Written by: Jeff Altman, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude-2, Bard, and others are introducing new possibilities for job seekers. These tools can generate customized cover letters, resumes, email drafts, and interview preparations with just a few prompts. This saves time in wordsmithing materials and allows them to apply to more positions.
Artificial intelligence tools have the capability to automatically match resumes to open job listings, further optimizing and expediting the job search process. These AI programs can scan a large database of job openings, analyzing the requirements, skills, and qualifications listed in the postings. They can then compare those requirements to the details, experience, and skillsets outlined in a job seeker's resume. When AI detects a strong match between someone's background and an open position, it can automatically flag that potential job opportunity for you and/or send your resume directly to the hiring manager or recruiter for that role. This automated matching process enables you to quickly identify jobs that are a good fit for your abilities and interests, while simultaneously alerting employers to qualified applicants they may have otherwise overlooked. Ultimately, it helps connect qualified people with relevant opportunities more quickly and efficiently than a manual search process. The end result is an optimized and accelerated job search for both applicants and hiring organizations. While some recruiters see resourcefulness in using technology others see resume embellishment and making people seem robotic, ordinary, or average be it at a higher level. So how can you balance AI's advantages with personal authenticity?
It is crucial to thoroughly review and thoughtfully edit any AI-generated content for your job search to ensure the final output accurately reflects your unique background, personality, qualifications and experiences. While AI tools can provide a strong starting framework for materials like resumes and cover letters, the automatically generated text often lacks the nuanced details and engaging voice that comes from human-written content. As a result, some recruiters screening high volumes of applications may be turned off by formulaic, generic resumes and cover letters that sound alike. This could lead your submission to blend in with the piles of other submissions drafted using the same AI tools instead of standing out. To avoid this, manually customize AI-assisted output to include specific details about previous positions and responsibilities that align with the target role's requirements only if true. Incorporate examples and metrics that convey the distinct value you brought to past employers. In addition, tweak the language, tone and formatting to sound like your natural speaking and writing style while showcasing the unique strengths you offer. Verify the accuracy and delete any embellishments or inaccuracies. Tell the truth as it really is or was. While human review takes more time upfront, it pays dividends through resumes that resonate with recruiters as authentic and enhance your connection with people versus anything AI can generate. Putting in this extra effort also provides peace of mind that your resume best represents you, your skills and experience.
Keep your resume layout clean, simple and free of overly elaborate text boxes or graphical elements. Many companies initially scan resumes using applicant tracking system (ATS) software that parses the text and data from each resume into their system. These tools analyze the contents and structure of resumes based on specific formatting rules and frameworks optimized for their technology. Fancier layouts with columns, text boxes, graphs and other creative visuals may appear dynamic to the human eye, however, the underlying parsing tools can struggle to fully process more visually complex or artistic resume designs correctly.
For example, critical information housed in a stylized text box or frame may not be extracted or associated properly with the right categories like "work experience" or "skills." This causes an incomplete or scrambled view of your background making you unlocatable in searches. Without formatting uniformity, the ATS may not accurately interpret and sort all the data points regarding graduates, titles, employers and other vital details that allow it to match resumes with job openings and requirements.
As a result, it’s smart to stick with minimal creativity when it comes to resume visual presentation and layout. Maintain a simple, standard formatting style that today’s algorithms can easily scan and comprehend. Use basic sections and clear headers like "Professional Experience" and consistently present information like position titles, companies, dates and bullet points in an easy-to-follow layout the technology can process from top to bottom. If you are submitting a resume to a company through an applicant tracking system, resist the temptation to overdesign your resume visuals regardless of how they may catch a human’s eye.
Keep it simple and straightforward so the system doesn’t choke and fail when it tries to parse the details that help get you the interview you really want.
Get feedback on your AI-generated resume and/or cover letters from impartial individuals like career coaches, trusted friends and experienced mentors. Their fresh sets of eyes can be invaluable for catching any remnants of robotic language or tone left over from the algorithmic writing process before you submit a resume to actual hiring managers (Although recruiters may have the best perspective, they have no incentive to help so don’t waste their time asking). Since AI tools lack the ability to convey emotion, passion or personality through words, their automatically generated content often suffers from sounding overly formal, impersonal or mechanical. Small stylistic nuances and subtleties in language register deeply with our brains when building connection and rapport with a reader, let alone an interviewer. Even if your AI-generated resume or cover letter accurately states the facts about your background, stilted or emotionless phrasing and patterns risk concealing the human being behind a wall of stiff, corporate-speak. Constructive criticism from real people, particularly with industry expertise can help to eliminate these pitfalls that AI cannot detect about itself. Mentors can point out clumsy language that needs polishing or segments sounding more suited for a textbook than a personal sales pitch highlighting soft skills. In addition, knowledgeable friends might suggest adding descriptive details to showcase your management style or work ethic in a more relatable light. Seasoned coaches like me can provide invaluable advice for improving overall style, flow, and tone aimed at the target industry or company culture critical to landing interviews. Leveraging human collaborators ultimately helps transform AI's formal communication into natural-sounding writing that authentically reflects your personality with the refined style needed to build rapport and land job offers. Adding a human touch provides that finishing polish. AI can further assist with interview prep by providing mock interviews, interview frameworks, and other resources that will help you be more effective and thus more confident. A few you might consider include:
Big Interview – Provides virtual and mock interviews along with detailed feedback and coaching. They have a large database of common interview questions and allow you to practice and improve answers.
AceTheInterview.app – Uses AI to analyze your resume and provide personalized mock interviews tailored to your background and role you're applying for. Gives feedback to improve delivery. Offers 50% off with our special link.
Glassdoor – Has an extensive database of interview questions shared by candidates who interviewed at various companies. It lets you prepare for the types of questions specific companies may ask.
JobSearch.Community contains video courses, PDFs of books and guides to help with interviews and other elements of a job search at a very reasonable cost.
Indeed Career Guide – Provides detailed articles, tips and advice on preparing for different interviews
The key to using AI effectively in your job search is balancing AI's efficiencies with authentic personal touches. Use AI output as your starting point, not the ending point. With the right human review, AI will benefit you and an employer alike.
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Jeff Altman, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine People hire Jeff Altman to give them no bs job search advice and coaching globally because he makes getting a job much easier for people. He has written 11 books and guides to job search and hiring including "The Ultimate Job Interview Framework" and "The Right Answers to Tough Interview Questions” and is the host of No BS Job Search Advice Radio, the 1 podcast in Apple Podcasts for job search with more than 2600 episodes, as well as JobSearchTV.com on YouTube.
