Hiring managers across every Castlefield division are saying the same thing. There are more CVs coming in than ever, and it's getting harder to tell which ones reflect real experience.

The reason isn't only the market. It's AI. Tools like ChatGPT have made it easy for anyone to put together a polished, keyword-rich CV in minutes. The result is more applications, more sameness, and longer hours spent sifting before a hiring manager finds someone who actually has the experience the job needs.

This shows up clearly in procurement, where specialism,sector knowledge and category experience all matter and where a wrong hire isexpensive. The same pattern is hitting every other division too.

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Quick answers

The headline points are short.

• AI-written CVs and cover letters are now common, not unusual
• 74% of hiring managers say they have seen AI-generated content in applications (Resume Genius, 2025)
• 58% are worried about how genuine those applications are
• Application volumes are climbing fast. LinkedIn now sees around 14,200 applications aminute
• 58% of UK procurement hirers said they struggled to find the right talent in the past 12 months (CIPS Salary Guide 2025)
• The challenge has shifted from "find more candidates" to "find genuine experience faster

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Why this is happening now

Two things are happening at the same time.

First, AI use in job applications is now normal. A December 2025 survey of 2,000 UK graduates found that 65% of them were using AI to write cover letters and applications. Other UK research reported by The HR Director put the figure at 61% of recent applicants using AI to write their CVs.

Second, the volume of applications is going up. LinkedIn is now seeing around 14,200 submissions a minute, a 58% rise on the year before, and auto-apply tools account for an estimated third of that activity.

Together, that means a hiring manager opening a procurement role is not just receiving more CVs. They're receiving more CVs that look very similar to each other.

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Why procurement feels this most

Procurement hiring is already a specialist task. The CIPS UK Salary Guide 2025 found that 58% of UK procurement and supply hirers struggled to find the right talent in the past 12 months. The most common reason given was a lack of technical skills and proper procurement training.

When a CV looks polished but is light on real category, sector or commercial detail, the gap between "looks qualified" and "actually qualified" gets wider. Procurement leaders end up:

• Spending longer on each CV
• Pulling more people into first-stage interviews to check experience is real
• Re-interviewing or extending processes when first impressions don't hold up
• Losing strong candidates to other offers because the process drags on

The same dynamic shows up in finance, HR, IT and governance hiring. Procurement is just one of the clearest examples, because the role detail is so specific.

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How to spot AI-only CVs

You won't catch every AI-assisted application, and plenty of candidates use AI as a writing tool in a sensible way. The point isn't to filter AI out altogether. It's to filter for genuine experience.

Common patterns to watch for:

• General outcomes. "Delivered cost savings across multiple categories" is the kind of line AI produces. "Led the £4.2m re-tender of facilities management at a 14-Trust ICS" is what real experience reads like.
• No category, sector or commercial detail. Procurement CVs without categories, contract values, frameworks or governance context tend to read fluently but say very little.
• Identical structure across applications. AI tools tend to produce similar layouts and similar phrases.
• A polished CV followed by vague answers at interview. That's the clearest signal of all.

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What hiring managers should do

The simplest changes have the biggest effect.

1. Define must-haves narrowly. A tighter brief reduces volume and forces relevance.
2. Use scenario and context-based interview questions. The UK Government's Responsible AI in Recruitment guidance, written with the REC, APSCo and CIPD, lists structured, role-relevant assessment as a core safeguard.
3. Ask for specifics early. Open the call by asking the candidate to walk through one named project on their CV in detail.
4. Use a specialist recruiter. A recruiter who has met and vetted candidates already removes most of the volume problem before it reaches your inbox.

If you're hiring in Procurement & Supply Chain, Finance & Accounting, HR & OD or any other specialist function, contact Castlefield to submit a vacancy.

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What candidates should do

AI is a useful drafting tool. It isn't a stand-in for the experience employers are trying to verify.

The UK careers service Prospects (AGCAS) suggests using AIto help structure or draft an application, but always personalising the result with real achievements and numbers, and never letting AI invent experience. Resume Genius found that 79% of hiring managers think candidates should disclose AI use in their applications.

In practice:

• Use AI as scaffolding, not the whole answer
• Add real numbers, contract values, sector context and named projects
• Be ready to talk through every line on your CV in detail at interview
• Tailor each CV to the specific role. Generic AI output is the easiest kind to spot

You can browse live opportunities on the Castlefield job board.

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How Castlefield helps

Castlefield supports public sector and specialist hiring across the UK. We meet and vet candidates before presenting them, so hiring managers spend less time sifting and more time interviewing people who genuinely fit the role.

You can see examples of how we've supported clients in our success stories, or read more market insighton The Castlefield Briefing.

Sources used in this blog

• Resume Genius, "AI's Impact on Hiring in 2025" (survey of 1,000 hiring managers, January 2025) : https://resumegenius.com/blog/job-hunting/ai-impact-on-hiring
• HR Magazine, "Two thirds of graduates use AI for job applications"(covering Kahoot! survey of 2,000 UK graduates, December 2025): https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/content/news/two-thirds-of-graduates-use-ai-for-job-applications
• The HR Director, "61% of recent applicants used AI to write CVs": https://www.thehrdirector.com/business-news/ai/61-recent-applicants-used-ai-write-cvs/
• eWeek, LinkedIn application volume coverage: https://www.eweek.com/news/ai-job-applications-linkedin/
• CIPS Procurement & Supply Salary Guide 2025 (UK): https://salaryguide.cips.org/regions/uk-2025-2/
• UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Responsible AI in Recruitment (March 2024, with REC, APSCo and CIPD): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65fda1b9f1d3a0001132ae5b/Responsible_AI_in_Recruitment.pdf
• Prospects.ac.uk (AGCAS), "Using generative AI in job applications": https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/getting-a-job/using-generative-ai-in-job-applications

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