Over half of UK CVs show telltale signs of AI writing, Careerminds research finds

UNITED KINGDOM, November 2026 More than two-thirds of hiring managers say screening for AI-generated materials has increased the time it takes to hire, while 64% of graduate employers now accept AI somewhere in hiring, mainly for writing CVs and cover letters. As artificial intelligence (AI) tools become a standard part of the job search, many applications now read the same: polished, buzzword-heavy and hard to tell apart. 

To find out how widespread AI language has become, Careerminds UK analysed 42,525 UK CVs submitted between January 2025 and September 2026, tracking 24 phrases associated with AI writing, as well as em dashes and bullet point patterns. 

Key findings: 

• Over half (53.2%) of UK CVs written in the first half of 2026 contain a phrase linked to AI writing, and 1 in 6 (17.1%) contain three or more. 

• “Foster” (23.7%) and “streamline” (20.1%) are the most common AI giveaways on UK CVs submitted since January 2025. 

• Nearly half (45.6%) of UK CVs written in the first half of 2026 still lean on clichés such as “proven track record” and “results-driven”. 

• The use of the em dash in CVs has more than doubled in a year, rising from 1.9% to 4.1%. 

Full research findings can be read below: 

• Generic phrasing is the biggest giveaway: Over half (53.2%) of UK CVs written in the first half of 2026 include at least one phrase associated with AI writing, and around one in six (17.1%) contain three or more. Across all UK CVs submitted between January 2025 and September 2026, the 10 most common AI phrases are “foster” (23.7%), “streamline” (20.1%), “comprehensive” (15.5%), “proven ability to” (12.7%), “seamless” (12.1%), “adept” (10.3%), “robust” (6.2%), “cultivate” (5.2%), “meticulous” (5.0%) and “showcase” (3.6%). These words sound impressive but say very little about what a candidate has actually achieved. 

• Old buzzwords are still common. Nearly half (45.6%) of UK CVs written in the first half of 2026 still contain at least one familiar CV cliché. Across all UK CVs submitted since January 2025, the most common are “cross-functional” (13.3%), “leveraged” (13.2%), “proven track record” (9.3%) and “passionate about” (7.7%), with “results-driven” on 5.1%. Layered on top of AI phrasing, they leave many CVs reading like interchangeable templates. 

• Em dash use is on the rise. Em dash use on UK CVs more than doubled between the first half of 2025 and the first half of 2026, rising from 1.9% to 4.1%, and reached 5.5% between July and September 2026. A punctuation mark alone doesn’t prove AI was involved, but the rise is one of the clearest shifts in how UK CVs are now written. 

• Uniform bullet points look machine-made. Among UK CVs with four or more bullet points, nearly 1 in 3 (32.8%) now have bullets of near-identical length, up from 19.1% a year earlier. Human writing tends to vary naturally, while AI tools often produce neatly matched lines of the same length. 

According to Amanda Augustine, CPCC and a resident careers expert at Careerminds UK, “AI can be a useful tool for writing or improving your CV, but there’s a real risk in relying on it too heavily. What looks like a polished, professional application to you may look remarkably similar to dozens of others a recruiter has already reviewed. 

“This is particularly noticeable with cover letters, where candidates often end up using nearly identical language to describe their enthusiasm for a role or explain why they’re a good fit. When recruiters repeatedly encounter the same phrases, structure and generic claims, it’s not difficult for them to suspect that AI has been involved. More importantly, it can leave them questioning how much of the application genuinely reflects the candidate’s own experience, abilities and motivations.” 

Augustine added, “Whether you use AI to help write your CV or start from scratch, I always recommend applying what I call the three As. Your CV should be Accurate, providing a truthful account of your qualifications and experience; Applicable, highlighting the skills and achievements most relevant to the job; and Authentic, reflecting your individual contributions and professional strengths. AI can help you achieve these goals, but it can’t do the work of understanding your career and accomplishments for you”. 

“My advice is to treat AI-generated content as a starting point, not a finished product. Review every line to make sure it’s accurate, relevant to the position you’re pursuing and an authentic reflection of your experience. Remember, the goal isn’t simply to produce a CV that sounds impressive. It’s to convince an employer that you have the qualifications they’re looking for and deserve an interview”. 

Careerminds UK is a global workforce solutions provider delivering career transition, workforce design and talent development to organisations worldwide. Our consumer career brands extend that reach, giving individuals AI-powered career tools and coaching at every stage of the career journey. Together, we combine technology, data and human expertise to create a connected ecosystem that supports both workforce transformation and individual career success. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube. 

Amanda Augustine is the resident careers expert for Careerminds, career.io, and its suite of brands: resume.io, TopInterview, Resume.ai, JobRapido, and others. As a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC) and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), she has spent more than 20 years helping professionals improve their careers and land the right job sooner. Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook. 

The research analysed 42,525 English-language CVs from UK job seekers, submitted to Careerminds career platforms between January 2025 and September 2026. The study tracked 24 phrases associated with AI writing and 16 common CV clichés, as well as em dash use and the variation in bullet point length across work history sections. Year-on-year comparisons are based on January to June 2025 against January to June 2026. Bullet point analysis covers CVs with four or more work history bullets, with near-identical length defined as a coefficient of variation under 0.20. Figures for the first half of 2026 are based on 17,301 CVs; phrase rankings cover all 42,525 CVs.