If you want your resume to get noticed, forget about the hiring manager. It’s the BOTS you have to impress.
The use of AI to screen job applications is becoming an increasingly common part of the hiring process. According to some estimates, nearly 98 percent of Fortune 500 companies are already using an “applicant tracking system” to cull applications before they’re ever seen by human eyes. Many experts believe it’s only a matter of time before all companies will be using such systems in their hiring protocols.
So what should you do to attract the attention of our robotic overlords? Here are a few suggestions from Al Smith, CTO with talent acquisition software provider iCIMS.
- Spell out acronyms. You want the key words to appear in your resume so AI tools can find them and align them with job descriptions.
- Be honest. Bots are amazingly adept at finding applicants trying to game the system by applying to several jobs at an organization by simply changing their email address or name slightly.
- Make your application stand out. You won’t do that by repeating all the usual buzzwords (for example, innovation, transformation, leadership) or simply echoing the key phrases from the job description. Everyone will be using them and the screening algorithms are designed to filter them out. Instead, focus on your achievements and the ways in which you are different from other applicants.
- Try to make human contact. Don’t limit yourself to online applications. Find the hiring manager on LinkedIn and contact her directly. Also, don’t forget to network with human beings. That’s still one of the best ways to find a quality job.
- Don’t wait for job openings. If you’re interested in a company, send your resume even if they aren’t hiring. It never hurts to be part of the talent pool. You could be among the first to hear about a relevant job opening.
Be comforted. AI isn’t all bad. Screening tools can alert hiring managers to resumes they might miss. And it can help eliminate human bias. In the long run, you might as well grin and get used to it. Bots are here to stay.