AI in job applications: what UK employers say is allowed

Each employer sets its own rule on using AI, and some ask you to declare it. NHS Employers, which advises NHS employers, published guidance on 22 August 2025 that leaves the decision to each organisation and says an employer could enter the questions into an AI app, "however, this is not a verifiable way of detecting AI". Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust says in a freedom of information response of 29 October 2025 that it uses no tools to detect AI-generated content.

What NHS Employers tells employers

The guidance is written for employers, not applicants. It says:

• Employing organisations "could consider creating a policy about candidates using AI".
• If "multiple applicants have provided the same answer", it is "likely that AI has been used". Other signs it lists include answers "lacking relevance and failing to address the key criteria outlined in the job description and person specification".
• A statement "could be added to job descriptions and application forms advising that the use of AI is monitored and if applicants have used it then they are required to declare this". On some systems, such as Trac (an online recruitment system), a yes or no question can be asked before the application.
• "It is not recommended to automatically reject applications where the candidate is suspected of using AI (or has openly declared it)". It adds that "that decision would need to be made by the individual organisation according to policy".
• Employers may tell candidates that "Personalisation is essential to convey individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively" and that "Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success".
• It recommends "a person specification application form with detailed sections based on the specific listed criteria". The essential and desirable criteria guide covers how to answer criterion by criterion.

What trusts say

These are what three employers have published themselves. They are not a count of what trusts do.

Employer	Source	What it says
Northern Care Alliance	Careers page "Applying with AI", no date on the page	Says "it's OK to use AI as part of the job application process". Not accepted in interviews or assessments. Says no AI is involved in its screening or selection. Asks you to back a claim with a real example.
University Hospital Southampton	Application tips page, no date on the page	AI "should only ever be used as an assisting tool" and the content "must be generated by you". "Relying too heavily on AI-generated content may lead to your application being rejected." Not permitted in interviews or assessments without an agreed adjustment.
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust	Freedom of information response, 29 October 2025	Answers "No" to using AI to shortlist and "No" to using tools to detect AI-generated content. Says it has a policy or guideline on AI in job applications; the published file leaves out the attached policy.

Northern Care Alliance adds: "We review each application by hand."

Outside the NHS

• Civil Service Careers has a candidate's guide to AI in recruitment (the page carries no date). It lists uses it accepts, such as to "refine and clarify your ideas and thoughts" and to "check the spelling, grammar and clarity of what you have written". It says not to use AI to "inflate or invent your skills and experiences" or to "create generic responses and copy these into your application". It says AI must not be used to produce responses in an interview or in live assessments. You are asked to confirm that your information is "true and accurate". The page says applications may be rejected "where AI is used inappropriately at any stage of the process".
• Teaching Vacancies, the GOV.UK job service for schools and colleges, has a guide to writing a teacher personal statement (updated 11 May 2026). It says AI tools "can help you generate ideas and structure your writing, but it's important not to rely on them too heavily". It adds: "Schools and colleges want to see your skills, experience and personality in your own words." That page says nothing on declaring AI use or on detectors.

What the rules have in common

Where the sources agree, they agree on four things.

• The examples must be your own. University Hospital Southampton says content "must be generated by you", Civil Service Careers says no AI to "inflate or invent", and Teaching Vacancies wants them "in your own words".
• Answers must be specific to the criteria. NHS Employers lists answers "failing to address the key criteria" as a sign of AI use. Northern Care Alliance says not to repeat the job description or person specification, but to back a claim with a real example.
• Declare AI use where asked. NHS Employers suggests a declaration statement and a yes or no question. Civil Service Careers separately asks you to confirm your information is true and accurate, and says it may reject applications "where AI is used inappropriately".
• Northern Care Alliance, Southampton and Civil Service Careers all rule out AI in interviews and tests. Southampton allows it only if agreed in advance as an adjustment.

What the sources say about detectors

NHS Employers says it is "not recommended to use anything that is unproven or uncertified" to detect AI, and that an employer could enter the questions into an AI app, "however, this is not a verifiable way of detecting AI". Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust says it uses no detection tools, and Northern Care Alliance says it reads each application by hand.

The signs employers name are about wording. NHS Employers points to the same answer from several applicants. Southampton describes "multiple applications with identical or generic wording". Northern Care Alliance says "Applications that appear overly generic" make it hard to judge your knowledge and experience. It also says inaccurate details from unchecked AI content will be found at pre-screening or interview. None of these sources describes software scoring an application.

What to do

• Read the advert and the form for a line about AI. If there is a declaration question, answer it truthfully.
• Follow the employer's rule where it has one. Where it has none, the rules above point the same way: your own examples, specific to the criteria.
• Leave AI out of interviews and tests unless the employer has agreed it in advance.
• Make each example something that happened to you: where, what you did and what changed.