Automation is taking our jobs and preventing us from getting new ones. It’s taken over jobs in fields from writing to human resources, making it a crucial component in hiring.
AI (artificial intelligence) tools review resumes and scour the internet for information about potential candidates. Though companies have used bots to search for keywords in resumes for years, they rely increasingly on AI to filter out candidates who don’t fit the company’s culture.
Some think the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) would be better named the AI Resume Rejection System for all the ways it auto-rejects great candidates, but is that really what’s happening?
Discover why people think AI automatically rejects resumes, and decide for yourself what’s really happening.
AI Resume Rejection
Unfortunately, recruiters and human resource departments will never tell us the truth about AI resume rejection. Some companies may use AI, but they won’t tell us how it works.
Most companies use the Applicant Tracking System in ways that seem like AI, but have been around for decades.
Here are some examples of ways HR systems scan and reject resumes – some might be AI!
Keyword Screening
Most job seekers believe AI tools screen resumes for keywords, auto-rejecting any application that doesn’t meet a certain threshold.
The problem here is twofold: first, applicants don’t know which “keywords” are needed, and second, AI can’t sparse related skills.
For example, an administrative assistant and an office manager have very similar roles, but if an office manager seeking an administrative assistant role only lists their job title, the AI may not understand that the positions have similar duties.
However, there’s debate as to whether these scanning tools are AI or not. Human resource departments have used scanning tools for many years, well before AI came to the scene.
They’re programmed by people who identify the keywords and are used to filter out candidates who don’t meet the criteria.
“Knockout Questions”
The ATS systems use what job seekers call “knockout questions” to automatically disqualify applicants in ways that seem like AI, but are really simple programs.
For example, many applications ask, “Are you legally allowed to work in the US?” and if the applicant answers “no,” their resume gets rejected.
That’s not AI, it’s a yes/no program that automatically filters out the “nos.”
Insta Rejection
Some job seekers claim AI rejected their resume because they received a denial letter within seconds of applying or in the middle of the night when no human is working.
While there’s obvious bot action going on in these cases, there’s no telling whether it’s truly AI or a simple scanning tool that rejects candidates who don’t meet certain qualifications.
Does it make a difference how the bot works if your resume is constantly rejected?
Configuration Errors
Job seekers don’t only have to fight AI resume rejection, but they also must battle AI configuration errors during the application process.
Most companies allow candidates to upload a resume with simple apps (typically built and powered by AI), but these apps lack crucial functionality.
They don’t have the right degrees loaded in, they don’t allow users to input multiple skills, and they won’t let users move forward if they don’t provide the correct “input” for certain fields.
Born on the Wrong Day
The most ridiculous example of an AI resume rejection we’ve come across involves someone who claims they were rejected because of their birthday. A Reddit user shared that they were rejected for a role in information technology because their birthday “seems inconsistent with the professional standards we uphold in our organization.”
How could a birthday be inconsistent with professional standards?
The poster’s birthday is April 20th, often abbreviated to 4/20. The date earned an association with an illicit substance after a band’s publicity stunt in the 90s, and apparently, being born on that day proves you support the pop culture idea of “4/20.”
Even worse, the job seeker didn’t include their birthday on the resume. The rejection notice stated it was discovered on Linked In.
If the letter is real, it implies that AI reviews resumes and surfs the web for information on a candidate, then sends rejection notices based on what it finds.
We can’t imagine a real human being would reject an applicant over their birthday.
HR Consultant Shares a Scary Truth
An HR Consultant joined one of the threads to share a disturbing truth: the AI system rejects resumes from people that human reviewers would want to interview.
The poster’s firm tested their client’s AI resume review system, asking the company’s leadership team to prepare resumes featuring the ideal candidate.
The AI system rejected them all.
They then submitted the resumes to hiring managers for review in a blind test, and the hiring managers wanted to interview all of the “test” candidates.
Something is clearly wrong with AI if it’s rejecting the perfect candidate.
The Future We’re Not Ready For
These stories don’t clarify whether AI is used or not. In some cases, it probably is, but in others, it’s likely the same software that’s been used for decades – we’re just calling it AI.
However, we can’t ignore the signs pointing to an AI-driven future. Although it doesn’t seem like AI is in control yet, we may be barreling toward a future where machines do all the work in hiring, from recruiting to resume review and even firing. It will write the resumes, research the candidates, and make selections. AI may even hire other AIs.
And it’s not just HR. As AI technology improves, more and more jobs are at risk. What will the future hold when computers do most of the work? Will we have a life of leisure or a dystopian nightmare?
We have an option, but we’re heading in the wrong direction.