Applying for internships and graduate schemes has always been slightly brutal. The immense competition, length of processes, and the demands from firms in their interviews can be overwhelming and sometimes even the most impressive candidates still end up struggling. But recently, AI has quietly slipped into the recruitment process, and it's completely reshaping how banks and other firms find their next cohort of interns.
Some of these changes are genuinely helpful, but many uses of AI raise some uncomfortable questions about fairness and what it really means to find the right candidate.
Freshminds has over 20 years’ experience managing internship schemes for bulge bracket and investment banks and other organisations. We also source off-cycle interns and analysts and have a wealth of knowledge and insights as to the changing candidate experience, and the requirements and expectations of clients too. This piece looks at how candidates can work around AI in recruiting, and perhaps even turn it to their advantage.
Why AI is Being Used in Graduate Recruitment
We’ve had many conversations over this past year with different investment banks and other major firms about how they are or are not integrating AI into their early careers recruitment.
When you're dealing with thousands of applications and tight deadlines, it makes sense to look for technological solutions. But now, candidates are sometimes being judged by algorithms before any human being even glances at their application.
This shift can work for you or against you, depending on how you approach it.
For example, let’s take CV screening. Many recruiters and talent teams now use AI tools that scan for specific keywords, graduation dates, and competencies. This means that yes, you can get filtered out instantly, but often this is because you don’t have the right experience, or you're graduating in the wrong year for that target cohort.
The solution isn't to dumb down your application, but to be strategic about it.
Use language that mirrors the job description and the firm’s website. Make your CV scannable – clear headings, bullet points, and logical flow. Avoid creatively set-up CVs with unique formatting, and stick to a clear structure.
Very importantly, if you're using AI tools like ChatGPT to help write your applications, be careful. AI-generated content often produces generic, bland responses that are surprisingly easy to spot. You might think you're gaming the system, but many systems (and recruiters!) can spot an AI-generated answer very quickly, which, depending on the firm, could also lead to instant rejection.
CV editing and reviewing is a good example of using AI in the recruiting process to support your application, rather than cheating it. AI can help you spot silly spelling errors and maximise how easy your CV is for a recruiter to quickly scan through. On the other hand, using AI to answer the questions given by the firm is just a waste of time. Even if the recruiter doesn’t spot the use of AI in the CV screening round, as soon as they get on the phone with you, they’ll notice if your level of understanding doesn’t match what you gave in written answers.
AI in Video Interviews: What Candidates Need to Know
Video interviews are nothing new, but AI-powered analysis is! Some platforms now assess not just what you say, but how you say it – your tone, facial expressions, speaking pace, even confidence levels. It sounds dystopian, and honestly, it can feel pretty uncomfortable.
However, not every company uses AI to analyse these recordings. Many just use the technology to collect interviews, with human recruiters reviewing them later. But either way, the experience feels different from sitting across from a real person.
“Whether there's a human or an algorithm on the receiving end, authenticity still beats perfection.”
Of course, the ethics of this are debatable, and naturally, for candidates, it can feel unfair. But in a world where technology is drastically increasing the number of applications submitted to roles (we’ve seen a 50% increase in application numbers over the last year for some of our clients), firms are having to find a way to keep up, especially the larger ones. Using AI for video interviews allows firms to progress far more candidates for a first round than they would have without it.
The question is, do more candidates benefit from this or do more suffer? Are there more candidates that would have passed the first round if it were conducted by a human rather than AI? We don’t have the answers, but we do know that if we can help candidates prepare properly for all types of interviews, they’ll be assessed on their knowledge rather than their ability to trick the system.
My advice for AI interviews is simple: prepare differently. Practice speaking to a camera until it feels natural. Be clear and conversational, don't try to sound like a corporate robot. Whether there's a human or an algorithm on the receiving end, authenticity still beats perfection.
Find our top tips for your video interviews in our Skills Hub, alongside other useful advice for the interview process.
AI in Recruiting Assessment Stages
AI has also crept into psychometric testing and those increasingly popular game-based assessments. These aren't traditional tests with right and wrong answers - they're looking for patterns in how you think, solve problems, and react under pressure.
You can't really "hack" these tools, and you shouldn't try. But familiarity helps enormously. Candidates who've seen similar formats before tend to be calmer and more confident, which typically leads to better results. So, ideally, try and find some practice tests online and get comfortable with the format. Keep in mind that many testing sites have the ability to see whether you are opening other tabs or copy-pasting questions, so don’t try this in case you get removed from the process.
Again, if you have to cheat to pass testing levels, it’s really unlikely you’ll succeed in the in-person assessment stage (whether that’s a final round or an Assessment Centre).
Being at an in-person final round interview can be intimidating enough - I wouldn’t want to be there knowing I had used AI to pass all the testing!
How to Use AI Tools Ethically When Applying for Jobs
With all this technology in recruitment, it's tempting to fight fire with fire. Why not use AI to write your cover letters and competency answers? Tools like ChatGPT can certainly help organise your thoughts or improve your writing flow.
But there's a crucial difference between assistance and replacement. Applications written entirely by AI tend to sound flat and formulaic, and experienced recruiters can tell. Some firms are even using AI detection tools now, so your shortcut could actually backfire.
Use AI to help structure your thoughts, not to replace them. Let it help you organise and refine your ideas, but make sure the substance - the real you - still comes through.
I’ve even spoken to candidates who’ve used AI to help them prepare for interviews by getting it to answer industry-specific (and even firm-specific) questions for them to then answer back. The model can then judge your answers and help improve them. In my opinion, that’s a great way to utilise the intelligence and ease of AI. Use it to help you go into interviews best prepared, but by thoughtful research and practice; and not by cheating or cutting corners.
What Still Matters: Human Skills & AI
Here's what I find most encouraging about all this: despite the rise of automation, being genuinely human has become more valuable, not less. In a world where every other application might be algorithm-generated or algorithm-filtered, real engagement stands out.
That means following up after interviews and attending networking events and insight days. Showing genuine curiosity about the role and the company, regardless of whether you’re looking to go into investment banking or public relations, demonstrating real self-awareness and motivation will give you a huge edge.
These are things AI can’t replicate, and they're still what ultimately win job offers.
“Use AI to help structure your thoughts, not to replace them. Let it help you organise and refine your ideas, but make sure the substance – the real you – still comes through.”
Succeeding in a World of AI-Powered Recruitment
AI is definitely changing how we recruit and how we apply, but it hasn't changed what makes a great candidate. Clarity, effort, authenticity, and genuine drive – these fundamentals haven't gone anywhere.
So yes, get smart about how the new systems work. Use the available tools strategically. But don't lose sight of what matters most: your own voice, your own experiences, and your own genuine interest in the opportunity.
Because at the end of the day, that's still what makes the difference between an application that gets noticed and one that gets forgotten.
