Job candidate opens rejection email, finds HR's lazy ChatGPT prompt instead

A candidate got an email from a company they had applied to for a job. It wasn't an exciting update; in fact, it was a "rejection email" informing the prospect that the company would no longer move forward with their application. As the applicant continued to read the full text, they didn't cry because of the rejection; instead, they were shocked to notice a cleverly placed ChatGPT prompt at the bottom, hinting that even rejection letters are now AI-generated.

"We will not be moving forward with your application at this time," the email read. So far, everything appeared normal — nothing unexpected or fishy — until the candidate scrolled down to see the AI prompt used to generate their rejection mail. The HR, responsible for drafting the rejection letter, had certainly turned to ChatGPT, asking the chatbot to complete the task, but they forgot to edit the email before sending it. "Write a warm but generic email that sounds polite yet firm. Do not mention specific reasons for rejections. Make the candidate feel like they were strongly considered, even if they weren't," read the HR's AI command that they had accidentally copied and pasted in the email.

Today, imagining a world without artificial intelligence is just not possible, and just like every other sector, AI is inevitable in the recruitment sector as well. According to a report by DemandSage, in 2025, 87% of companies are reported to use AI-driven tools in their hiring process. Moreover, the report claims that more than 65% of recruiters say they have turned to AI to save time, whereas 44% say they do it to improve candidate sourcing. While there is no harm in using AI, sending unedited emails, as the Reddit post highlighted, shows the company's lazy and casual approach towards hiring.

Meanwhile, in July 2025, when an individual who goes by u/glass_spend1655 on Reddit shared the screenshot of the hilarious AI goof-up, the response to the post was just unreal. For instance, a user, u/dancezealousideal809, who had a similar experience, commented, "I once got a reject email addressed to a completely different person: they repeatedly referred to me as Daniel." Another user, u/opinionate_rooster, suggested, "Forward this to the CEO. Attach your CV. In the subject, write, 'I can do a better job than your HR.'" u/commanderfate asked, "How is it that someone who is that bad at their job works in a position of power to decide whether other people would be good for a job or not?"

Echoing the sentiments, u/coccquaman shared, "As someone who has been looking for a job these past 2 months, it's infuriating when a company takes the 'human' element out of 'Human Resources.'" u/senpai_fairy commented, "You most definitely did not need to work there anyway. If they’re careless enough not to read an email before sending it and are this disrespectful, they are not going to respect you as an employee. I think you dodged a bullet." u/callin-br shared, "Companies will be like, 'You have to pay extreme attention to detail to work here,' and then do this shit. But also, the current job market makes me think I would be relieved to even get a rejection notification. I've applied to positions at both the community college and the four-year university that I attended and received degrees from, and neither one bothered to let me know I didn't get the job."