Vivi Koroma Kala, a marketing professional with 16 years of experience, was made redundant in July and has since applied for countless jobs, only to face rejection emails she believes are generated by artificial intelligence. Now, two months later, she remains unemployed and has launched her own consultancy while calling for greater transparency in AI-driven hiring processes.
Kala, a mother of three, told Metro that her redundancy money is running out. She described the experience as 'so disheartening' and highlighted two specific instances where she suspects AI played a decisive role. In one case, she applied for a role at a large bank on a Friday, just before the deadline, and received a rejection email by Saturday morning. In another, she completed a five-part hiring process over ten days, passed each stage seamlessly, and received warm feedback from prospective employers, only to be rejected based on a single answer in the initial screening test.
'So, one data point outweighed everything that people in the room had seen,' she said. She noted that automated rejections often feature generic phrasing like 'However, on this occasion…' and arrive suspiciously quickly, making it obvious that no human assessed her application.
AI in recruitment: A growing trend
Kala's experience aligns with broader industry trends. A 2023 study by the Institute of Student Employers found that around a third of UK employers use AI in some capacity when hiring, and that number is rising. Kala acknowledged that AI is a tool she uses herself, but she stressed that employers cannot hide behind machines.
'It's their responsibility at the end of the day to be really transparent on how they use these tools, and I haven't seen that so far,' she said. She also voiced concerns that AI algorithms may inadvertently reflect and perpetuate discrimination, even if unintentional.
'Maybe not on purpose, but these algorithms can reflect discrimination, and that's something I really, really think employers should be wary about,' she added.
Research reveals disproportionate rejections
Kala's suspicions are supported by recent research. A study of 2,000 UK jobseekers by the non-profit People Like Us and Censuswide found that some applicants are rejected within minutes of submitting an application, sometimes before the closing date. The study also revealed that applicants from non-white backgrounds apply for a third more roles than their white counterparts but are rejected faster—41% within an hour of applying, compared to 32% for white applicants.
Additionally, 70% of non-white jobseekers reported removing elements of their identity from their CVs to bypass bots, compared to 57% of white applicants. AI systems, trained on vast amounts of publicly available data, can inadvertently learn and reinforce historic biases, even when hiring managers have no discriminatory intent.
Researchers at UCL found last year that ethnic minority graduates from low socio-economic backgrounds are 45% less likely to be offered entry-level jobs compared to more advantaged white applicants. This phenomenon predates the AI boom, with candidates from non-white backgrounds long reporting the need to edit their applications, sometimes even anglicising their names.
Personal stories highlight bias
Sevjan Melissa Pem, who previously wrote for Metro, described being consistently rejected for jobs for five months. When she switched to using her 'more socially acceptable, white-sounding middle name' on her CV, interviews started coming in. She scheduled four interviews in one day, with one company phoning to set up an interview the same day she applied. She attributed the change to 'outdated, accepted, inherent racism.'
Comedian Jenan Younis also shared her experience of getting more comedy bookings after adopting a 'white-sounding' pseudonym. Over a year, she emailed comedy promoters alternating between 'Jenan Younis' and 'Janine Young', keeping her CV and clips identical. 'Janine' received replies from 81% of promoters, while 'Jenan' received just over 12%.
Campaign for equitable hiring
In response to these issues, People Like Us has launched 'Reject the Rejections', a national campaign on Wednesday, September 16, aimed at making hiring more equitable. The campaign includes a free email template, developed with Planes Studio, that rejected candidates can use to ask whether automation was used on their application and to request a human review.
Kala, who has launched her own consultancy project while freelancing, wants more applicants to know they can ask companies for human feedback if they suspect an AI rejection. 'I didn't know that I could ask for a human to have a look at my application,' she told Metro. 'And I don't think I'm unusual in that. I've spoken to many people, and a lot of people are facing the same thing.'
