Interacting with anonymous applicants

You may have noticed an increase in Anonymous applications; submissions where a candidate applies, but their name, email, or other identifying details are missing, obscured, or incomplete. This is happening more often across the recruiting space, and it’s tied to how job boards, job search tools, and AI interact during the application process.

How can applicants be anonymous?

Anonymous applications can be intentional. They’re most often the result of newer privacy tools and automated job-search features working exactly as designed.

Here are the most common reasons this happens:

Private email relays	Some applicants use privacy features that hide their real email address when applying for jobs. Instead of passing along their actual contact info, the applicant uses a masked or temporary address to reduce the risk of scams or data leaks. You can generally tell at a glance if this is the case because the domain will be generic or unfamiliar, or the email address will be a long string of text or numbers.
AI-powered job search	AI tools that help candidates apply to multiple jobs quickly often submit minimal or standardized information. This can result in missing names, generic resumes, or placeholder details being passed into the application.
New job board privacy policies	Many job boards now offer built-in anonymity options to protect candidate data. When enabled, identifying details like names or emails may be intentionally withheld from employers. As an example, you can learn more about Indeed's privacy policies for job seekers here.

Why would an applicant choose to be anonymous?

Candidates may wish to use a private email relay, hide identifying details, or submit a basic resume to prevent bias, intentional or not, in their initial hiring steps. They also may feel more comfortable initially applying anonymously due to their current employment. For many candidates, anonymity is a way to apply confidently to a role before sharing their personal details.

Applicants may choose to keep their information private for many reasons. A study conducted in the Netherlands examined the impact of anonymized applications on hiring rates across several years, with special interest in non-Western applicants. The study notes that applicants were much more interested in an anonymous hiring process, while hiring managers were less keen.

How can I tell the difference between an anonymous applicant and an AI applicant?

There is no clear way to tell whether an applicant applied to your job anonymously or whether an AI platform applied on a candidate’s behalf. With the rise of AI platforms that search for and apply to hundreds of jobs a day, it is impossible to know at a glance whether an applicant is trying to stay anonymous or if an AI system is mass-applying.

There are some things you can look for to help spot AI applicants, though. Resumes and cover letters may contain generic information, generic buzzwords where they don't belong, or an inconsistent point of view and tone.

Because AI lacks real-world context and experience, descriptions of job duties, events, or responsibilities may look good at a glance, but lack specifics. These vague descriptions often read like someone who doesn't understand industry standards or benchmarks tried to write them. This makes the text sound rambling, as if it is struggling to make a valid point, or just unclear. Occasionally, AI may even hallucinate experience at a specific job or role, entirely fabricating it. Descriptions of responsibilities on a resume or strange roles and titles can be indicators that this may be happening.

However, when evaluating an applicant, it is important not to jump to conclusions and instead focus on the bigger picture. Any of these things on their own can easily be attributed to human error or stylistic choice. It is even possible that a real applicant found your job themselves and is using AI to help write or refine their resume or cover letter.

How do anonymous applicants show up in my CareerPlug account?

When this happens, the application will appear in CareerPlug with the name “Anonymous Applicant.” These applications may often include:

A very basic or generic resume
Copy-pasted formatting
Redacted or placeholder information (such as Job Seeker)

How should I handle anonymous applicants?

Anonymous applicants are still real people who applied to your job; they’re simply protecting their personal information early in the hiring process. If you like what you see and want to move forward, you have options.

Does the email or resume look valid?

If you want to reach out to the candidate and start the hiring process, you can simply handle their application like you would any other. If you encounter a bounced email, it may be because the applicant is using a temporary or relay email address that does not support replies.

If this is the case and the applicant included a resume with a valid email address, you can manually update the applicant's information to reflect it and then reach out to them.

Learn how to manually change an applicant's contact information.

If the email appears to be a redirect or masked address that bounces

If the application uses a temporary or relay email, you can also reach out to candidates another way. If a phone number is available and the applicant has opted in to receive text messages, texting the applicant is often the fastest way to reach them.

Learn more about texting applicants.

Note: Due to privacy laws, you cannot text a candidate if you have changed their phone number. Even if you have updated their phone number in their profile to reflect a new number, any text messages will be sent to the phone number they initially applied with.

Did the applicant send you an updated resume?

If you have reached out and the applicant has shared a full or corrected resume, you can upload it directly to their profile to keep everything in one place.

To upload an updated resume, click the candidate’s name on your Applicants page, navigate to the Documents tab, and click the Upload button.

What if I don’t want to move forward with anonymous applicants?

If an application doesn’t meet your needs, you can reject them just like any other candidate, either individually or in bulk.

If you reject an applicant without sending a rejection message, it may impact your Achievements. We recommend sending a rejection communication whenever possible, even for anonymous applications.

Rejecting a single anonymous applicant

You can take action on one applicant at a time directly from their profile, just as you would any other applicant that you don’t plan on moving forward with.

Learn more about deactivating applicants here.

Rejecting multiple anonymous applicants at once

If you’re seeing several anonymous applications, bulk actions can help you move quickly and keep your pipeline clean. From the list view on the Applicants page in your CareerPlug account, you can easily search for "Anonymous Applicant". Use the checkboxes on the left to bulk deactivate these applicants.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Q: Are anonymous applicants real?

A: Yes. Anonymous applicants are real job seekers.

Submitting an application anonymously is an option the applicant actively chooses, usually through job board settings or privacy tools, not something CareerPlug applies on their behalf.

Q: Can anonymous applicants be blocked?

A: No. Anonymous applicants can’t be blocked. Blocking applications based on anonymity could introduce a risk of discrimination, and private email relays vary widely across job boards and devices. There isn’t a reliable or compliant way to block them at the system level.

Q: Does CareerPlug offer AI detection for applicants or resumes?

A: No, CareerPlug does not offer any automatic AI detection, and will not automatically filter out applicants that may be using AI. Job seekers may use AI tools for a variety of reasons, and singling them out may be considered discriminatory. AI detection tools are not 100% accurate at identifying AI writing or AI influence. In addition, many job seekers use AI to refine resumes, cover letters, and even open-text prescreen questions.