Recruiters are drowning in what one CEO has called a “tsunami of sameness.”

AI-written job applications are flooding in boxes, each one polished, fluent — and practically indistinguishable. Some jobseekers are going even further and using platforms such as LazyApply which submit thousands of applications on your behalf, automatically.

And that includes while you sleep. Using AI, one software engineer recently applied to 5,000 jobs in a week, from which he landed 20 interviews — a hit rate of 0.4%. But before you sneer, remember this took almost zero effort on his behalf. No wonder they call it LazyApply.

The scale of the problem is staggering. In Britain, each graduate vacancy now attracts an average of 140 applicants, a 59% jump in just a year (Institute of Student Employers). At the most popular firms, applications can run into the hundreds of thousands within hours. LinkedIn alone processes 11,000 applications every minute. Yet just as competition intensifies, the market is shrinking: many graduate recruiters are quietly reducing intake as AI automates the very entry-level roles that once offered a gateway into careers.

This tsunami of sameness applies beyond the job market. Universities, too, are producing cohorts who, on paper, look increasingly alike.

Around 80% of UK graduates now leave with a First or Upper Second degree. Once a mark of distinction, grades such as these are now the baseline. Nevertheless, globally, enrolments continue to climb — India has 40 million students in higher education despite graduates there being five times more likely to be unemployed than school leavers.

Credentials that once conferred advantage have become commoditised. The result? An arms race of sameness.

Employers don’t need more AI-written applications. They need candidates who can cut through the noise — quickly.

Here’s the paradox: AI may help candidates land interviews, but it cannot supply what matters most once they’re in the role — resilience, communication, creativity, and self-awareness. Sameness may get you through the door. Uniqueness is what keeps you at the water cooler.

What employers are really looking for is authenticity:

• Highlight the experiences that shaped you.
• Tell stories that reveal character, not just credentials.
• Be specific, not safe.

When the tsunami of sameness hits, don’t cling to the shore with the rest of the sunbathers. Be the one who grabs a surfboard — and sets off to ride the wave.