Evaluation
Although 37% of candidates in Ireland use AI for interview preparation, Jay’s stance is that they will very much continue to be in-person: “The interview process will still require the human element. Meeting candidates face-to-face, having meaningful conversations and understanding whether they’re the right cultural fit will remain an important part of recruitment.”
According to our report, almost half (47%) of employers in Ireland currently do not use AI screening anywhere in their recruitment funnel. This is something that Jay doesn’t see increasing dramatically any time soon, especially for Small to medium sized businesses in Ireland:
"Large multinationals may increasingly use AI for high-volume recruitment. But for many small to medium-sized Irish businesses, I don’t expect adoption to happen as quickly. For these companies, recruitment is likely to remain a more traditional, relationship-driven process."
6. Evolve Your Assessment With Live Tasks
One of the most effective ways that employers can fully assess AI-polished CVs, cover letters and potentially presentations however, is to use in-person interviews to set tasks in real-time. This is where the interview process needs to be very specific and face-to-face:
“I’d encourage companies to meet candidates in person and get them to complete a short case study, followed by an opportunity to explain their approach and answer questions. For competency-based interviews, I’d also recommend using the STAR technique to help structure responses.”
Jay explains the value of live tasks during the interview process for employers to ensure they hire the right candidate: “These tasks could be targeted towards the exact job spec to ensure that the candidates have the required skills that they have showcased on their CV”.
7. If You Do Use AI, Be Upfront with Applicants
For over a third (37%) of employers in Ireland who do use AI tools in their recruitment, either for candidate sourcing, parsing CVs, interview scheduling, skills assessment, interview analysis (along with those who aren’t sure if AI is used), Jay says that transparency is the best route here with candidates:
"Be clear with candidates about what you’re looking for. If you use AI screening software, tell candidates upfront and explain your expectations around AI-generated CVs and cover letters. Being transparent from the outset gives candidates a clear understanding of the process and what is expected of them."
While this will help the 32% of candidates who do not trust AI screening according to our report, bear in mind that 59% of candidates would either be significantly less likely or somewhat hesitant to apply to an organisation that does use AI screening.
8. Get Support Cutting Through Application Volume
Finally, if you do find your hiring or TA teams are getting overwhelmed by an influx of AI-generated applications that they’re struggling to sort through, getting support from a recruitment agency may be the best path forward:
“Clients are receiving huge application volumes, yet many CVs are starting to look alike. They often don’t have the time to review hundreds of these when so many follow the same format and language. Your CV needs to stand out for the right reasons: by clearly showing your experience, achievements and what you can bring.'"
Jay adds: “We keep the human approach during screening. No AI tools can tell you whether candidates are the right fit. Only meeting them face-to-face will and it’s much more efficient to leave this to recruiters. I often say to clients: ‘I don’t charge you for the six CVs I send. I charge you for the 400 that you don’t have to read.’”
Want to learn more about the impact of AI tools on recruitment in Ireland? Download our 2026 AI Report below – or speak to one of our consultants about your hiring.
