News

Robots May Be Rejecting Your Job Applications

There was a point in my life that due to the economy, I found myself out of work. I could say between jobs, but I’m not that pretentious. I was unemployed and desperate for work. In this situation, I understand how hideous it can be.

For anyone in that position though, I daresay you would at least like to think that when your rejection letter/e-mail comes through, a human has been a factor in it. Well, in a report via the Guardian, it seems that in a significant number of cases, your application may have been rejected solely based on a robot and it’s algorithm.

Sorry bleep bloop on this occasion your application was not successful!

It seems that a large number of big employers within the UK have turned away from traditional applications and have looked towards methods of application to which a robot AI can determine your initial suitability. The report suggests that Tesco, one of the UK’s largest employers, has begun using this ‘non-formal’ application procedure.

At this point, you may be wondering what the AI is looking for. Unfortunately, it’s hard to say. Obviously, the employer will program in certain keywords that the algorithm will either be looking for or not looking for. This will be specific to the employer so exactly what the AI will want is difficult to say.

Good or bad?

Truthfully, I can understand why employers want to do this. As per the report, Tesco received 3 million applications a year and that’s a lot to manually process. I do not, however, like the idea of good people being turned away just because their wording in an answer or their CV doesn’t quite meet the necessary algorithm.

That being said though, having had one of those God-awful Asda group interviews about 20 years ago, I’d rather take my chances with the Robot.

This might be something to get the robot solicitors involved in. What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!

Support eTeknix.com

By supporting eTeknix, you help us grow. And continue to bring you the latest news, reviews, and competitions. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the latest technology. Share your favourite articles, chat with the team and more. Also check out eTeknix YouTube, where you’ll find our latest video reviews, event coverage and features in 4K!