New research from TestGorilla suggests UK recruiters are becoming more cautious about the claims made on candidate CVs as AI tools become commonplace.
Key figures
- 75% of UK recruiters believe at least half the CVs and candidate profiles they see are written by AI
- 87% say candidates' claimed AI skills have proved weaker than their profiles suggested at least sometimes
- 73% spend an hour or more verifying a single candidate's ability to do the job
- 92% would use an objective pre-interview check for a sourced candidate
Three in four UK recruiters believe that AI writes at least half of the CVs and candidate profiles they see, according to new research from TestGorilla.
The study of 483 UK talent professionals found that recruiters are contending with an expanding gap between the speed of sourcing and their confidence that a candidate can do the job. While 58% said AI had made finding candidates faster in the past 12 months, 24% said it had reduced their confidence in identifying the right person.
Verification becomes the central challenge
Almost half of UK respondents (49%) named verifying whether the skills on a CV are genuine as one of their top three sourcing challenges, making it the most cited issue in the survey. A shortage of skilled candidates was second, cited by 43%.
The concern is particularly acute for roles involving AI. Nearly nine in ten recruiters (87%) said that candidates whose profiles claimed AI skills had, at least sometimes, demonstrated weaker skills than their profile suggested at interview. Forty-five per cent said this happened often or almost always.
The report also found that one in three recruiters (33%) said every candidate profile for new AI-specific roles, such as AI engineer or AI product manager, reads the same. An equal proportion said they had no clear picture of what good looks like in such roles.
More sourcing speed, but not more certainty
Recruiters are responding by spending more of their own time assessing applicants. Seventy-three per cent said they spend at least an hour verifying a single candidate before trusting that person can do the job, while 30% spend two hours or more.
Meanwhile, 69% review 26 or more profiles to identify one candidate worth contacting, and 40% receive replies from fewer than a quarter of people they approach directly.
Wouter Durville, CEO of TestGorilla, said: “Candidates should have the opportunity to demonstrate what they can actually do early in the hiring process, so recruiters can make informed decisions without spending hours verifying claims on a CV.”
What recruitment teams can take from the findings
- Build skill verification into the process early, rather than relying solely on a written profile.
- Use short, job-relevant assessments or simulations to create comparable evidence before interview.
- Agree what strong performance looks like for new and fast-changing AI roles before beginning the search.
- Review whether AI sourcing tools are improving the quality of shortlists as well as their speed.
TestGorilla found strong support for this approach: 92% of UK recruiters said they would be willing to use an objective check before interviewing a sourced candidate. A short job simulation was the most popular option (46%), followed by a 10-minute skills test (43%) and an ID or credential check (40%). Only 5% would proceed directly to interview without any form of check.
About the research
TestGorilla surveyed 483 UK talent acquisition professionals, external recruiters and HR leaders between 10 September and 7 October 2026. The sample was weighted to 55% talent acquisition, 25% external recruiters and 20% HR leaders. The research used the same questionnaire, exclusions and weighting as a comparison study of 1,428 US talent professionals fielded in August 2026.
The full Recruiting in the AI Era 2026 report is available from TestGorilla.
About TestGorilla
TestGorilla is a proof-first AI recruiting platform. The company says recruiters can source candidates from 900 million profiles and use skills tests and AI interviews to assess job-relevant capability.
