Job Seekers Beware: Misleading AI Job Postings Are Mining Your Data and Giving Little in Return
My Journey Through an AI Hiring Pipeline that Took My Data and Wasted My Time—and How to Avoid the Same Mistake/
TL;DR: AI recruitment companies worth hundreds of millions are mining your personal data to build their products while providing little to no real job opportunities in return. Skip to the end for tips on how to avoid falling victim and what to do if you've been impacted.
How It Started
A week ago, I spotted what looked like an exciting opportunity on LinkedIn: a remote, project-based role for someone with legal expertise to help train an AI agent. Given my background as a lawyer and experience custom-building LLM assistants, it seemed like a solid fit.
I clicked "Apply Now," spent about an hour crafting my CV and cover letter, and submitted my application. Immediately afterward, I was directed to do an interview. Surprised, I took a moment to collect myself and look professional before clicking continue. When I did, I found myself face-to-screen with an AI interviewer. It asked insightful questions, followed up logically, and seemed genuinely interested. But then came the "oh" moment:
I finished the application and was welcomed onto a platform where I can “explore opportunities.” Wait, I thought I had done that already, I thought I had applied to a very specific opportunity already.
Oh…The reality hit me. Not only was the likelihood of anything coming from this was extremely low, but there’s something else going on here, and I get the feeling that it’s not good for me or my data.
Inside the AI Hiring Machine
Enter the modern-day gold rush: your data.
Companies like Mercor, micro1, and Pesto Tech are racing to disrupt the recruitment industry In the words of Mercor, they aim to “[train] models that predict how well someone will perform on a job better than a human can. Similar to how a human would review a resume, conduct an interview, and decide who to hire, [they] automate all of those processes with LLMs.” Their clients are AI Labs and tech companies.
Companies like Mercor, and Micro1 conduct thousands of AI-driven interviews simultaneously, mining your verbal responses, facial expressions, and even browser behaviors to train their AI algorithms. Micro1 openly advertises that its AI Recruiter screens over 1,000 candidates per role, evaluating honesty by monitoring your audio, video, and online behaviors during interviews.
But here's the catch: how many candidates actually get hired? Mercor, for instance, has conducted over 100,000 interviews in less than two years—but doesn’t publicly disclose how many candidates landed jobs.
I can hear the retort already: You’re not guaranteed any job! You are wasting your time in every job application you don’t get. – Yes, that's true, but there’s a fundamental difference here, in that your data is directly being used to build their product. They directly financially benefit from your application. Thus, the incentive is to interview as many people as possible, regardless of the outcome. It's opaque, misleading, and purposely in a grey area.
- You deserve to know what these companies are and how they operate before applying to anything from them. -
Misleading Job Listings and Ghost Opportunities
To sustain their data collection, these platforms rely on a constant influx of applicants.
For example, platforms like Intch and Pesto Tech promise numerous remote gigs or high-paying developer roles, only to redirect users into their own training or applicant funnels. Some users reported that jobs advertised on Intch redirected to generic boards or required subscriptions, while others complained on Reddit about how hard it was to cancel once they signed up.
Many postings are opaque, misleading, exaggerated or even fake —"ghost jobs" designed to lure job seekers in. Take a look at the following job postings, one is for a role they are recruiting for to train an AI model, and the other is for a role within the company itself.
The role they're recruiting for contains just enough information for people to apply (and 355 have), but no information at all about the company, their business model, or what the candidate data will be used for.
Conversely the role for a position within the company has a whole section outlining who they are and their business model. It clearly outlines that it is a recruitment company training models "that predict how well someone will perform on a job...[that can] review a resume, conduct an interview, and decide who to hire." It outlines that their clients are AI labs.
The job posting for the role training an AI model is purposely vague, containing the minimum information necessary to garner as many applicants as possible that fit the criteria.
Few Hires, Many Frustrations
What happens to candidates after interviews? Most end up indefinitely waiting in a "talent pool," rarely hearing back. One candidate described the experience bluntly: despite all the assurances, "they're unlikely to provide an actual job or any payment." Yet these platforms thrive financially—Mercor recently raised $100 million, backed by prominent investors like Peter Thiel and Jack Dorsey. This growth-at-all-costs mentality prioritizes rapid expansion and investor returns above all else, often leaving candidates feeling exploited, frustrated, and disposable in the process.
Why You Should Be Cautious
Not every AI hiring platform is fraudulent, but caution is crucial:
Your Time and Effort: AI-driven applications can consume hours of your time for minimal payoff.
Privacy and Data Risks: You're giving away detailed personal and professional information to train someone else’s profitable AI product.
Opacity: Little transparency about your application status or whether real companies even view your profile.
Emotional Toll: The cycle of hope, anxiety, and disappointment can significantly impact your mental well-being.
AI has legitimate potential to improve hiring, but job seekers must recognize when platforms prioritize data collection and investor hype over their interests.
What To Do If You’ve Already Given Your Information and You’re Concerned About Privacy
Maybe, like me, you’ve given one (or in my case two) of these platforms your personal information and you’re worried about how it might be used. Don’t panic.
Here's your immediate action plan:
Request Data Deletion: Some platforms (like Mercor) allow you to request the deletion of your data. Take advantage of that.
Request Data Deletion: Consider exercising your rights under data protection laws (GDPR, CCPA) - if applicable - by sending the platform an email or filling out their privacy request form to delete your data, including interview recordings and profiles.
Revoke Permissions: Check your Google, LinkedIn, GitHub, or other connected accounts and revoke any permissions granted to these platforms to prevent further data access.
Change Reused Passwords: If you've reused passwords on these platforms, change those passwords immediately elsewhere to protect against potential breaches.
Limit Future Exposure: Avoid including sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII), like home addresses or personal phone numbers, on resumes. Stick to email and LinkedIn profiles for contact.
Use Privacy Services: Consider privacy-focused services like DeleteMe or PrivacyBee to proactively remove your personal data from unwanted databases.
Taking these steps won’t undo the past, but they empower you to regain control over your data and job search.
Final Thoughts
Remember: Your time, data, and privacy matter. Don't let them be exploited in the pursuit of someone else's algorithmic gold rush.
Stay informed by subscribing for future updates. I plan to keep digging into the intersection of tech and job searching, and I’ll continue to call things out as I see them. The world of AI is moving fast, and it’s impacting our lives in unexpected ways—from AI-generated headshots (a topic I’ve covered before) to AI-driven interviews that feel like sci-fi. By subscribing, you’ll join a community of curious, sometimes skeptical, individuals navigating this new landscape together. Knowledge is power, after all.
In the end, remember this: you are more than just data, and your career journey should be more than just training fodder for an algorithm. Let’s demand hiring processes that treat us like the talented humans we are. Stay vigilant, watch out for each other, and don’t let the allure of AI blind you to your own worth. The next time an AI cartoon or avatar greets you for an interview, you’ll know to ask: is this a path to a real job, or just a high-tech mirage? And armed with that question, you’ll be in a far better position to take control of your job search narrative.
Empower yourself and others: share your experiences , spread the word and consider sharing this article, and hit that subscribe button for more deep dives into the reality behind the tech hype. Together, we can make sure we’re driving our careers forward—not just feeding the machines.