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Indian-origin student in UK says AI hiring led to over 100 job rejections: 'I got a rejection in less than 2 minutes'
Indian-origin student says AI-led hiring feels “robotic” after over 100 job rejections, some within minutes, as firms increasingly rely on automation.
An Indian-origin student in the UK has highlighted the growing role of AI in hiring, saying the process feels “robotic” and often leads to instant rejection. In an interview with the BBC, Bhuvana Chilukuri, a 20-year-old third-year business student at Queen Mary University of London, said she has applied to more than 100 jobs but has not secured a single offer so far.
"There are moments where I applied and I got a rejection less than two minutes later, which is really horrible," the 20-year-old told the BBC.
Chilukuri said that she is convinced that most of her applications are never reviewed by a human, as companies are increasingly relying on AI tools to screen candidates. "The first step is AI screening your CV. You can get rejected pretty quickly at that stage. Then the next process would maybe be an AI video interview," she explained.
Chilukuri shared that despite completing several internships and gaining work experience, she has not yet secured a job offer ahead of graduating this summer. Describing the experience, she said, “I do tend to feel like a robot, because you're just seeing yourself on screen, and answering questions for almost 20 minutes. You become sort of monotone. You don't speak to anyone, and it takes away your personality. It's quite sad.”
Her frustration reflects a broader trend among young job seekers entering an increasingly competitive market. According to the BBC, job vacancies have dropped significantly since the post-pandemic peak, while higher costs for employers and stronger employee protections have made firms more cautious about hiring. At the same time, companies are leaning heavily on AI to manage the surge in applications.
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Fewer jobs, more AI
Denis Machuel, CEO of Adecco Group, which uses AI in candidate pre-screening, said the scale of hiring has changed. “People need to send, on average, 200 applications to get a job offer,” he said.
“What AI brings is scale. Before, you would reach out to 50 people, and out of that you will take one, so you will have 49 people frustrated. Now, if you reach out to 500 candidates, you create 499 people frustrated,” he added.
The 20-year-old said that she understands why companies are adopting AI tools but noted that candidates are also adapting. “They're getting floods of applications. So I don't blame them. But it's coming to a point where students are becoming lazy. They're like 'if you're going to screen with AI, I'm going to apply with AI. And they use AI to write their CVs. I don't blame them either. Everyone's trying to figure it out," she said.
Chilukuri further added that the increasing automation of hiring remains unsettling. “I don’t trust the AI, I think I’ll always trust a person. But it’s hard to get the opportunity to see the person,” she said.
