Do you accept AI headshots of candidates when hiring?

A survey showed three-quarters of recruiters (76.5%) actually prefer AI headshots to real ones.

A quick eyesight quiz: can you tell the real headshot from the AI-generated ones from the lead image above? (Answers to be revealed later)

We may all have experienced generating a headshot using AI tools – whether for fun or a like on social media. But will it be acceptable to use this in job applications?

Ringover surveyed 1,087 US-based recruiters in June 2024 about AI-generated headshots and the use of headshots in job applications in general. The results found that candidates using an AI headshot may get more attention from three-quarters of recruiters (76.5%).

*While the survey was conducted in the US, HRO believes the results remain relevant to our readers in Asia.

A good profile picture can impress hiring managers

According to the survey, three-quarters (74.4%) of recruiters are more inclined to interview candidates with headshots. Two-thirds of recruiters (66.7%) said they find headshots helpful to put a face to a name, the reasons include:

• to get a better feel for the character of the applicant (57.5%)
• to make the candidate more memorable (39.7%)
• to see if they would be a fit for the company (30.3%)

As ‘social recruiting’ (using social media as a recruitment tool) is on the rise, half of the recruiters surveyed (50%) said they always check out LinkedIn or other social media profiles of the candidates, and a further third (33.3%) said they would see if the profile is linked in the application.

Notably, two-thirds of recruiters (67.5%) said they had been put off by a bad picture due to:

• the headshot being too stylised or posed (40.9%),
• poor photo quality (39.9%),
• too informal (35.6%) and
• the use of filters or obvious editing (32.7%).

Can an AI-generated picture gain more attention?

The surveyed recruiters were then asked to pick their favourite headshot for five different candidates, not realising that some of the images of each candidate were AI-generated.

Out of a line-up of a real headshot, a mid-range AI-generated headshot, and a top-tier AI-generated headshot, recruiters chose an AI headshot 76.5% of the time as their favourite.

Having said that, two-thirds (66%) of recruiters said they would be put off by a candidate if they recognised their headshot was AI-generated.

How well are hiring managers able to spot AI headshots?

While a profile picture is an important factor in hiring, recruiters may overestimate their ability to accurately identify AI headshots.

When asked to guess if a headshot was AI-generated or real, a majority of recruiters (80%) thought they had done it accurately or very accurately.

However, in reality, they only guessed correctly four out of 10 times. Respondents were incorrect half of the time (52.9%), and 7.6% of respondents answered that they “couldn’t tell”.

Here are some clues to help identify an AI headshot:

• glitching features (54.8%)
• too flawless (43.6%)
• too posed (34.3%)
• doesn't look like a real person (23.3%)

Because the AI generation can be so hard to distinguish, nine in ten (88%) recruiters believe that it should be made clear when a candidate has used an AI-generated headshot.

Interestingly, the quality of the AI headshots may have, at the same time, impressed the recruiters, with 84% saying they would use or would consider using an AI headshot themselves – and 88% thought it would be a good idea to use AI headshots in their company.

So now, still remember our quick eyesight quiz at the beginning of the article? The answers are as below:

Photo 1: Top-range AI
Photo 2: Free AI
Photo 3: Real
Photo 4: Mid-range AI

HR friends, you are welcome to tell us your thoughts about AI headshots in job applications by writing to us at editorial@humanresourcesonline.net.

Image / Ringover