Here’s a situation that is, unfortunately, becoming all too common.

You need to fill a job opening for a particular role – let’s say, a paralegal for a law firm. You post that job online, like you always have. And within hours, if not minutes, you’re inundated with an endless stream of low-quality applications, perhaps 100 applications in a day or more! Upon a closer look, the applications are very generic and obviously automated. Now, your in-house recruiter has to wade through the “slush pile” of AI-generated automation to try to find the real, thoughtfully tailored applications from actual humans.

The Rise of AI Application Tools

If you’re recruiting in today’s marketplace, you’ve probably heard stories like this, or even experienced them yourself. Unfortunately, the internet is full of apps and tools, promising to help candidates land jobs without any real effort. Our Aspen team has noticed apps like LazyApply and similar AI-powered mass-application tools, and one thing is clear: they’re making the job of the recruiter or hiring manager even harder.

In the digital age, we expect some level of digital assistance on job applications. It might be as simple as a quick spelling and grammar check, or it might be more nefarious, like a candidate plagiarizing their content from elsewhere online. For the most part, though, candidates have had to actually sit down and do the work, even if it’s half-hearted work, to apply.

Now, these AI tools are taking things a step further. They’re effectively acting as both agent and avatar, “applying” en masse (750+ applications/day!) on their subscribers’ behalf.

Not only does this cause quality problems and raise ethical concerns, but it also adds another hurdle for recruiters or the internal Human Resources department. Because of the high level of automation involved with these tools, it’s very likely that many of the so-called “applicants” haven’t read anything about the job or about your company; the AI made all the decisions. Expect higher numbers of unproductive interviews or outright ghosting from candidates who are just playing an AI-driven numbers game.

What Can Recruiters Do?

To some degree, recruiters can’t totally stop this AI-generated flood. Filtering for certain keywords or trigger phrases may seem helpful, but it also can catch up real people who just happen to use words common enough to be mimicked by AI. Likewise, tools that claim to detect AI are often riddled with false positives.

Further into the hiring process, however, interview techniques such as the following can help weed out underqualified applicants:

  • Ask specific behavioral questions and follow-ups.
  • Focus on practical, hands-on assessments and/or skills tests where possible.
  • Include non-traditional or highly specific questions that AI wouldn’t have.
  • Ask problem-solving questions, or questions about the candidate’s thought process.

At Aspen Associates, we understand the frustrations of hiring in today’s digitally-powered world. We take the guesswork out of the process by pre-screening top talent from our extensive, qualified network (including passive talent) and ensuring that the candidates we pass on to you are already excited about your specific opportunity. Let Aspen reduce stress and streamline hiring – the authentic way.

By Tom Zeleny, NHA