NEW DELHI ( ENN News) — A Delhi-based startup founder says roughly one in five job applications she now receives contain unedited, AI-generated text, after a screenshot she posted of a botched cover letter drew more than 107,000 views online.
Ananya Narang, founder and chief executive of Entourage, a content-as-a-service platform, shared the screenshot on X and LinkedIn on Oct. 15, 2024. The cover letter, submitted for a role at her company, still contained the placeholder instructions from what appeared to be an AI writing tool, reading in part: “I’m proficient in [mention your key skills, e.g., graphic design, social media strategy, research], and I’m passionate about [explain briefly how you can add value, e.g., creating engaging content, analyzing trends, supporting strategic initiatives].”
“Just received yet another job application. No wonder we have so much unemployment today :’),” Narang wrote in the post.
In a follow-up post, Narang said the mistake was not an isolated one. “I’ve been hiring left, right & center, and texts like these are literally 1 out of 5 applications :’),” she wrote, urging job seekers to use AI tools “not blindly.”
Narang also asked her followers how she should respond to the applicant, prompting a wave of replies. Several users wrote mock rejection letters that mimicked the same unedited, placeholder-style format the candidate had submitted.
The post had drawn more than 107,000 views and over 1,400 likes as of mid-October 2024, according to a report by Indian Startup News, which first covered the exchange along with Business Today.
Narang’s company, Entourage, describes itself as a content-as-a-service platform. Neither Narang nor Entourage has publicly disclosed the identity of the applicant or the specific role being hired for beyond describing it as content-related.
The incident reflects a broader pattern recruiters and hiring managers have described anecdotally since generative AI tools became widely available: candidates using chatbots such as ChatGPT to draft applications quickly, but submitting them without replacing template placeholders or otherwise personalizing the content. Career advisers commonly recommend using AI tools only as a drafting aid, with a manual review before submission, to avoid this kind of error.
Narang did not respond to a request for further comment. TVW News India could not independently verify the exact proportion of AI-generated applications Narang’s company receives beyond her own public statement.
This article is based on Narang’s public posts on X and LinkedIn, and reporting by Business Today and Indian Startup News published in October 2024.
Ruchi Kumar is the associate editor at Entrepreneur News Network and TVW News India, where she leads editorial strategy, brand storytelling, and startup ecosystem coverage. With a strong focus on innovation, business, and marketing insights, he curates impactful narratives that spotlight India’s evolving entrepreneurial landscape. She has written extensively on fintech, AI and emerging startups.