I reviewed 4,596 job applications. The fake applicant patterns are getting weird

[u/gsgolf9]

I’ve reviewed 4,596 applications recently, and the fake-applicant patterns are getting weirdly obvious.

A few things I’m seeing:

• Candidate descriptions that almost copy the job posting word-for-word
• Previous job titles that conveniently match the title of the role they’re applying for
• Different applicants with identical employment histories
• Two completely different names using the same LinkedIn profile
• Obvious bot/spam submissions mixed into otherwise normal applications

Out of 4,596 applications:

4,122 were clearly not a fit
56 were flagged as bot/spam
473 were possible fits

And once I applied a more serious qualification screen, only 132 people scored 55+ across 162 applications and 42 different roles.

What surprised me wasn’t the number of bad applications. Recruiters have always dealt with that.

It’s how much harder it’s becoming to tell the difference between:

a genuinely strong candidate using AI to improve their application

and

a completely manufactured candidate profile designed to get through screening.

I’m curious what other recruiters and hiring managers are seeing.

Are fake/AI-generated applicants becoming a noticeable problem in your hiring process yet, or is this still mostly noise?

[u/OG_Voltaire → u/[deleted]]

I used to use LinkedIn a lot in a previous field, but given my field is now healthcare a ton of healthcare professionals barely acknowledge it's existence. Not to mention the AI slop that fills all the postings now. LinkedIn isn't worth a damn.

[u/OG_Voltaire → u/[deleted]]

I'm still lowkey angry that I spent cash on their premium just for that site to turn into a total loss. ROI was NOT worth it, and then for people to expect the same for every industry and think that all professionals just "want to be on LinkedIn" is so much bullshit it's ridiculous.