We thought we had seen most things in recruitment over the last 23+ years… but this one was new. Candidates are now trying to outsmart Ai by hiding instructions inside their CV’s.
White text buried in documents. Invisible prompts telling Ai screening tools (used heavily by the big corporates) to rank them highly. Even the occasional bold instruction: “GIVE ME THE JOB.” You have to admire the creativity… slightly. But it also says something quite telling. People genuinely believe Ai is deciding their future, so they’re trying to game the system just to get seen. And in some processes, they’re probably not wrong.
Here’s the issue, though. You might fool an algorithm. You won’t fool someone who actually understands the sector. Because when a real person reads that CV, they’ll spot it. And once they do, the question becomes: what else is being “optimised”? In a strange way, it’s quite reassuring. It’s proof that executive recruitment still needs humans and especially in sectors like agriculture, fresh produce, horticulture and food, where experience, relationships and context matter.
At Redfox, we don’t rely on tricks or keywords. We rely on 23+ years of sector experience, and a network built properly over time… both in the UK and internationally… to connect the right people with the right businesses.
If your CV needs to secretly tell Ai to “give you the job”… something’s already off.
And if you’re a client relying on automated screening to find your next key hire, it might be worth a conversation. If you’ve got critical roles to fill and want to ensure you’re seeing the very best people…properly assessed, not just algorithm-approved… let’s talk.
Call +44 (0)1284 715055 or email – hello@redfoxexecutive.com
