LinkedIn automates job application process for premium users

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LinkedIn is gradually rolling out a new Premium Apply Assistant for job seekers, an artificial intelligence-powered system which is designed to make it easier for paid LinkedIn users to apply for the open roles that they’re best suited for.

Premium Apply Assistant highlights the optimal open roles for applicants, and is able to pre-fill key application details on behalf of members. The tool can even generate introductory letters in order to streamline the application process and ensure the applicant puts their best foot forward.

Each element of an application is checked over by LinkedIn’s AI system, and then given a confidence indicator that signals whether that part of the application is ready, based on LinkedIn’s assessment.

Users can then submit their application, with LinkedIn specifically noting that recruiters won’t know that any of their application was AI generated. “Recruiters see only the content you choose to submit,” Linkedin said. “Draft creation and AI assistance are not shown to recruiters.”

Essentially, LinkedIn’s Premium Apply Assistant will be able to automate user job search for roles for which they’re identified as a top match.

It’ll even work for roles not advertised on LinkedIn itself, with Premium Apply Assistant able to pre-fill supported fields and provide application letter drafts.

Of course, LinkedIn users still have to approve all of these elements, so there is, at least theoretically, a level of human checking within this process.

But logic would suggest that many people won’t check every detail, and will instead use this process to just apply for any and all roles that LinkedIn’s system thinks they’re a fit for, automating each step in order to submit their applications.

Which seems potentially problematic, because if people aren’t entering the relevant details themselves, and aren’t even composing cover letters to outline their skills and potential fit, that could lead to misrepresentation, which could make it harder for recruiters to get a good sense of the applicant through this process.

Interestingly, the roll-out of Premium Apply also comes as LinkedIn is looking to crack down on AI slop in the feed, with AI-generated posts and comments becoming a significant problem in the app.

So on one hand, LinkedIn is pushing people to automate job applications, while on the other, it’s recognizing that AI-generated content can be misleading and harmful.

Those two approaches don’t seem to mesh, especially in an element such as job searches. That’s an area where LinkedIn should be looking to ensure that it refers only the best candidates for open roles, not those who pay the most, and can get an AI bot to put together an application on their behalf.

Presumably, LinkedIn has done in-depth testing on this front, and it’s confident that the system won’t be misused. But it does feel like job applications, and particularly cover letters, should come from the person applying for the role, rather than from an automated system.

In the end, tools like this one will likely make things much harder for recruiters when it comes to people based on applications, because those applications will increasingly not have been written by actual humans.

That will then put more onus on businesses to hire HR decision makers who are really good at assessing talent in person, because the true value of those initial resumes and letters will be eroded over time.