The Dangers Of AI-Generated Job Candidates

Forbes

22-04-2025

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AI is making it easier, and faster, to create fake job candidates.
Job seekers often complain about ghost jobs and fake job postings. But as much as those looking for their next gig have grown frustrated with employers over this trend, some organizations are now raising red flags too.
Companies must now be prepared for the possibility of fake job candidates. In a viral LinkedIn post, Dawid Moczadlo wrote about how he realized he was actually speaking to an AI-generated applicant. It wasn't just the cut-and-dry responses that reeked of ChatGPT, he wrote, but he noticed that the actual image of the interviewee's Zoom call looked off.
Moczadlo ended the call when he realized what was happening, but it wasn't the first time he or other tech companies have noticed AI candidates. It's an increasingly common problem for tech companies—from Fortune 500 firms to mom-and-pop shops. As Forbes' David Jeans reported in August, a number of the fake profiles are coming from remote North Korean IT workers, some of whom have even landed jobs earning as much as $300,000 a year.
And it's all becoming easier to do. A new study by cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks found that in just 70 minutes someone with minimal AI experience could create a fake job candidate that is able to pass as a real person.
The dangers are huge: At the very least, fake job postings add competition to an already crowded job market for tech workers, which leads talent and acquisition teams, if not company leaders, to waste time interviewing AI candidates. At its worst, fake candidates—especially those originating from North Korean IT workers— can pose real cybersecurity threats.
Happy reading, and hope you have a lovely week!
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Colonial Minutemen gather in the early morning hours as they face off against the British Red Coats on Lexington common at the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
Celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War began in Boston this past weekend. But beyond the professional reenactors, many of the people marching in bands and playing the infamous Paul Revere are regular folks, ranging from doctors and teachers to bankers and engineers. I spoke to a few of them about how they balance their reenactment duties with full-time corporate life below.
For most Americans heading into work today, it's just a regular Tuesday. But for Bostonians coming back after a long weekend––Monday was a state-recognized holiday in Massachusetts––some might recognize their coworker from an entirely different context..
Take Henry Liu, for example, who spends his 9-to-5 reviewing risk as compliance director of Middlesex Community Bank. But last weekend, he took over as narrator of the reenactment of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, famously known for the 'shot heard round the world' that started the Revolutionary War in 1775. Donning a green colonial jacket and a three-pointed hat, his uniform looked markedly different from the dress shirt he usually wears to work.
'It's fun when people discover it,' he says, though he prefers to keep a low profile at work over his reenactment duties. 'It's a largely invisible hobby.'
The longtime Lexington, Massachusetts resident has been part of the Lexington Minute Men reenactment group for decades, from his college years throughout his professional career. His rise in the organization, from music master to captain, happened alongside his professional growth, from FDIC examiner to bank senior vice president.
And while Liu may have been more involved than other reenactors while serving as Chair of this year's reenactment, he's not the only one balancing a full-time job on top of it. Alexander Cain advises high school students on manufacturing career paths during the day, but last weekend he played a colonial Minute Man in the Lexington reenactment.
The history buff from North Andover, Massachusetts first got involved in reenactments after watching the movie April Morning about 30 years ago, all while balancing college, then a career as a county prosecutor, before going into academia and career advising.
A full-time corporate job comes in handy with the costs of participating in reenactments, even if it's just a hobby. Between period-accurate clothing and refurbished muskets, reenactors can spend up to $5,000 to get ready to participate in events.
'I'm thankful working in biotech allows me to work on this hobby pretty intensely,' says Paul O'Shaughnessy, director of sustaining engineering at a Massachusetts firm. While he's always had a passion for history, he ended up pursuing a career in engineering, a field that's proved handy as he cleans and restores historical muskets. Unlike the others, O'Shaughnessy was a Red Coat this weekend, joining the reenactment as a member of the British soldiers during the battle.
That's not including the time many put into the hobby. Whether it be teaching themselves how to sew in 18th-century accurate patterns to cut down on clothing costs, or by researching their specific 'character,' the most involved reenactors can easily spend 10 hours a week on it. Still, balancing time can be tough. Liu, for one, often ends up using PTO for reenactment-related activities, joking that with the 250th anniversary he'd already used up his allotted time off by February.
'It's worth it,' he says, 'but I can't sacrifice my career for my hobby.'
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Why 'Diary Of A CEO' Host Recruits 7-Days-A-Week
CEOs at two major tech companies are asking their employees to do what before they consider hiring another team member?
A. Prove AI can't do the job
B. Show another team member is underperforming
C. Outline where the budget for a new salary will come from
D. All of the above
Check if you got it right here.