AI-assisted job applications are killing me...
Posted by TransporterError@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 49 comments
We're reviewing applications for a management position. At least 80% of the applications have AI-written responses to our essay questions. Its honestly a revelation when I come across a candidate that's taken the time to write something out in their own words. There have been several candidates that have good work experience and references, but seeing that they took the lazy path using AI tools, just really reduced my inclination to invite them in for an interview. We may make the use of AI detection tools a standard practice for future hiring because of all of this.
gumbrilla@reddit
Essay questions (multiple??), in the applications?
How long are you thinking your applicants are going to be spending on this? How many applicants? How much time wasted by both you and them.
You'll get the desperate, and you'll get the bulk appliers, but it speaks a lot of your culture.
I would worry that good candidates, the ones you really want, will not apply, and you won't even know
laserpewpewAK@reddit
Job seekers are applying to HUNDREDS of jobs, expecting someone to sit down and spend an hour+ applying to yours is just not reasonable.
TransporterError@reddit (OP)
We're not hiring for an entry level position here... We also have great employee retention because we do take the time to carefully select our employees. I do expect that they spend time on their applications to our organization and it is entirely reasonable to expect that someone would do so if they really wanted the job.
PM_ME_UR_CIRCUIT@reddit
I'm an electrical engineer, and even when applying to lead positions I have never had to answer essay questions.
laserpewpewAK@reddit
You can carefully select employees without multiple essays before even reaching a screening call. Expecting people to sink a significant amount of time into maybe getting a call back just isn't realistic when they could use that time to apply to a dozen other jobs. I'm sure someone will jump through your hoops because lots of people are desperate, but the majority will not because it's a poor use of their time.
WolfOfAsgaard@reddit
In an age where some shitty screening software deletes your job applications before a human ever gets to see it, you can't expect applicants to put much effort into applications.
Nowadays you have to prioritize using buzz words the screening software will be looking for to even get through to a recruiter who probably still won't pass your application along because they don't understand shit about computers, and made unrealistic job requirements no one can measure up to in the job posting they wrote up.
Then do it dozens of times, hoping to make it through at least once and if you do, that after four rounds of interviews it wasn't all a waste of time because no one includes salary ranges in the job postings.
vogelke@reddit
Exactly right. There's no free lunch -- if someone expects me to take their writing seriously enough to pay attention while reading it, I expect them to take their writing seriously enough to put some effort into it.
davidm2232@reddit
You have unrealistic expectations and an outdated view of today's job market. There are so many high level jobs posted that will never actually hire someone. If they are doing actual hiring, they are using AI and an uninformed HR staffer to review the applications for key words/phrases. It is impossible for a candidate to know that you are the single company that is actually going to read their application. I recently applied to 20 jobs that I was well qualified for and didn't hear a thing back which was basically my expectation.
hkusp45css@reddit
This is actually a huge part of the problem. Job seekers should stop doing that.
This weird idea that getting a job is simply a "numbers game" has led us to this measure/counter-measure arms-race we see today.
Instead of the "spray and pray my generic resume" tactic, it would almost certainly make more sense to spend 1+ hours applying to a single job that is very well suited to your experience and talents.
A person who is legitimately looking for specific roles in a specific sector, will be best served attacking the roles for which they are most likely to meet the requirements.
laserpewpewAK@reddit
It is a numbers game though. You have no idea how likely you are to get any given job. I've applied to many jobs where I checked every box and never even got a call back. On the flip side, I've scored interviews for jobs I'm wildly unqualified for. Why would you spend hours applying to just 1 job when you could use that time to apply to a dozen jobs? You don't have to be the best candidate for every job- just one. That's why people blast their resume out there.
sexybobo@reddit
So your upset people are using AI so to combat it your using AI tool to detect AI? I think that shows you are to lazy and shouldn't have the job you have.
People are having to apply for hundreds of jobs to get one. Do you think they have time to Write hundreds of responses to Essay Questions only for a highering manager to generally never read them?
TransporterError@reddit (OP)
I read them. I do care if a candidate takes the time to put in the effort to submit a worthy application.
sexybobo@reddit
You fully read every application that is submitted?
hkusp45css@reddit
Why the incredulity? I'd guess most orgs do that.
sexybobo@reddit
The vast majority of orgs don't they almost all use ATS to filter applications.
hkusp45css@reddit
Not really
TransporterError@reddit (OP)
You bet I do. We've had 80 applications for our current position. Why wouldn't I read them all?
SandingNovation@reddit
Even if you actually do, they're still having to apply to 99 other jobs that aren't.
sexybobo@reddit
Ok, so in the rest of the world people most companies are getting hundreds of applications a day for many jobs so it would be impossible to read through all of them so they use AI tools to identify the people who are qualified to narrow them down to just a few they can read.
AI is better at reading what AI wants to see so people use AI to generate the content they submit.
If a person applies for 100 jobs their resume will probably only be see by a person 4 or 5 times.
Downinahole94@reddit
Did any of them actually leave the written by chatgpt in the resume?
TransporterError@reddit (OP)
LOL, yes. Several of them.
blue_canyon21@reddit
I've seen application responses that still contain "As an AI..." in multiple places.
ClumsyAdmin@reddit
You have essay questions in the application and you're faulting the applicants? What a joke.
Fakula1987@reddit
Tbf: thats the downside of the "WE Filter With ai" of the modern Work World.
A candidate knows He has to write way, way more applications, so He use so to do that m
Dont blsme the Player, blsme the Game
Immediate-Opening185@reddit
Are you using AI/ ATS to review resumes or is your HR/ recruiting team?
TransporterError@reddit (OP)
We're not a large organization, I'm reviewing them in collaboration with our HR team. No we're not using AI to review them.
Immediate-Opening185@reddit
Good for you. That's not the case in the vast majority of places. To answer the original question it's a reaction to bad hiring practices from most places you apply too. I'll give you an idea of what my last 3 job interviews have looked like. I had an offer at 2 of 3 and turned it down.
Make an account on their site for ats, then upload your resume and then you get to re-enter all of that info for their ATS. Then you get an automated confirmation email, you might get a response in the next 6 - 8 weeks to discuss setting up a time to interview. Only to then go through 3 to 5 interviews from there. Or you go through a recruiter which just adds another set of meetings.
mixduptransistor@reddit
Curious how you are detecting the fact that they used AI or not if you're not using AI detection tools?
ihaxr@reddit
If the responses use an em dash—there is a 99% chance it's written by AI.
mixduptransistor@reddit
I've been doing that for a while after being ultra online for way too long, and I've heard this before that AI uses that style a lot so I'm making an active effort to stop typing that way
hkusp45css@reddit
I spend a lot more time reading AI responses than I care to.
I can pick out the cadence, tone and a few "quirks" of written language that will generally give me a pretty good idea whether it was composed by AI.
I have been wrong, a few times, but I'm probably hitting 85-90 percent based on my own tests.
TransporterError@reddit (OP)
Read my other response, these people don't even take the time to review the output from ChatGPT.
LostBazooka@reddit
AI detectors for writing are not really accurate tbh
TransporterError@reddit (OP)
Seeing identical sentences and phrasing across several different applications is tiresome. We even see careless inclusion of "You said: xyz" and "ChatGPT: said" right within the responses. I know this isn't a new thing to anyone here, I just need to vent. :)
ihaxr@reddit
Asking for written responses on an application is awful. If you want those questions answered, you really should ask them on a phone screening or in an interview.
If you want to screen for specific information, ask simpler questions:
hkusp45css@reddit
My favorite is failing to cut the last line which will, nearly invariably, be some configuration of "Do you want me to _____ or _____ with this?"
Accomplished_Disk475@reddit
Essay questions? Yuck, I don't blame them.
PassiveIllustration@reddit
I love the world we're living in where we us AI to write our job postings, people apply to said jobs with AI, AI reviews said application, then they have AI do most of the job for them. There's definitely no risk involved with that and I sure this won't cause massive upheaval and job loss.
Ok-Carpenter-8455@reddit
Company uses A.I .. But company is also upset others use A.I lol
Who cares? We use A.I to do our jobs. Why not use it to get a job? Can't have it both ways.
davidm2232@reddit
If I had a job application where I had to write essay questions, I would be doing the exact same thing. My cover letter and resume should speak for itself. I had several good looking jobs I stopped applying to half way through because there was too much BS.
sexybobo@reddit
Yep, the number of job applications I stopped filling our because I uploaded my resume then they asked me to write everything in my resume again. I know my resume is easily parsable because most places that I apply will prefill in all the boxes for me and let me correct anything it parsed wrong. But some ask for your resume then ignore it and ask for all the info on your resume again.
davidm2232@reddit
Yup. And the companies that offer paper applications then tell you to re-apply online after you fill out the paper app
TimePlankton3171@reddit
In the last sentence you're doing your half of the sin. The job market is horrible, and both halves are to blame.
cwci@reddit
I think raw AI output is alway easy to spot. No harm in using AI to complement your own work and take the effort out of writing up an answer, but I get your point….
random_si_driver@reddit
Depends on how they prompted the AI. Having said that, it is easy to have AI write something and then go through and change the verbiage to match ones personal tone/writing style.
Or to write and outline, have AI expand and then touch it up afterwards.
OP: I would suspect even the people you think didn't use AI probably, at least in part.
kurizma@reddit
This guy knows how to plagiarize correctly. 😂
Fitzand@reddit
Embrace AI. It's a TOOL. Also.. Who puts Essay questions into a Sysadmin application req? It would be one thing if this was a Federal Government job application for the US State Department to be a representative for your Country. But this sysadmin, right? Save that essay question for the actual interview process.
Deadly-Unicorn@reddit
Soon people won’t be able to construct and organize their thoughts. Someone who is able to put together something from scratch themselves will become rare. Their application will look fantastic but then when it comes completing a project from A to Z they’ll need to consult ChatGPT
PM_ME_UR_CIRCUIT@reddit
AI detectors don't work. Stop asking people to answer essay questions just to apply.