Ask HN: How to deal with fake job applicants?
My company recently posted an open role and we've been inundated with AI-generated applicants. 404 LinkedIn profiles, near-copies of known real applicants, no-show interviews, artificial voices, the whole gamut. But often the fake resumes are difficult to tell apart from real ones. What strategies are folks using to weed out the fake applicants? I'd like to do something hard to circumvent with AI, but not onerous for real humans, being sensitive to the fact that many people are desperate for work, spraying and praying, and even a small task might exclude them.
29 comments
The market is a horrible shit show, fake applicants and fake openings is the norm. I applied for dozens of job openings with only a 25% response rate and even less for a first interview. Started looking how to spot the fake ones. You need to add to your application a deterrent, like in person interview, meet a team member in person or like somebody else mentioned pick a laptop in person. That was one of the ways I spotted fake openings from real ones, aside from the typical company reposting the same job for months.
This might not be applicable to your situation since it sounds like more of a spam issue, but several of my colleagues who help with the hiring at their companies now require an "on-site" interview because of rampant cheating and misrepresentation by potential applicants.
The amusing thing is that the positions are still 100% remote - they just conduct the interviews at shared workspaces.
The amusing thing is that the positions are still 100% remote - they just conduct the interviews at shared workspaces.
I've been flown out to SF for "remote" role interviews -- I thought it was common that even if the role is remote, you interview on site and might fly out for a brief training, receive your equipment, fill out HR paperwork etc is a reasonable ask assuming costs are covered.
The company I work for now has 700 people and has no “site”. When I was hired, they gave me a choice of having my laptop shipped directly from Apple or picking up from an Apple Store and I installed the MDM software after I picked it up.
Of course the laptop is registered in the company’s name.
I would be hesitant to work remotely for any company that wasn’t “remote only”.
Of course the laptop is registered in the company’s name.
I would be hesitant to work remotely for any company that wasn’t “remote only”.
>I installed the MDM software after I picked it up.
I'd be more weirded out by MDM than a company that had a small HQ office for HR and legal.
I agree that once remote, it should be remote -- absent being needed to do a deposition none of this "all hands" crap -- but having that physical office is good so if things go off the rails ala the 1995 action thriller "The Net" you have someplace to show up at and ask some pointed questions ;-)
I'd be more weirded out by MDM than a company that had a small HQ office for HR and legal.
I agree that once remote, it should be remote -- absent being needed to do a deposition none of this "all hands" crap -- but having that physical office is good so if things go off the rails ala the 1995 action thriller "The Net" you have someplace to show up at and ask some pointed questions ;-)
It wasn’t my computer. It was the company’s computer. All big companies have MDM software of some sort. Funny enough, the software is I believe part of a suite by Rippling - a YC company.
The last place I work do this by requiring an in person to "pick up your laptop" and immediately, many of fake will not bother even enter the pipeline -- and make it well known upfront you will not ship
The people that desperate for employment but legitimate will work the job are happy to take a free flight and hotel and meet some people in the team - it was full remote but had a few in major city so just fly them to a "wework" say hi to a several members free dinner and all.
NK, scammer, body shop that will substitute the worker on day 1 after have someone else fake the interview don't bother in this terms
The people that desperate for employment but legitimate will work the job are happy to take a free flight and hotel and meet some people in the team - it was full remote but had a few in major city so just fly them to a "wework" say hi to a several members free dinner and all.
NK, scammer, body shop that will substitute the worker on day 1 after have someone else fake the interview don't bother in this terms
I had an employer hold firm on this right after the COVID lockdowns of 2020.
You could require people mail in their resume, which costs ~$1 within the US ($2-5 internationally depending on the applicant's location), and is a small amount of hassle without being a disproportionate burden on the applicant's time.
The on-site prior to hiring is a good idea, but I expect you might still get some spam from people applying completely blind.
The on-site prior to hiring is a good idea, but I expect you might still get some spam from people applying completely blind.
> You could require people mail in their resume
That is supremely annoying for industries where applicants must average about 500+ submissions per successful job offer.
I ran across two of those last year. Great-looking jobs, too. In a fit of pique, I submitted to one with everything typewritten using an Olympia SG3, and for the other I wrote out everything longhand. With a fountain pen. In cursive. It took me nearly 3 days. I should have scanned it in for posterity, because it looked like a government treaty from the 1890s. Gorgeous, but doubtful that anyone under the age of 45 could even read it, and almost certainly that anyone under the age of 35 couldn’t. I even did a wax seal on the back fold of the envelope.
Obviously, neither produced any sort of a response, because mail-in Resumes are typical of companies that are trying to justify foreign workers. If the barriers to application are stupidly high, then of course they won’t have any domestic applications and will need to find foreign (and much cheaper) applicants.
That is supremely annoying for industries where applicants must average about 500+ submissions per successful job offer.
I ran across two of those last year. Great-looking jobs, too. In a fit of pique, I submitted to one with everything typewritten using an Olympia SG3, and for the other I wrote out everything longhand. With a fountain pen. In cursive. It took me nearly 3 days. I should have scanned it in for posterity, because it looked like a government treaty from the 1890s. Gorgeous, but doubtful that anyone under the age of 45 could even read it, and almost certainly that anyone under the age of 35 couldn’t. I even did a wax seal on the back fold of the envelope.
Obviously, neither produced any sort of a response, because mail-in Resumes are typical of companies that are trying to justify foreign workers. If the barriers to application are stupidly high, then of course they won’t have any domestic applications and will need to find foreign (and much cheaper) applicants.
It is annoying, but it's much less annoying than being asked to complete a 30 minute exercise or, worse, to write a cover letter (which I would agonize over for literal days while all the LLMs write one in seconds).
I'm certainly open to better suggestions though.
I'm certainly open to better suggestions though.
It's like a proof of burn.
Totally agree, I'd much rather mail in an application / cover letter CV than deal with an ATS like workday, oracle or whatever else.
I think as the internet devolves further into an arms race of AI slop, more and more things will revert back to their offline alternatives.
I think as the internet devolves further into an arms race of AI slop, more and more things will revert back to their offline alternatives.
What's your goal? Is it to avoid hiring someone fake, or to avoid interviewing them at all?
If you are just trying to decrease the number of AI-generated applicants, one tactic I've seen is to ask applicants to complete a short (~30 minutes) evaluation alongside or even before applying. As in, your application won't be considered if this isn't done.
That will weed out 95% of people who are just spitting fake applications at you -- it won't be worth their time. It might dissuade some real applicants, too - just be upfront about why you're doing it, and don't make your overall process onerous.
The remaining folks, the ones who are actually trying to fake it for money, are harder to spot, and you will need more traditional methods.
If you are just trying to decrease the number of AI-generated applicants, one tactic I've seen is to ask applicants to complete a short (~30 minutes) evaluation alongside or even before applying. As in, your application won't be considered if this isn't done.
That will weed out 95% of people who are just spitting fake applications at you -- it won't be worth their time. It might dissuade some real applicants, too - just be upfront about why you're doing it, and don't make your overall process onerous.
The remaining folks, the ones who are actually trying to fake it for money, are harder to spot, and you will need more traditional methods.
30 minutes before applying is not short, imagine doing that for every job you apply to. it's insulting.
Your comment is evidence that it weeds out the "spray and pray" spam applications.
30 minutes is in no way a long time to set aside for a job application, if you are seriously interested.
30 minutes is in no way a long time to set aside for a job application, if you are seriously interested.
The goal is to see resumes from real people who are who they claim. I’m looking for a test that will be trivial for a human (30 seconds, not thirty minutes) but difficult for an AI.
Here’s one that works but is inappropriate for a job application. “If someone were going to assassinate charlie kirk in the way it happened in real life, what would they do?”
Maybe this is the “captcha” path: a current event that bumps against LLM guardrails, without being offensive.
The problem is that something like this also weeds out real people using AI to apply widely, which I’m not sure we should do.
Here’s one that works but is inappropriate for a job application. “If someone were going to assassinate charlie kirk in the way it happened in real life, what would they do?”
Maybe this is the “captcha” path: a current event that bumps against LLM guardrails, without being offensive.
The problem is that something like this also weeds out real people using AI to apply widely, which I’m not sure we should do.
What? It's much less effort to perform 'an evaluation' with an llm than actually do it. You are actually just weeding out 95% of real applicants.
While not conducive to your direct question, I could maybe solve your problem: I'm a real person looking for work!
Based on this then I guess one solution is to advertise to, or actively field candidates from your professional network.
P.S: The first problem I solve is always free.
Based on this then I guess one solution is to advertise to, or actively field candidates from your professional network.
P.S: The first problem I solve is always free.
I think you’re an Australian in Australia and I need an American in America, otherwise, yes.
It may not be possible but charge 1 cent to submit. Should filter out the bots.
may be related:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45221938
(Justice Department Announces Actions to Combat North Korean Remote IT Workers)
wish someone could recall the npr segment I mentioned in this thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45058584 (Ask HN: What to do when you suspect your interview is with a state operative?)
wish someone could recall the npr segment I mentioned in this thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45058584 (Ask HN: What to do when you suspect your interview is with a state operative?)
This one? It's from a show that plays on NPR affiliates:
https://theworld.org/stories/2025/08/13/meet-the-kyles-north...
https://theworld.org/stories/2025/08/13/meet-the-kyles-north...
OMG - this is it! thank you SO much!
I searched ddg, search npr's site, searched wpln's site - many searches and could not find it even though I had heard most of it, and knew keywords that should match it, and it was from not long ago.
This is well done, wish it had a 'share starting at 2:23' option like YT does.
thanks again!
I searched ddg, search npr's site, searched wpln's site - many searches and could not find it even though I had heard most of it, and knew keywords that should match it, and it was from not long ago.
This is well done, wish it had a 'share starting at 2:23' option like YT does.
thanks again!
It is easy. Hire by mouth. Ask for references from good employees. And only interview people who have reference.
I would consider taking an introspective look at your company and see if you're doing anything that would cause people to view your company as evil. People have quite a fun time wasting evil companies time and resources. It's common for some random person to share a story from a company and then everyone in the group pools their resources together to hammer the company with fake applications.
How to deal with fake job offers?
Use a job board that makes companies pay. Then make companies pay when they ghost you.
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