I run EuropeanHealthEconomics.com, the specialised job board for health economists. I see a lot of CVs and get many emails and messages. Many of them are AI-generated fluff, perfect, but kind of odd at the same time, and filled with buzzwords. The problem for me, and I believe for many hiring managers, is that these AI-Generated CVs, letter and messages don’t give you a real sense of the person or what they can actually do.

Here’s a blog post that points out clear telltale signs a CV or cover letter is likely written by AI.

1. It’s Too Generic

AI often creates text that sounds nice, but says very little. You see lines like “worked on reimbursement submissions” or “led successful projects” with no mention of the details, like therapeutic area, methods used, country, etc. A real candidate with relevant experience will explain where and how this fits the role in your company. Also, if the cover letter doesn’t mention your name, company or the role, it’s likely AI, or even worse, lazy copy-paste.

2. Feels Odd

AI tools often use overly formal or old-fashioned words like “spearheaded” or “utilised.” Some applications also jump between styles, for example, starting with “I’m very excited about this role!” and then switching to “I possess a strong track record of execution.” It doesn’t feel natural. A real person usually writes in a steady personal tone.

3. Repetition

AI uses templates. That means every bullet might start with “Managed” or “Developed,” and the format stays the same. In health economics, where most projects are somewhat different, you would expect to see more variation. Some candidates also copy too many technical keywords from the job ad (to get through automatic filtering of CVs), without explaining how they’ve used those skills.

4. Buzzwords, No Details

Some applications are full of hot buzzwords like “value-based pricing”, “real-world evidence”, “generative AI modelling”, but don’t explain what the candidate actually did. That’s a common sign of AI-generated content. In health economics, candidates can also try to hide lack of experience.

5 Perfect, But Nothing About Them

AI doesn’t make spelling mistakes. But it also doesn’t show personality. If you read a cover letter and come away without knowing what drives the candidate, why they want this job or what kinds of projects they enjoy, it’s probably not written by them. Real people share small stories or mention lessons learned. AI cannot do that.

How Should You Respond

Don’t throw away every CV that looks too clean. Many candidates use tools like ChatGPT to polish their writing, and that’s okay. These five signs will help you spot hollow applications. It’s still your responsibility to interview, check and test if they truly understand the work and can deliver.

There you have it. I hope this blog post was useful to you.

If you’re recruiting a health economist for a role in your team, post and advertise the position on our job board. It’s a great way to get your opportunity in front of job-seeking health economists and start receiving applications, whether they’re AI-generated or written the old-fashioned way.