“Your Future Feels Like a Game”: Student Blames AI After Getting Rejected From 100 Job Applications

• A third-year business student named Bhuvana Chilukuri went viral after sharing that she had been rejected from over 100 job applications
• She believes the screening systems are the reason her applications never get any promising results
• People from all over the world flooded the comments, sharing their own job rejection stories

An interview shared by @bbcnews on Instagram on 18 March 2026 struck a nerve with job seekers around the world. The clip followed Bhuvana Chilukuri, a third-year business student who has applied for more than 100 jobs. Her story got heads turning after she shared that she had been rejected from every single one. The interview was captioned:

"Bhuvana Chilukuri is convinced that very few, if any, of her applications are ever seen by a human as firms are increasingly using artificial intelligence to hire new staff."

In the interview, Bhuvana shared that there were moments when she received a rejection in less than two minutes after applying. She said it felt awful and explained that students can tell when it's an AI system rejecting them rather than a real person.

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Although going through the disappointing experience, Bhuvuna did not place the blame entirely on the companies. She pointed out that some roles attract hundreds of thousands of applications and that businesses need a faster way to sort through them.

According to LinkedIn, 89% of recruiters plan to use more AI in their hiring process by 2026. Bhuvana did add that the situation has started pushing students to fight fire with fire, using AI to write and send applications in bulk. She shared that the whole experience felt like a computer game, one that nobody seems to be winning.

Watch the full interview here.

Job seekers relate to the AI rejection story

People from around the world related to Bhuvana's experience and shared their thoughts on the Instagram account @bbcnews's reel:

@chris_kapcia said:

"AI isn't the main issue. It's companies using AI to go through resumes. It's lazy recruiting."

@curlyfittie shared:

"I applied for a job on LinkedIn, got rejected, found the recruiter and emailed her directly with my CV and cover letter. I have an interview 😂 AI is making recruitment worse because people are using it badly."

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@carlosrios777 wrote:

"I wish we could just walk into buildings again and apply the old normal way. I hate using LinkedIn and Indeed."

@xanderkennard pointed out:

"People are also using generative AI to create custom personal statements, which means way more competition."

@suspiciosoguy noted:

"Many are fake job listings for tax write-offs."

@l.bernardo shared:

"I am 41, from Brazil, have two degrees, have been working since I was 16, and have been unemployed for nine months with over a thousand applications sent. Next month, I am homeless."

@catsarecoolerthandogs added:

"It's not just students. I have over 13 years of experience, and I also can't land a job in this market."

@the_dolly_llama_ wrote:

"Those are rookie numbers."

More on the global job market struggle

• Briefly News recently reported on a massive crowd of job seekers gathered outside a hiring company in Cape Town.
• Qualified individuals took to the streets to march for jobs, and the sight of these professionals facing unemployment had many stunned.
• A retail worker opened up about the moment he walked away from his job, and the reason he gave had thousands of people admitting they were in the exact same position.

Source: Briefly News