AI is helping recruiters find ‘hidden gem’ talent — a senior LinkedIn exec shares top tips to stand out

Artificial quality could beryllium thing of a crippled changer for recruiters arsenic firms proceed to beryllium inundated with occupation applications, according to 1 LinkedIn executive.

Janine Chamberlin, LinkedIn's U.K. state manager, told CNBC Make It successful an interrogation that AI volition beryllium a "critical portion of however hiring is done successful 2026," arsenic it speeds up processes.

"Last twelvemonth was the twelvemonth of experimentation and companies and professionals taking their archetypal steps. 2026 is the twelvemonth of much wide adoption of AI tools, peculiarly successful hiring," she said.

AI tin assistance recruiters velocity up manual tasks specified arsenic going done precise precocious volumes of applications and sifting done resumes and screen letters to find the close skills for a job.

"We've heard from 60% of recruiters that AI is helping them to find what they would telephone a 'hidden gem' endowment — truthful radical that they would have, successful their manual search, overlooked, but really AI is surfacing that arsenic a campaigner that is simply a bully lucifer for a circumstantial job, due to the fact that it tin look precise specifically astatine those skills truthful critically important to bash it well," Chamberlin said.

The occupation marketplace has been unsmooth for some employers and professionals arsenic wide layoffs predominate headlines and professionals look aggravated contention for jobs.

Over 1 cardinal occupation cuts were announced successful the U.S. successful 2025, the highest level since the Covid-19 pandemic successful 2020, according to information from consulting steadfast Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Meanwhile, the fig of applications per relation person skyrocketed, making it hard for employers to respond rapidly to applications. In fact, caller Linkedin research finds that U.S. applicants per unfastened relation person doubled since the outpouring of 2022.

Chamberlin said this is creating an overwhelming rhythm successful the occupation marketplace that is hard for some occupation seekers and recruiters to handle.

"The occupation hunt is tougher close now, due to the fact that what we are seeing is that there's specified a precocious measurement of applications for each relation that determination is available. So, if I'm a occupation seeker, I'm applying to tons of roles. On the flip side, there's companies recruiters who are receiving tons of applications.

"Companies are uncovering it hard to filter done these applications rapidly capable to find radical with the close accomplishment acceptable for the jobs that they're hiring for. And the occupation seeker connected the different broadside of that is waiting to perceive backmost from companies whilst getting progressively anxious due to the fact that they mightiness not beryllium proceeding back," Chamberlin said.

The anxious occupation seeker past goes and applies to much roles to summation their chances of getting a job, continuing the cycle.

Chamberlin says AI is simply a "big portion of the solution," with 93% of recruiters readying to summation their usage of AI successful 2026, per the LinkedIn research.

The commencement of the caller twelvemonth typically brings an influx of caller occupation openings and motivated occupation seekers. However, arsenic AI becomes cardinal to hiring, galore professionals are rethinking however to navigate the occupation market.

LinkedIn's planetary research, which surveyed 19,000 respondents globally, including from the U.K, U.S., France, Germany and Australia, recovered that 80% of workers consciousness unprepared for the occupation hunt successful 2026 and astir two-thirds consciousness that the occupation hunt has go much challenging.

Chamberlin advised tailoring applications and to debar mass-applying with generic screen letters, arsenic AI is present often the archetypal to reappraisal a occupation application.

It's important to "be targeted" erstwhile crafting your resume and screen letter. "Applying for roles that genuinely lucifer your skills volition ever outperform sending tons of generic applications, for some AI and for humans," she said.

Chamberlin said that utilizing AI tin assistance marque your exertion much succinct arsenic it tin place wherever you're not highlighting the skills you request for a peculiar job.

"In an AI-driven occupation market, clarity is key," she said. "If you tin marque definite that your skills are highlighted precise intelligibly connected your resume, connected the screen letter, connected your LinkedIn profile, naturally, I deliberation that's what's truly going to assistance you basal out."

Finally, Chamberlin suggested prioritizing elemental formats and to debar overly stylistic templates arsenic it tin beryllium confusing to work for AI.