Let’s be honest, job searching has always been a bit of a game—not necessarily always a fun one—sometimes it is fun and other times it’s as inciting as flipping the monopoly board on family game night. But there’s a new player in the game: artificial intelligence (AI). Instead of just impressing a human hiring manager, job seekers now have to get past an algorithm first. And that can feel a little… impersonal.
The good news? Once you understand how AI screening works, you can tailor your approach to get noticed—and hired. Here’s how to navigate your job search in the age of automation.
1. Keywords Were Always Your Friend, But Now They’re Your Best Friend
AI-powered Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) scan resumes for specific keywords to decide whether a candidate is a match. These keywords usually come straight from the job description. If your resume doesn’t include them, it might never be seen by a real person—which is tragic.
What to do:
- Read the job description carefully and highlight recurring skills, tools, or qualifications.
- Naturally incorporate those exact terms into your resume.
- Don’t overstuff your resume with keywords—you need to make sure it still sounds like a person wrote it.
2. Customize Every Application to Align to The Job
We know—it takes longer! But in a world where AI is scanning hundreds of resumes in seconds, a generic application just won’t cut it.
What to do:
- Tailor your resume and cover letter to each role.
- Use the company’s language and mirror the tone of the job description.
- Highlight the experiences you have that align most closely with the specific job.
Think about it this way, if you’re applying to a job at a fitness startup, the way you talk about your work might be different than if you’re applying to a law firm. Customize your cover letter accordingly and think about your tone. And remember, you have more flexibility with the tone in your cover letter than your resume.
3. Keep it Simple When it Comes to the Format
AI might be smart, but it’s not always great at reading complex documents. Documents that use a fancy design, unprofessional fonts, and graphics can be a challenge for AI to read. If the documents, you use to apply for a job confuse the system—that pretty much just means it was never read.
What to do:
- Use a traditional format that is clean with clear headings.
- Stick to standard fonts on the resume like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.
- Avoid using tables or images in your resume, plus we all know that feeling of cringe when you add an image to a document and the entire format changes.
Remember: You want the AI the ATS system is using to be able to easily read your resume and cover letter and parse your information correctly. Parsing is the process of extracting relevant information from a data source, in this case a resume and cover letter, and transforming it into a structured format that can easily be analyzed.
4. Don’t Forget to use a Human Touch
Yes, AI might do the first round of screening—but people still make the final hiring decisions. That’s why networking and personal connections are as important as ever.
What to do:
- Reach out to a networking contact or someone you feel you can build a connection with on LinkedIn after you apply.
- Attend industry events, webinars, or networking mixers to put yourself out there and meet folks who work in the field you’re applying to.
- If you know someone who works at the company, ask for a referral. A referral can help the hiring manager see what you bring to the table in terms of talent. Seeing that you are already acquainted with someone who already works for them may encourage hiring managers to hire you.
Making a real-world connection can help get your resume noticed—especially if someone inside the company forwards it to a recruiter.
5. Show Off Your Soft Skills (Carefully)
AI tools are good at spotting hard skills, like software knowledge or certifications. But let’s face it, we all know, feelings aren’t really in a robot’s wheelhouse, so soft skills—like communication, leadership, and adaptability aren’t typically spotted by the AI. Soft skills, however, are still essential to hiring managers!
What to do:
- Don’t just say you’re a “strong communicator.” Prove it.
- Use bullet points to show how you led a team, resolved a conflict, or improved collaboration.
- Keep examples short and specific. There’s opportunity to expand on these once you land the job interview.
This helps both AI and humans see that you’re the full package.
Job searching in the age of AI might feel intimidating, but it’s really just about adjusting your strategy. When you understand how these systems work and make adjustments to work with them, you can stand out in the crowd.
And like any algorithm, they’ll continue to evolve, don’t be discouraged if your first few applications don’t lead to job interviews. Continue to refine your resume and cover letter and apply to jobs knowing that you’re not only competing with other candidates but also the systems being used to optimize the candidate pool. Give it a try next time you’re applying to a new job opportunity!