Applicant receives AI rejection letter because their birthdate was “unprofessional”

Redditor HappiestSadGirl_ posted on r/antiwork that they allegedly received an AI-generated rejection letter for a ridiculous reason. Believe it or not, they said they got one for “being born on the wrong date.” The message stated that being born on April 20 or “4/20” does not align with the company’s professional standards.

Imagine if a human HR personnel sent you such a rejection letter after months of relentless applications. Yet, that is becoming more common as companies use artificial intelligence to automate various corporate tasks. Fortunately, they present a unique opportunity for job applicants. You can optimize your resume to raise your chances of getting hired!

This article will elaborate on this AI rejection letter and similar incidents due to artificial intelligence errors. Then, I will share some tips to prepare your resume for AI screeners.

Why did the person receive an AI rejection letter?

The Redditor received the AI rejection letter because the system believed their birthdate was “unprofessional.” It was on April 20 or “4/20,” a popular holiday among marijuana enthusiasts.

It would seem that artificial intelligence programming views any instance of “4/20” as a joke. The company that commissioned the AI tool probably wanted to filter out prank application letters, so it specified any mention of “4/20” as unacceptable.

However, the AI probably did not make any exceptions for application letters that include it as a birthdate. That is why it rejected the person’s application, prompting them to post the ridiculous incident on Reddit.

However, there are signs that this letter might not be real. For example, it does not capitalize the word “LinkedIn” and makes other grammatical mistakes that most AI systems would not do.

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Nevertheless, the Reddit post highlights the problems AI is causing in the hiring process. CNBC says the technology has already been impacting job seekers since 2015.

For example, Amazon deployed an AI screener that year, which turned out to have a bias against women. It excluded resumes that included the word “women’s.” Also, the news outlet shared a few ways AI bias could ruin your job prospects:

• These systems could disqualify your application if it detects an employment gap. In other words, it may reject you if you have years of unemployment between jobs.
• Artificial intelligence programs tend to misinterpret dark-colored skin, a heavy accent, or a speech impediment. 
• HR departments usually check your social media accounts when processing your application. However, AI systems could make mistakes in screening yours, such as the Redditor who received an AI rejection letter for being born on 4/20.

How to prepare your resume for AI

The silver lining in AI application screening is that you could optimize your resume to increase your chances of getting selected. Start by following the correct resume format. 

Use a hybrid format that divides your resume into professional summary and skill sections. Moreover, include a chronological list of your work experience and achievements. Remove “fancy” editing methods like: 

• Photos
• Graphics or logos
• Highlighting words with colors
• Custom bullets (except the circular and square ones)
• Columns
• Tables
• Charts
• Italicized, underlined, and bold text, especially for LinkedIn posts

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Then, include terms your employers are likely looking for in an applicant. For example, a call center agent recruiter may look for words like “night shift,” “five years of experience,” or “voice and email experience.”

They would likely program their artificial intelligence systems to prioritize applications with such words. However, you should not include them randomly in your resume!

Instead, they should be an organic part of its text. Otherwise, the AI may recognize you’re trying to cheat it! Check out my article about AI resume optimization for more information.

Conclusion

An anonymous person posted an AI rejection letter that allegedly declined their application for having “4/20” as their birthdate. It says having such a birthday is “inconsistent with the professional standards” of its organization.

This message might be fake due to a few errors an artificial intelligence would not usually make. However, AI programs have been making ridiculous hiring decisions for years.

Ifeoma Ajunwa, a University of North Carolina law professor, said, “You can’t just delegate hiring to AI and think everything is okay.” Learn more about the latest digital tips and trends at Inquirer Tech.