I find it interesting as to how no one can really explain AI so you can successfully get a job.

24 Comments

1. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 3,2023 at 6:33AM UTC

   I'm sorry to hear you're struggling. It's a tough job market out there for many people. I'll do my best to explain it and if something is not clear, please ask.

   For the most part for people applying for jobs in the US, AI is not a part of the application process. There is no "bot" looking for keywords - or anything else - when you apply.

   I have over 20 years recruiting experience and experience with 7 or 8 different ATS and with different configurations of those systems.

   The ATS is basically an electronic filing cabinet that stores resumes, allows recruiters to manage and track candidates through the interview process, it’s where offer letters are generated.

   There typically is no sorting involved with the application process (which is typically what keywords are for).

   Here's what happens (on all the systems I've ever used) when a candidate applies to one of my open requisitions: I click on their name in the list of new applicants for that requisition. Their resume has not been ranked. It has not been sorted for keywords. It has not been "scored". It has not been filtered.

   I click "download resume". It downloads in whatever form - Word doc or PDF - the candidate uploaded it. I look at their resume. With my eyeballs. Every single resume.

   What an ATS does is right there in the name - Applicant TRACKING System. They do not make decisions about candidates.

   Keywords are just skills or experience that we use in our search strings to find candidates (which is different than when candidates apply). Ideally, they should just be an organic part of a person's resume. Loading your resume up with words you think recruiters or hiring managers want to see may get someone to click on your resume but if the experience isn't there, it doesn't matter how many "key words" you stuff your resume with.

   There's also no such thing as an "ATS compliant" resume no matter how much someone wants to charge you $1,000 for one.

   It seems like some candidates don't want to hear that they're being rejected by a human but they are. I'm the bot.

   Please let me know if you have any questions.

2. Claire GoldenJuly 3,2023 at 12:09PM UTC

   I understand what your saying. Please clarify why some companies state in their job description that the are using an ATS tracking system. It is increasingly becoming more common. This is where my confusing is, why state it if they are really having a human look over my resume. I feel like I'm being passed over when I'm fully qualified. Should I go back to my standard 1 page resume instead of 700 to 1000 words? I am totally lost.

3. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 3,2023 at 5:16PM UTC

   So companies are using an ATS, so what? Most companies use an ATS. They've been around since the 1990's. There are free ATS that even small companies use. Just because a company uses email, doesn't mean humans aren't writing those emails.

   As I said in my comment, "What an ATS does is right there in the name - Applicant TRACKING System. They do not make decisions about candidates."

   I'm sorry you feel you're being passed over. Just because you may be qualified, doesn't mean there's not someone who is just a bit better fit.

   Because you're looking for remote positions, you're decreasing the number of potential positions available to you and greatly increasing the number of candidates you're competing against. (no judgement from me, I've worked remote for over 15 years)

   Regarding the length of your resume. It can depend on how much experience you have and how varied that experience is. Personally, I do not care how long your resume is as long as it's relevant information. I would much rather see an easy-to-read two page resume than have it be crammed on one page with no white space and in a font so small it's making me go blind. I've never ever had a hiring manager say they wouldn't speak with a candidate because their resume was two pages instead of one.

   Please let me know if you have any quesions.

4. Krystin MorganJuly 5,2023 at 7:12PM UTC

   An applicant tracking system, or ATS, is just like a digital filing cabinet for applicants. Most companies use them because the alternative is... storing resumes in email? Receiving them in the postal mail? No thanks! :)

   That does not mean that a human isn't seeing your resume. A human logs into the ATS and pulls up all the resumes, then reviews them and sends responses through the system.

5. AnonymousJuly 4,2023 at 1:01PM UTC

   I am a system admin for an ATS at a very large organization and I can confirm that Joan is 100% accurately describing us as well. We WISH there were AI to help the recruiters pick the best fits out of hundreds of resumes but there isn’t. The technology just isn’t there right now.

6. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 4,2023 at 10:22PM UTC

   Thanks for the comment, Anonymous, but I don't actually wish there was AI looking at resumes. I know exactly what I'm looking for as potential matches - I don't want AI missing something I might see.

7. AnonymousJuly 5,2023 at 10:40PM UTC

   I understand! I should have specified that, at my specific organization, there are positions for which recruiters wish there were an easier way to pull out good applicants. These are typically high volume positions for which they receive hundreds and hundreds of applicants. It’s pretty tough for them to go through that many. Harder to fill positions will always have applications more carefully scrutinized, but where I am, there is definitely an appetite for helping recruiters comb through stacks of resumes for certain positions.

   But it’s worth noting that even though Joan and I are speaking for different organizations with different needs and different styles, neither of us actually has any AI screening resumes!

8. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 5,2023 at 11:53PM UTC

   EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9. AnonymousJuly 3,2023 at 12:56PM UTC

   Some things I've learned in the job search or so:

   1 - resume impact when applying (like Joan described below) is more critical than any keywords. By effects, make sure all of your bullet points in your experience list what significance (generally quantities) it had to the company. It might be number of customers, amount of revenue generated, etc. Even a person who washed dishes in a restaurant can do this by stating, "Washed dishes for a shift that typically served up to xxx customers). If you worked in a call center, "Fielded up to xxx call [per hour or day]."

   2 - Explain gaps in your resume in your cover letter. If your time was used caring for a sick relative or volunteer work, these could be put on your resume to help fill the gaps.

   3 - Do not discuss your disability or any special accommodations until the interview process or until it becomes necessary to move forward.

   Basically, I have given you the advice most of these programs ask you to pay for through several iterations of editing. Our school career center has offered these to us for free.

10. AnonymousJuly 3,2023 at 4:03PM UTC

    You can do two free scans each month with a Jobscan free account (no fees). I would take advantage of that for jobs at the top of your list. I would also review the list of keywords generated from the free scans and go back and highlight them in the original job listing to get an idea pf how Jobscan is selecting and prioritizing the keywords (what sections, what types of words, etc.). Then use a similar general approach to manually go through other applications to identify keywords. You could try the LLMs (ChatGPT, etc) to identify key skills by copy/pasting the job application although I've had very mixed results from this. I would use this approach in addition to manually highlighting words as you read through the application.

11. AnonymousJuly 3,2023 at 4:14PM UTC

    I think you are confused.

    CHATGPT and other a.i are free.

    Are you referring to ATS or Applicant Tracking System? That system merely helps recruitment by reviewing resumes and tracks applications. When combined with a.i, it keys on key parameters like skill descriptor words, education or certifications, etc. These enhanced Tracking systems help identify key attributes but it doesn't negate or disqualify Applicants. Recruiters still review the resumes.

    You can read a job description and customize a resume to highlight your applicable skills, experience, corresponding success and education. The paid programs available merely do that for you based on best case equations. But you can spend the time to learn to do the same thing. I would never pay for that service. I can do a better job myself because I know how to showcase my talent, education and accomplishments.

12. AnonymousJuly 3,2023 at 5:06PM UTC

    I had a manger once who took all of us working term and trying to get on full time aside and told us the best way to get selected, to even be in the the running, was to copy and paste any of our qualifications directly from the job ad. This was for a government position. A few of us had applied for a previous postion and none of us were selected for an interview. All of us followed his advise and all were selected for an interview and the physical test. An example of what I'm saying is if the wording of the ad was "must have 2 yrs experience in beekeeping hornets" and you have that, then copy and paste "have 2 yrs experience in beekeeping hornets". Use those key qualification descriptions to mirror what your actual experience is. Good luck!

13. AnonymousJuly 4,2023 at 1:24PM UTC

    Hello, I understand your frustration, there some free tools out there that can help like , skillsyncher which is free it can scan your resume and the job ad and identifies skills and keywords missing from your resume when compared to a job description.

    there is also word loud.com you can copy and paste the job add and see which words are most often and Ty to to add those to your resume

    while it is very daunting and right now there is so much more competition for jobs I would say don’t give up! Maybe a refresh of your resume is in order , maybe a job coach would help , another idea would be networking reaching out to companies you want to work for .

    good luck!

14. AnonymousJuly 4,2023 at 4:13PM UTC

    I saw this video on LinkedIn that provides advice on creating a resume and cover letter based on a job description. https://youtu.be/bHWWVzkOmH0

15. AnonymousJuly 4,2023 at 5:40PM UTC

    Yes, the market is crap. We all can acknowledge how bad it is even us HR/Talent people. Some of us (we are the first to get let go in a downturn) have also been looking for more than a year. Take each role that you apply for and craft a well written cover note when applying. Use your network to reach out of try through any communities that support your disability to find a sponsor that will help you in this path. I wouldn't count on some of these bot things to do the work for you. The best resumes and cover notes are written by the person who is actually going to do the job. Suggest that you take the items in the job description and align them with the things you did in the past that match up. Follow up and follow the company and look through their linkedin to see who you may know that could help you in the door. Good luck...I feel you!

16. AnonymousJuly 5,2023 at 2:48PM UTC

    When building a cover letter and resume in MS products, use all the key words within the job listing.

    For AI, here is a trick that I have used for years. After building your custom resume, in the open and blank lines, add phrases, words, acronyms etc. within those spaces that align with that role type (globally) and key words that align with the company you are applying with. Once you have them all in the MS product, select all the content, change the font text to white so it can't be seen by the human eye. Then flatten out the document to .pdf before submission.

    The AI will not only pick up on your cover letter and resume data, it will also pick up on all the added information related to the role, industry, and the company.

    The best hope here is to get past the AI process and get your information into the hands of the hiring team. By this point, your information and formatting is the selling point to achieve that chance for an interview.

    All the best!

17. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 5,2023 at 4:23PM UTC

    Please do not perpetuate this terrible advice to other jobseekers. There is typically no AI involved in the application process when applying to companies in the US.

    There is also typically no searching involved in the application process - which is where keywords come in. And if I WAS to run a search, either in that document or in the system, those keywords in white would absolutely be highlighted.

18. Krystin MorganJuly 5,2023 at 7:11PM UTC

    Please don't do this. It's actually visible in the system once folks apply, so it looks like you a) were trying to game the system, b) felt you had to do that since you don't actually have the qualifications, and c) fell victim to the rumormongering about "ATS bots."

19. Kimberly WorrickJuly 6,2023 at 4:16PM UTC

    " I don't want to hear about a sob story from a recruiter bashing me because of my struggles" kindness costs nothing.

20. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 6,2023 at 4:39PM UTC

    Are you suggesting that asking Anonymous to not perpetuate bad information to jobseekers is in some way unkind?

21. Krystin MorganJuly 5,2023 at 7:09PM UTC

    Hi! Part of why folks can't explain how AI works in the job search process is that, honestly, it doesn't. I've been in recruiting for 15 years and neither I nor anyone in my network has ever used a system that actually has AI to screen or filter out resumes. It's just not the case for any company I've heard of, including large ones like Amazon and Google.

    The market is really weird right now, which means it's harder than it's been in a while to get a job. I believe you that you have the experience for the jobs you're applying to! I wonder, though, if you're sure your resume really shows that experience. It's really easy to live in our own head and assume our experience is obvious, since WE know it is, but not make it clear enough on a resume or cover letter.

    I admittedly run a resume writing business, but would be happy to offer free help (no sales pitch, promise) and look over your resume and let you know if it seems like it's showing your experience as well as possible. Feel free to message me!

22. Kimberly WorrickJuly 6,2023 at 4:15PM UTC

    From 35% to 45% of companies are expected to use AI-based talent acquisition software and services to help select and interview job prospects this year, according to recent studies. Southwest Airline's recruitment site powered by Phenom's AI software. This is from a great article on the topic in Computer World magazine, dated March 6th, 2023. Boeing does this too (Seattle, know lots of Boeing folk) so the information both incorrect and correct. It isn't widespread, YET, but I feel like it will be.

23. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 6,2023 at 4:48PM UTC

    Just because a company uses AI in their talent acquisition process, doesn't mean AI is making decisions about whether a candidate is a fit.

    Those little chat bots that pop up to ask a potential candidate questions when the open the job portal? That's AI. It's not making decisions about candidates.

    When there's an automated scheduler for interviews? Also AI. Also not making decisions about candidates.

24. AnonymousJuly 6,2023 at 9:17PM UTC

    We use it for sourcing only. That means if you apply for a job, no AI comes near you at any point. If a recruiter reaches out to you, AI may have helped the recruiter find you. That’s a good thing!