Houston expert on recognizing AI scams in hiring, recruitment, and retention

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When you are aware of the red flags and scams, you are better prepared to not become a victim to their crimes. Photo via Getty Images

Attracting the best and the brightest employees is the goal of every startup and small business. Making these efforts more difficult, beyond the tight labor market in some industries, some employers are becoming the target of job scams — ones that seem unbelievable but occur include an unknown face showing up on the first day of work.

These scams occur because the candidate hired someone else to sit in for them during their video interview. Due to the remote nature of our work environment, some remote employees pay someone else to complete their job duties.

More sophisticated scammers can use deep-fake AI technology to mimic real people in interviews. Once the scammer is hired, they may steal data or install ransomware. AI technology continues to evolve, and so will scams. This is why it is crucial to know how to identify a scam and prepare to protect your business.

Watch for red flags 

Fake-applicant scams, whether high- and low-tech, commonly target remote jobs. Most low-tech fake applicants are not trying to hack into your system. They are typically focused on making a good impression, even though they misrepresent their background and skills to get the job.

When recruiting, thorough background checks should identify scammers; however, you ideally want to identify the scam before it gets that far. The red flags to look for is a resume that is “perfect” for the job, exact verbiage of the job description, a LinkedIn profile with little information and error-filled emails. You do not want to assume the worst, but these tactics should be on your radar.

Know about deep-fake AI

Advanced technologies continue to improve making it harder to identify deep-fake AI candidates. Most people have seen footage of celebrities or politicians that seem real, but deep-fake technologies were used. There are many times the difference is imperceptible. This technology makes it even harder to tell the difference between a real or fake applicant. If you know what to look for, there are a few things to look out for, such as a candidate having a slight disconnect between their voice and their mouth movement. Syncing issues can happen to real people with poor Wi-Fi connections, but recruiters can address it with the candidate during the conversation, and it tends to correct itself.

Paying close attention to a candidate’s legal documents can help identify deep-fake AI candidates. When personal information does not align, you must determine if it was an honest mistake or something more sinister. When you require one in-person interview during the process, it helps verify the candidate’s identity. Real applicants will not have a problem with a face-to-face interview, where scammers will not agree to it and remove themselves from the process.

As deepfakes become more prevalent, there are new resources teaching people the difference between AI-generated images and reality like Northwestern University’s “Detect Fakes.”

Utilize background checks

Checking references and conducting background checks are an important step in finding the best candidate who fits your organization. These are crucial steps that should not be skipped. It is here where many business owners identify red flags that were not visible in prior interview stages. You become more prone to corrupt applicants when you do not look into a candidate’s work and education history.

Ask deeper interview questions

It is good practice to ask more open-ended questions during an interview but going beyond “yes” and “no” answers help spot scammers. Asking questions that require the candidate to tell a story about their experience helps you determine if the candidate is a real person. Employe the 80/20 rule – allowing the applicant to do 80 percent of the talking while the interviewer only speaks 20 percent of the time – is great interview technique for everyone, but crucial when trying to cull out a scammer.

With new technologies come new scams. There are many things business owners need to think about, and safeguarding your business from nefarious applicants should be high on the list when hiring. When you are aware of the red flags and scams, you are better prepared to not become a victim to their crimes.

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Jill Chapman is a director of early talent programs with Insperity, a leading provider of human resources and business performance solutions.

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It is important for hiring managers to be realistic as they approach recruiting and hiring timeframes and make smart hiring decisions. Photo via Getty Images

Houston expert: How you should be approaching recruiting in 2024

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The January jobs report, per BLS, may be cause for celebration with 353,000 new jobs, but with a low unemployment rate of 3.7 percent, the tight labor market persists.

The same report states there were 2,000 more jobs in oil and gas extraction in January. Finding the right people for energy jobs can be a challenge right now as the industry has experienced flux the past few years. Many energy employers find key talent has moved into new industry verticals, drawn by the promise of increased stability.

Recruiting in the tech and energy sectors may be challenging, but the right candidates are out there. It is important for hiring managers to be realistic as they approach recruiting and hiring timeframes and make smart hiring decisions. The organization will be better off in the long run for this approach.

The following recruiting strategies are poised to support energy employers throughout the year.

Get personal.

Job candidates want to feel like their future employer is genuinely interested in them, which means recruiters should personalize the candidate’s experience. This starts by taking a holistic look at the hiring funnel and considering ways to make each candidate feel as though they are the only one you are talking to for the role.

Each touchpoint impacts how the candidate perceives the organization. The job description should inspire candidates, making them excited to apply and motivating them to dream about a future with your organization. Personalizing recruitment outreach messages to speak to their individual talents instead of a standard, generic message speaks volumes.

Moving through the hiring process as quickly as possible is important, but recruiting is about the long game. There are candidates who fall into place in a matter of days. Other times, you may have a conversation with a candidate months or even years before the timing is right for them to make a move. Asking about the candidate’s professional timeline and letting them know that you are willing to work with them, no matter how fast or slow, makes them feel special and valued by your company.

Be ready to compromise.

It has become hard to find the right fit for some of the energy jobs today. However, this does present an opportune moment for employers to reassess the conventional prerequisites typically required for specific positions. Criteria such as an exact college degree, a specified number of years of relevant experience, industry-specific expertise, an unbroken work history and proficiency in specific software applications are areas to reconsider in the job postings, job descriptions and interviews. This strategic adjustment broadens the talent pool and provides access to individuals whose suitability for a role might have been overlooked. Shifting away from stringent education backgrounds and narrowly defined experience, and instead prioritizing qualities such as adaptability and learning capabilities in the search for candidates, recruiters may discover a smoother path to securing qualified candidates.

Grow internal talent.

Recruitment today also means recruiting internally. The optimal approach to efficiently filling positions is promoting the role internally as existing employees have a vested interest and are deeply ingrained in the company’s culture. Their familiarity with colleagues, procedures and protocols facilitates a swift transition into new roles. In order for this to become a possibility, it’s imperative for leaders to nurture internal talent through professional development initiatives that equip employees with the skills needed for advancement. Tailored learning opportunities, mentorship and guidance for reskilling and upskilling can foster internal mobility, enhance employee retention and ensure sustained success. With all this in mind, recruiters should keep in close contact with management teams to discuss internal candidates and their career path.

There is no one way to recruit in 2024, but focusing on the individual and their skills as well as in-house candidates can make it a successful endeavor.

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Jill Chapman is a director of early talent programs with Insperity, a leading provider of human resources and business performance solutions.

How to navigate your hiring process with transparency amid the flexible workforce trend. Photo via Getty Images

Houston expert: Cultivate transparency when recruiting flexible workplace positions

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How the workplace operates, especially flexible work arrangements, captivate job seekers, prompting many job listings to spotlight remote or hybrid work options. Interestingly, a significant portion of hybrid and remote workers say they would explore new job opportunities should their current employer opt out of offering remote work possibilities. These insights from Gallup underscore the paramount importance of flexible work options.

Regrettably, not every role that promotes flexible work arrangements delivers. While the labor market is fiercely competitive, especially for startups and small businesses wishing to attract top talent, some organizations are enticing potential candidates with the prospect of flexible schedules, only for these newly hired individuals to realize the actual job flexibility falls short of the initial representation.

As remote work and flexible schedules have evolved, many organizations have established sensible guidelines concerning office presence and work frequency. However, the degree of flexibility varies, and not all recruiters are forthright about these nuances during job interviews.

Candidates who find recruiters and hiring managers omitting specific details about flexible work policies often feel misled. Maintaining honesty in job descriptions – and throughout the recruitment process – is imperative to ensure a good match is found for the organization. Employers should cultivate transparency, prioritize organizational culture, and exercise thoughtful consideration of their policies.

Clarity is Key

Many prospective candidates yearn for flexible work opportunities, recognizing that some constraints may apply. A recent McKinsey survey revealed that 58 percent of Americans engage in remote work at least once a week, with 35 percent enjoying the possibility of remote work for the entire workweek. Given the wide spectrum of policies, astute job seekers acknowledge that their next employer's stance on remote work might differ from their current one.

As startups compete with larger employers for the same talent, they may be apprehensive about outlining their remote or hybrid work policies, especially if their flexibility is less generous than that of competitors. Yet, this strategy ultimately squanders time and resources, as candidates who place high value on flexibility are unlikely to take an offer that falls short of their expectations, and these perceived deceptions could tarnish the employer’s brand.

The optimal approach is to communicate policies unequivocally in the job description and address them during interviews. While excessive detail isn't necessary, job postings can concisely indicate the number of mandatory office days.

Cultivating a Cohesive Culture

Skill set and experience might align perfectly with a role, but without a compatible cultural fit, candidates might struggle. When businesses withhold key information about their flexible work policies, they undermine the trust pivotal to fostering a strong organizational culture. This approach also misrepresents the culture, which is intricately shaped by the "how" and "when" of employee work arrangements.

While it's true that candidly sharing flexible work policies could lead some candidates to self-select out of the application process due to their desire for more flexibility, the converse is equally valid. Certain candidates might prefer spending more time in a collaborative office environment and might not pursue a job that seems excessively remote-focused.

Incorporating explicit communication about flexible work policies during recruitment not only fosters understanding of these policies but also provides insight into how these policies contribute to the organizational culture. This approach aids in identifying candidates who align well with the culture, which is paramount in all stages of a company’s growth.

Evaluating the Approach

There is likely a reason why businesses withhold information about their flexible work policies. Recruiters may feel that adhering to their employer's policies could hinder their ability to attract top-tier candidates, especially if the industry standard embraces extensive flexibility. However, misrepresenting the extent of flexible work arrangements is not a viable solution. Instead, businesses should reevaluate their standards.

Each business has unique requirements, some of which necessitate a greater in-office presence. Collaborative teams or departments might benefit from face-to-face brainstorming sessions more than teams operating more independently. However, if research indicates that competing organizations offer more flexibility, businesses need to be prepared to articulate their rationale – if they have one. If they do not have a sound business reason for their position, it might be worth reevaluating their stance on it.

The crux of reevaluating flexible work policies lies in comprehending the underlying reasons for these policies and effectively communicating them to new hires and existing employees. Candidates are more likely to accept limitations on flexible work arrangements when they perceive a sound justification from their potential employer.

Embracing transparency, nurturing a strong corporate culture, and critically assessing existing policies will help organizations manage expectations surrounding flexible work arrangements, thereby attracting the right candidates for the business.

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Karen Leal is performance specialist with Houston-based Insperity, a provider of human resources offering a suite of scalable HR solutions available in the marketplace.

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Greentown Labs names Lawson Gow as its new Houston leader

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Greentown Labs has named Lawson Gow as its Head of Houston.

Gow is the founder of The Cannon, a coworking space with seven locations in the Houston area, with additional partner spaces. He also recently served as managing partner at Houston-based investment and advisory firm Helium Capital. Gow is the son of David Gow, founder of Energy Capital's parent company, Gow Media.

According to Greentown, Gow will "enhance the founder experience, cultivate strategic partnerships, and accelerate climatetech solutions" in his new role.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join Greentown at this critical moment for the energy transition,” Gow said in a news release. “Greentown has a fantastic track record of supporting entrepreneurs in Houston, Boston, and beyond, and I am eager to keep advancing our mission in the energy transition capital of the world.”

Gow has also held analyst, strategy and advising roles since graduating from Rice University.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lawson to our leadership team,” Georgina Campbell Flatter, CEO of Greentown Labs, added in the release. “Lawson has spent his career building community and championing entrepreneurs, and we look forward to him deepening Greentown’s support of climate and energy startups as our Head of Houston.”

Gow is the latest addition to a series of new hires at Greentown Labs following a leadership shakeup.

Flatter was named as the organization's new CEO in February, replacing Kevin Dutt, Greentown’s interim CEO, who replaced Kevin Knobloch after he announced that he would step down in July 2024 after less than a year in the role.

Greentown also named Naheed Malik its new CFO in January.

Timmeko Moore Love was named the first Houston general manager and senior vice president of Greentown Labs. According to LinkedIn, she left the role in January.

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This article originally appeared on our sister site, EnergyCapitalHTX.com.

Houston foundation grants $27M to support Texas chemistry research

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Houston-based The Welch Foundation has doled out $27 million in its latest round of grants for chemical research, equipment and postdoctoral fellowships.

According to a June announcement, $25.5 million was allocated for the foundation's longstanding research grants, which provide $100,000 per year in funding for three years to full-time, regular tenure or tenure-track faculty members in Texas. The foundation made 85 grants to faculty at 16 Texas institutions for 2025, including:

  • Michael I. Jacobs, assistant professor in the chemistry and biochemistry department at Texas State University, who is investigating the structure and thermodynamics of intrinsically disordered proteins, which could "reveal clues about how life began," according to the foundation.
  • Kendra K. Frederick, assistant professor in the biophysics department at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who is studying a protein linked to Parkinson’s disease.
  • Jennifer S. Brodbelt, professor in chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin, who is testing a theory called full replica symmetry breaking (fullRSB) on glass-like materials, which has implications for complex systems in physics, chemistry and biology.

Additional funding will be allocated to the Welch Postdoctoral Fellows of the Life Sciences Research Foundation. The program provides three-year fellowships to recent PhD graduates to support clinical research careers in Texas. Two fellows from Rice University and Baylor University will receive $100,000 annually for three years.

The Welch Foundation also issued $975,000 through its equipment grant program to 13 institutions to help them develop "richer laboratory experience(s)." The universities matched funds of $352,346.

Since 1954, the Welch Foundation has contributed over $1.1 billion for Texas-nurtured advancements in chemistry through research grants, endowed chairs and other chemistry-related ventures. Last year, the foundation granted more than $40.5 million in academic research grants, equipment grants and fellowships.

“Through funding basic chemical research, we are actively investing in the future of humankind,” Adam Kuspa, president of The Welch Foundation, said the news release. “We are proud to support so many talented researchers across Texas and continue to be inspired by the important work they complete every day.”

New Houston biotech co. developing capsules for hard-to-treat tumors

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Houston company Sentinel BioTherapeutics has made promising headway in cancer immunotherapy for patients who don’t respond positively to more traditional treatments. New biotech venture creation studio RBL LLC (pronounced “rebel”) recently debuted the company at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Rima Chakrabarti is a neurologist by training. Though she says she’s “passionate about treating the brain,” her greatest fervor currently lies in leading Sentinel as its CEO. Sentinel is RBL’s first clinical venture, and Chakrabarti also serves as cofounder and managing partner of the venture studio.

The team sees an opportunity to use cytokine interleukin-2 (IL-2) capsules to fight many solid tumors for which immunotherapy hasn't been effective in the past. “We plan to develop a pipeline of drugs that way,” Chakrabarti says.

This may all sound brand-new, but Sentinel’s research goes back years to the work of Omid Veiseh, director of the Rice Biotechnology Launch Pad (RBLP). Through another, now-defunct company called Avenge Bio, Veiseh and Paul Wotton — also with RBLP and now RBL’s CEO and chairman of Sentinel — invested close to $45 million in capital toward their promising discovery.

From preclinical data on studies in mice, Avenge was able to manufacture its platform focused on ovarian cancer treatments and test it on 14 human patients. “That's essentially opened the door to understanding the clinical efficacy of this drug as well as it's brought this to the attention of the FDA, such that now we're able to continue that conversation,” says Chakrabarti. She emphasizes the point that Avenge’s demise was not due to the science, but to the company's unsuccessful outsourcing to a Massachusetts management team.

“They hadn't analyzed a lot of the data that we got access to upon the acquisition,” explains Chakrabarti. “When we analyzed the data, we saw this dose-dependent immune activation, very specific upregulation of checkpoints on T cells. We came to understand how effective this agent could be as an immune priming agent in a way that Avenge Bio hadn't been developing this drug.”

Chakrabarti says that Sentinel’s phase II trials are coming soon. They’ll continue their previous work with ovarian cancer, but Chakrabarti says that she also believes that the IL-2 capsules will be effective in the treatment of endometrial cancer. There’s also potential for people with other cancers located in the peritoneal cavity, such as colorectal cancer, gastrointestinal cancer and even primary peritoneal carcinomatosis.

“We're delivering these capsules into the peritoneal cavity and seeing both the safety as well as the immune activation,” Chakrabarti says. “We're seeing that up-regulation of the checkpoint that I mentioned. We're seeing a strong safety signal. This drug was very well-tolerated by patients where IL-2 has always had a challenge in being a well-tolerated drug.”

When phase II will take place is up to the success of Sentinel’s fundraising push. What we do know is that it will be led by Amir Jazaeri at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Part of the goal this summer is also to create an automated cell manufacturing process and prove that Sentinel can store its product long-term.

“This isn’t just another cell therapy,” Chakrabarti says.

"Sentinel's cytokine factory platform is the breakthrough technology that we believe has the potential to define the next era of cancer treatment," adds Wotton.

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