Delhi-based CEO shares job seeker's text with glaring mistakes, says, 'Can we please use AI not-blindly?'

AI has undoubtedly made people’s lives easier, streamlining tasks like writing and generating job applications. However, its convenience can sometimes lead to embarrassing oversights when not used correctly.

Ananya Narang, the founder of content-as-a-service platform Entourage, was left both amused and frustrated by one such instance.

In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn, she shared a screenshot of a job application she received.

Just received yet another job application. No wonder we have so much unemployment today :’) pic.twitter.com/c0VaGWYrIJ

— Ananya Narang (@AnanyaNarang_) October 15, 2024

The candidate had clearly used a generic AI-generated template to craft their cover letter but failed to customize it by replacing the placeholders with their own skills and experiences.

The text read: “I'm proficient in [mention your key skills, e.g., graphic design, social media strategy, research], and I'm passionate about [explain briefly how you can add value, e.g., creating engaging content, analyzing trends, supporting strategic initiatives]. My previous experience includes [briefly highlight relevant experience or projects].”

The candidate’s oversight of not filling in these placeholders led Ananya to comment humorously, “Just received yet another job application. No wonder we have so much unemployment today.”

In another post, she urged users to use AI “not-blindly,” as this was becoming a common issue in her hiring experience, with such texts accounting for one in every five applications she received.

"I've been hiring left, right & center, and texts like these are literally 1 out of 5 applications :')," she wrote.

Amused by the job application, Narang asked X users for suggestions on how best to respond.

Please tell me what do I reply?😂

— Ananya Narang (@AnanyaNarang_) October 15, 2024

She suspected, as did many other people did, that the candidate had used OpenAI developed ChatGPT to generate the cover letter and sent it off without proofreading.

Netizens reaction

Since being shared, Narang's post has garnered over 107,000 views and more than 1,400 likes. Many people took to the comments section to express their amusement and shared similar responses.

Dear [Applicant's Name],

Thank you for your interest in the [Job Title] position at [Company Name]. After reviewing your application, it appears that your submission was an unedited message generated by an AI tool, such as ChatGPT.

That’s what it says^😂🫠

— Ananya Narang (@AnanyaNarang_) October 15, 2024

"We [not at all] regret to inform you that, your [explain briefly how to add value .. ] qualifications has made us realised you are overqualified for job at company. If we find ourselves in [briefly highlight relevant experiences and projects] kind of situation, we'll contact you," a user wrote.

"Thanks for reaching out. [generic response which makes you think i’ll consider you]," another wrote. 

"These types of messages need to mocked but remember there are people out there who are struggling for real & not getting a revert(like me) 70% of the content in the cover letters I wrote for jobs was my own wording and 30% was template & I did not get a single interview call," a third expressed.