Just realized a simple trick to spot AI-written job applications

I was helping a friend's small business in Denver sort through 200 applications for a front desk job. We kept seeing these weird, perfect cover letters that felt off. I tried running a few paragraphs through a free AI detector, but it wasn't clear. Then I just started asking one simple question in the first email reply: 'What's your favorite local coffee shop?' The real people from town gave normal answers, but the AI-generated ones either gave a generic chain name or a weirdly detailed fake review. It cut our pile in half. Has anyone else found a low-tech way to filter out the automated applicants?

3 comments

3 Comments

haydeng4716d ago

Love that trick. I started asking about the weather last Tuesday in the initial screening email. The fake ones either got the day wrong or wrote a whole paragraph about atmospheric pressure.

the_thomas15d ago

How many fake ones you get this week?

blake3227d ago

My cousin in Austin said they ask about the best breakfast taco spot. One applicant described a place that closed two years ago, which was a dead giveaway. They said the answer felt like it was pulled from an old travel blog.