Undeclared AI use in job interviews is now the most common form of misconduct seen by UK graduate employers. The Institute of Student Employers' annual survey, reported by The Guardian on 14 October, found 92 percent of employers suspected or confirmed misconduct during assessment and selection, up from 85 percent a year earlier.
Key takeaways
- 92 percent of employers saw misconduct, up from 85 percent and 78 percent in the two previous years.
- 66 percent reported at least one case of a graduate misusing AI during an interview.
- 47 percent saw AI used to complete online assessments.
- Graduate hiring rose 4 percent in 2026, with a further 7 percent rise expected.
Can recruiters tell when you use AI?
Often, yes. A Manchester recruiter told The Guardian that candidates using live answer apps "are reading off an Autocue". Tell-tale signs include a pause before every answer, filler phrases and language that is oddly formal. His agency ends those interviews.
How should you prepare instead?
ISE chief executive Stephen Isherwood says candidates should research the role, because that is what interviewers look for. Practise real answers out loud. Our guides to AI job interviews, virtual interviews and common interview questions will help.
What is the background?
Video interviews and online tests became standard for graduate hiring during the pandemic and have stayed. At the same time, apps appeared that listen to an interview and suggest answers in real time. The ISE figures show misconduct reports climbing three years in a row, from 78 percent of employers to 85 percent and now 92 percent. Employers are responding with stricter test conditions, more live tasks and more in-person final rounds.
Who is affected?
Graduates and students applying to large employers, where online assessments and video interviews are most common. Honest candidates are affected too, because suspicion of AI use can lead to extra checks or stricter formats. The ISE says graduate hiring rose 4 percent in 2026 after an 8 percent fall the year before, so opportunities exist, but the process is getting tougher.
What should candidates do?
- Prepare real stories from your studies, jobs and projects, using the situation, task, action and result structure.
- Practise out loud, ideally on video, so your answers sound natural.
- Read the rules for each online test. Some allow notes or calculators; many do not.
- If you are unsure whether a tool is allowed, ask the recruiter before the interview.
- Research the role and company. The ISE says that is exactly what interviewers look for.
- Use our guide to walking an interviewer through your resume.
What happens next?
Employers are expected to add more live and in-person stages to graduate schemes over the next hiring season. The ISE says employers plan a further 7 percent rise in graduate hiring over the next 12 months.
Source: The Guardian, 14 October 2026.
Keep this insight useful.
Share it with your network, save it for later, or create a signed affiliate link.
Creating or clicking a link does not create earnings. Only fraud-reviewed outcomes can allocate an existing eligible paid-ad-funded monthly pool.
