'It's all robotic' | Recruiter exposes 'hack' candidates are using to get past AI recruitment software

A former recruitment consultant has shared her ‘hack’ for getting past the initial screening process when applying for jobs.

Now a TikTokker, Anya Kitt said in a video – that’s since gone viral, with over 950,000 views – that job seekers who want to get past the AI software that’s widely used to screen applicants can do so by typing the list of duties required in the job advertisement into the CV’s margins (in Microsoft Word) then turning the text to white. This, she says, will ensure the invisible text is picked up by the algorithm, guaranteeing that the applicant gets through the next stage of the application process.

“The reason why is that there’s an algorithm and these keywords will get you past the initial screening process, which is all robotic, to an actual person,” Kitt explains in the video.

“We used to do this as recruiters all the time to get our candidates in above the rest. It’s not the most ethical but neither are these f***ing screening algorithms so use the system,” she added.