Artificial intelligence has already turned the job market into a slop fest—AI-generated resumes and cover letters getting reviewed by AI screeners who make decisions before a real person even has a chance. A startup called Refer is offering to put AI on your side—assuming you’re willing to give up some of your salary for it.
The company is called Refer, and according to Business Insider, it’s something like a reverse recruiter for workers. That means instead of headhunting job applicants on behalf of a company that’s looking to fill a role, it represents the job seeker and introduces them to roles where they might be a good fit. Oh, and the person looking for the job pays instead of the company. Finally, someone willing to put the financial burden of finding employment on the job seeker!
Oh, also, unlike when a company hires a recruiter, you, as the person in search of employment, won’t get a real person who helps you navigate the job market. Instead, you get an AI agent named Lia. You tell Lia about your experience, what you’re looking for in terms of a role and company, your desired salary, and other details. Then the agent finds potential matches. If you like one, Lia drafts up an introductory email and sends it to the hiring manager.
The company claims to have quite a bit of success with this model. Per Business Insider, Refer claims that more than half of its candidates get an interview within 24 hours of an introduction being made. Supposedly, the company has facilitated more than 5,000 interviews and is now working with more than 2,000 employers who are willing to let Lia send them referrals. (Lest you think Lia is fully on your side, just remember that the employers are still in control of even this process.)
So what does it cost you, the job seeker, to have an AI agent send emails on your behalf to a pre-approved pool of companies? That’d be 20% of your first month’s salary, assuming that it actually lands you a job. For most of the roles that this company is filling, which seem largely to be well-paying jobs in tech, that’s probably not going to wreck anyone, but it’s a real cost—especially if you’ve been out of work for a while or need to relocate for the job. It’s a bit more than skimming a little off the top.
Job hunting sucks. The vast majority of applications get ignored, prospective employers are increasingly just ghosting applicants even after interviewing them, and the job market is brutal. It is nice to have someone on your side. But you know what costs less than 20% of your first month’s salary and can make an email introduction? Making a fake email and posing as a recruiter who’s contacting a company on your behalf. That’s free.
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