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How using AI to apply for a job backfired for hundreds of candidates

The Australian Financial Review (AFR) •
November 10, 2026 • 05:00 AM
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As AI tools drive a flood of job applications, a three-step instruction test at the bottom of one vacancy tripped up more than half the field.

How using AI to apply for a job backfired for hundreds of candidates

When 1090 applications flooded in for an entry-level developer role at data consultancy Lynxx, managing director Matt McInnes was able to toss out most of them.

He could do so confidently because at the bottom of the job ad was a set of three instructions designed to test the key selection criterion for the role: attention to detail.

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