Ask HN: Thoughts on GPT and applicant tracking systems?
I can imagine a GPT plug-in for Greenhouse or Ashby or Lever or Workable that automatically creates a candidate profile based on everything you've written or shared or tweeted, everything you've uploaded to YouTube, every job you've had, all of the old archived versions of your personal website, old social media profiles you've long forgotten about, every previous application or resumé you've sent that might be available through a data broker.
Then, it takes all of that information, and scrutinizes your LinkedIn profile and all of your connections and makes "predictions" about how you'll work with the team, about whether you're actually qualified for the role, about whether you're being truthful about your skills or work experience. Forget looking at the meat of the application, or a resumé or cover letter—a recruiter or hiring manager might just rely on the AI generated profile, never questioning it's authenticity or interpretation, to figure out if you're worth a first interview.
Many of these tools already "enhance" candidate profiles based on publicly available information tied to your email address, but right now, you've still got a real person in the drivers seat responsible for filtering and screening applicants. Of course, most of these people have no idea how to spot talent or figure out if someone is a good fit for a role, but that's a separate discussion.
I think this is going to be yet another creeping form of social surveillance, and I'd imagine we won't even know that's it happening at first. Eventually, you'll start to see additional privacy disclaimers on application forms stating that the system will automatically compile a candidate profile, and you'll have to agree to this before submitting the application.
If you've made enough money to voice your opinions loudly online, or you're comfortable sharing your work in public, and you're not at all worried about income in the short or long term, maybe this is less of a problem for you. But for the average person looking for work at modern technology companies, you've still got to think carefully about your digital identity and how you present yourself online.
Applicant tracking systems are already terrible and I think they're about to get much worse.
Anyone else concerned about this?