Algorithmic writing assistance on jobseekers’ resumes increases hires
Emma Wiles, Zanele Munyikwa, John J. Horton
Published: Management Science 71(12): 10144-10164 (2025)
Last updated: 2025-12
Summary
There is a strong association between the quality of the writing in a resume for new labor market entrants and whether those entrants are ultimately hired. We show that this relationship is, at least partially, causal: a field experiment in an online labor market was conducted with nearly half a million jobseekers in which a treated group received algorithmic writing assistance. Treated jobseekers experienced an 8% increase in the probability of getting hired. Contrary to concerns that the assistance is taking away a valuable signal, we find no evidence that employers were less satisfied. We present a model in which better writing is not a signal of ability but helps employers ascertain ability, which rationalizes our findings.
Paper links
Coverage
Looking for a new job? Brush up your résumé with a computer algorithm. Seriously, it could pay off, MarketWatch Writing your résumé with AI makes it easier to find a job, a study finds. But this edge could vanish once everybody’s doing it., Business Insider AI-Generated Resumes Lead to More Job Offers and Higher Wages, Study Finds, The Observer Should ChatGPT write your resume?, Quartz
Cite
@article{horton2025algorithmicwritingassistanceonjobseekersresumesincreaseshires,
title = {{Algorithmic Writing Assistance on Jobseekers’ Resumes Increases Hires}},
author = {Wiles, Emma and Munyikwa, Zanele and Horton, John J.},
journal = {Management Science},
year = {2025},
volume = {71},
number = {12},
pages = {10144-10164},
doi = {10.1287/mnsc.2024.04528},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2024.04528}
}