A few weeks ago, one of our junior team members shared that she would be leaving our small, tight-knit firm to attend law school this fall. I was thrilled for her but knew it meant quickly beginning the search for an entry-level PR coordinator to ensure enough time to find the right fit for both our team and our clients.
I’ve hired many early-career talent over the years. But this time, as applications came rolling in, I noticed a pattern: every resume was polished, and every cover letter closely aligned with the job description. On paper, the candidates looked nearly indistinguishable.
We last hired for this role in early 2024, when AI technology was available but not as widely accepted. This time, the difference was unmistakable.
While these tools enable applicants to present more refined and structured materials, they also make it harder for hiring managers to distinguish between surface-level sheen and true capability. As a result, hiring teams must look beyond presentation and focus more intentionally on how these prospects think, evaluate information, and communicate in real time.
Why traditional signals no longer work
For years, we have relied on familiar indicators as evaluation tools, like strong writing, attention to detail, and relevant internship experience. Today, those signals are less reliable. AI is helping candidates refine grammar, structure their experience, and elevate their tone, resulting in a deep pool of applicants who appear equally strong on paper. This makes it more difficult to distinguish who truly has the skills needed to succeed in the role.
This isn’t to suggest that applicants are misrepresenting themselves; rather, they are using the same tools they will likely rely on in the workplace. The responsibility, then, falls to PR leaders to evolve how we evaluate talent, particularly in the early stages of the hiring process.
To address this, we evaluated applications for deeper signals of substance, such as specificity in how work was described, clarity around individual contributions, and evidence of real experience behind well-structured language.
Prioritizing real thinking
As application materials become less reliable as differentiators, interviews have emerged as the most important evaluation tool, with a focus on how candidates think in real time. Because of this, we placed greater emphasis on phone screenings, using them more intentionally as an early filter to determine who would advance to in-person interviews.
We also revised our interview questions, shifting toward prompts that require real-time reasoning and critical thinking:
- How would you begin building a media list for a new client?
- What makes a story newsworthy today?
- What recent headline caught your attention—and why?
Questions like these don’t have perfect answers, and that’s intentional. We’ve found that the strongest applicants demonstrate curiosity, awareness of the media landscape, and the ability to connect ideas under pressure, skills that are often obscured in overly polished, AI-assisted application materials.
Ask directly about AI use
As the tools shaping communications work have evolved (think fax machines and press kits in the 1990s, to email and Google in the 2000s, to Cision, Meltwater, and Grammarly in the 2010s), hiring practices must now evaluate experience with AI platforms.
Avoiding the topic of AI means missing an opportunity. Instead, bring it into the conversation. Be direct and ask candidates how they used AI in their application process or how they might use it in their day-to-day work. Their responses can reveal far more than the application itself.
Look for individuals who:
- Acknowledge using AI as a starting point (not a final product)
- Describe how they edit, fact-check, and refine AI outputs
- Understand where AI can fall short (especially in tone and accuracy)
In PR, judgment matters as much as execution. Candidates who can articulate how they use AI thoughtfully will be better equipped to apply it responsibly on the job.
Emphasize growth potential and culture fit
After weeding through stacks of resumes and interviewing our top selections, I found that the final step isn’t as cut-and-dried as I thought. Identifying the right fit, both in terms of growth potential and culture, can be just as important as background and experience, because long-term success in PR depends as much on adaptability and mindset as it does on what a candidate has already accomplished.
But beyond gut instinct and personal rapport, what’s the best way to objectively determine which candidate is the strongest fit for the team?
What worked for me was focusing on qualities that are harder to manufacture:
- Curiosity about industries, trends and media
- Initiative beyond required coursework or internships
- Self-awareness about what they know and what they still need to learn
These traits often signal long-term success more effectively than a perfectly written cover letter or prior project experience.
The bar has been reset
This hiring cycle was one of the toughest I’ve had to navigate. The caliber of applicants was remarkably high, but what made it particularly challenging was how adeptly many leveraged AI to craft a near-flawless first impression.
More notably, this generation of candidates has adapted quickly to these technologies and is already fluent in using them. That level of adaptability raises the bar for hiring managers, making it harder to differentiate between applicants. Still, it also reflects a workforce that is learning and evolving in real time. And while that may make hiring more challenging, it ultimately strengthens the industry as a whole.
Laura DiCaprio, APR, is a PR strategist who loves the challenge of uncovering and shaping stories for leading global brands. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Illustration credit: Nadia
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