How AI can help you land your next role - Faster, smarter and with more confidence

If you're a jobseeker in 2025, chances are you've heard a lot about how AI is revolutionising how companies hire. Perhaps more importantly, though, is how it's changing how candidates stand out.

Over the past five years, I've helped scale Employment Hero from a team of 200 to more than 1,500 across the globe. In that time, we've seen AI go from being a niche curiosity to a practical, everyday tool that both talent teams and jobseekers are leaning into.

Today, the most successful candidates I see are the ones who aren't just aware of AI, they're actively experimenting with it. This means they're using it to work smarter, express themselves better, and prove their agility in a fast-changing hiring market.

Here's how AI can give you the edge in your job search, and how to use it without losing your own voice in the process.

Think of AI as your job search co-pilot (you're still in the drivers seat)

The biggest misconception I hear is that AI will "take over" the hiring process, or that using AI to support your job application is somehow dishonest. 

The reality is: when used well, AI doesn't at all replace your effort  - but it does enhance it.

That's especially true in the early stages of your job hunt. AI tools can help you:

• Proofread and tailor your resume to a specific job role.

• Reword your LinkedIn profile to better reflect your tone and goals.

• Prepare for interviews using simulated AI interviewers or question banks (and offer really tangible, frank feedback if you ask it to).

• Explore alternate careers by matching your skills to other roles or industries.

These tools aren't there to do the thinking for you. They merely exist to help you express your ideas faster and more confidently.

Show us how you've used AI (with real outcomes)

From a hiring perspective, I'm always impressed when a candidate doesn't just say they've "played around with ChatGPT". Instead, they can tell me how they used the tool they have, with results.

Maybe you used AI to save time on admin in your last job? Maybe you trained a writing assistant on your brand tone to streamline content creation? Perhaps you created a chatbot or developed custom code for your side hustle?

That kind of initiative shows us that you're not just reacting to change, you're actively engaging with it.

Even if your current workplace restricts AI tools, showing us how you've used them in personal projects or to support your learning journey is incredibly valuable. 

I firmly believe that intellectual curiosity is a skill in its own right. So, let me share a real-world example of that: earlier this month, we hired a new Digital Content Creator, Jette Cheung. In her interview, she showcased how she used AI to enhance storytelling in design, covering everything from rapid storyboard generation to animated social content.

In Jette's case, she wasn't just playing with AI (for example, by creating funny pictures of her cat…) she was truly pushing its creative potential.

Train your tools, so they don't flatten your voice

One of the most important lessons I've learned is that AI reflects the quality of the prompts and examples you feed it.

Candidates who take the time to train AI tools on their tone (for example, by using past cover letters, or writing or portfolio pieces) produce far stronger and more personalised content than those who rely on generic, one-click outputs.

As a recruiter, I can tell when a cover letter has been lifted straight from a template, but I can also tell when someone has used AI smartly to refine their message. 

It's about saving time without sacrificing authenticity.

Platforms like SmartMatch are making hiring more equitable – and less exhausting

Of course, I'd be remiss not to mention our own AI-powered hiring tool at Employment Hero: SmartMatch. It's a free job-matching tool that allows candidates to create a single profile, and match automatically with open roles across our network of customers.

Unlike traditional job boards, SmartMatch removes some of the guesswork and scrolling fatigue. It considers factors like job title, location, skills and preferences, without unconscious bias creeping into the process – a pain point that many of our product managers (who were once jobseekers themselves) are very conscious of. 

Luca Barrie's story is a really nice example. After applying for a different job, Luca's profile was automatically matched with a product marketing manager role we had open that better suited his experience and strengths. We reached out and within weeks, he was onboarded. He's one of many we found this way.

SmartMatch is especially helpful for candidates pivoting into new industries or re-entering the workforce. Because the algorithm focuses on skills and fit, it can surface opportunities that might not show up through traditional channels.

Don't fear the future… embrace it with intention

AI in recruitment isn't going away. But that doesn't mean we're replacing human intuition or storytelling. 

In fact, in a world where many people are using the same tools, your ability to personalise and refine the output is what sets you apart.

At Employment Hero, we see AI as an amplifier. It's there to help you move faster, communicate better and navigate the job search with more clarity. 

Whether it's via SmartMatch or any of the powerful tools now at your fingertips, the goal is the same: to help you land a role that's right for you – sooner, smarter and with more confidence.

So don't wait for the perfect job to appear. Get curious. Start experimenting. And show us how you're using AI not just to chase work, but to shape it. 

At Employment Hero, we are always incredibly excited to hear from candidates that are ardently adopting AI and upskilling themselves in this space. If you're a trailblazer here (whether it's self-taught or otherwise), we'd always love to hear from you.