I started my business back in 2014. Suffice to say, this industry has changed quite a bit over the last decade. As a certified professional resume writer, I’ve witnessed how technology has transformed the way we approach resume optimization and the job search as a whole. In today’s competitive landscape, mastering the modern resume involves leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to stand out among a large pool of applicants. While using AI to completely write your resume for you is not effective, AI is an excellent tool to help you optimize your resume based on the job you’re interested in applying to. The goal here is to use AI to enhance your resume so that you can get through applicant tracking systems (ATS) to get to the next step in the application process.
Keep reading to learn how AI can be harnessed to enhance your resume and increase your chances of moving forward in the application process for your dream job.
Understanding AI-Powered Resume Optimization
Let’s start off by acknowledging something. There is a lot of information out there about catering your resume to each job you apply to. This is an important part of the job search, but if your resume is built correctly, (geared towards the kind of jobs you want to attract) you should not have to overhaul your resume each time you apply to a job. Making small tweaks and adjustments based on the job description is essential, but it should not take you hours to do so.
You should still review your resume and manually tailor your resume for each job application to ensure that everything fits, flows correctly, and has accurate information, but by using AI-powered resume optimization tools, you can streamline the process and ensure your resume aligns perfectly with the job requirements. These tools analyze job descriptions, identify keywords, and suggest relevant skills and experiences to include in your resume.
Using ChatGPT for Resume Optimization
One of the most effective ways to optimize your resume using AI is by leveraging ChatGPT. By inputting specific prompts related to your desired job description, ChatGPT can generate information that should be added to your resume to maximize its effectiveness when you go ahead and apply.
Here are a few prompts you can input into ChatGPT to optimize your resume based on your desired job description:
- “Identify the five most important keywords from the following job description that I should include in my resume”
- “Tell me the three most important skills or requirements from this job description to include in my resume”
- “Based on the job descriptions I provided for you, please provide a list of the 15 most important skills required to do these jobs well. Please make each skill 1-3 words long, and focus more on hard skills over soft skills. Order them in order of importance, with 1 being the most important and 15 being the least important.”
By incorporating these insights into your resume, you help to ensure that your resume aligns with the job descriptions that you’re applying to. Ultimately, regardless of how talented you are, if the reader cannot read your resume and see how you would thrive in the role you’re applying for, your document will not be effective at meeting your needs.
Crafting a Targeted Resume Using AI Recommendations
By integrating relevant keywords strategically throughout your resume, you can increase your chances of making it through the applicant tracking system so that your resume makes it into the hands of a recruiter or hiring manager. With this said, it is impossible to have one perfect resume for every job you apply to. Many people come to me and inquire about ATS as if it were a program like Microsoft Word. Applicant tracking systems are a kind of system used to scan resumes for relevant keywords in order to help the reader (usually recruiters or HR teams) determine which candidates hold the required qualifications for the job.
AI recommendations can help you highlight your most relevant skills and experiences to ensure that your resume resonates with potential employers. Whether it’s emphasizing your proficiency in specific software or showcasing your accomplishments in previous roles based on what your desired job requires of candidates, AI can provide valuable insights to strengthen your resume.
Why Do Companies Use ATS?
Many companies (98% of Fortune 500 companies) use ATS to streamline the recruitment process by scanning and filtering resumes based on predetermined criteria. Keep in mind that a recruiter or HR professional will be the person to set the criteria based on the requirements needed for the job they are trying to fill. To ensure that your resume makes it past the initial screening phase, it’s essential to optimize it for ATS compatibility.
I can tell you from experience that when I was in recruiting, we got hundreds of applicants per job posting, and often, candidates were not qualified for the position. The only way to manage our time wisely was to set applicant tracking systems to scan for specific criteria in order to weed out the unqualified candidates. This helped reduce the number of resumes we needed to review in order to source quality talent.
AI-powered tools can help you integrate the right keywords into your resume so that you clearly showcase the requirements listed in the job description. By optimizing your document with the correct keywords based on your desired job, you can increase the likelihood of your resume getting noticed by hiring managers.
Getting Past the Bots Entirely
This post is about helping you learn to leverage AI to optimize your resume, but there is really only one way to help you bypass the bots entirely; leverage your connections.
Ask for intros, internal referrals, or reach out to connections to inquire about opportunities that have not been posted online. Having a solid resume that highlights your skills and achievements based on the jobs you’re interested in applying to is extremely important because whether you are applying online or utilizing your network to get your resume in front of the right person, you’ll want to ensure that you’re making a good impression. However, regardless of optimizing your resume, leveraging your network to help you find a job will be the single most helpful tool to help you stay ahead of the competition in today’s dynamic job market.
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We’re all busy and have a lot going on. This is why it can be extremely helpful to use AI to your advantage and help you optimize your resume for maximum impact.
Keep in mind that while AI can help you optimize your resume with the right keywords, it cannot create information unique to you, your career, and what you have achieved at work. Be sure to quantify your achievements and celebrate your wins to articulate your value on your resume.
If this feels daunting to you, reach out to discuss how I can support you through this process and build you an effective resume that you’re proud of!