AI is here to optimize, revolutionize, and increase efficiency in every aspect of business. But when it comes to hiring—a traditionally very human and personal affair—is AI a help or a hindrance to job seekers?
It’s clear that AI-powered recruitment software is changing the game, with application tracking systems (ATS) helping employers find, filter, and review candidates—a blessing for many companies since 40% of employers anticipate an increase in hiring in 2025.
But the issue is, are AI recruitment tools actually benefiting applicants? With AI filters in ATS throwing aside any application that doesn’t fit the right template or include the perfect amount of key words—not to mention the biased data it could be trained on—many applicants are fighting an uphill battle simply for their resume to be reviewed by a human.
Luckily, the AI ball isn’t only in the employers’ court. While organizations implement AI tools for hiring managers, job seekers can now access their own AI resources to fight back against the filters and bias working against them.
How does AI help recruitment, how can candidates leverage the technology themselves, and what other strategies should job seekers use for success? Let’s find out.
How AI Recruitment Systems Work
Modern ATS work by documenting job applications and progress; think of them as candidate organizers, keeping all prospect information in one place. And they’ve been a big hit, with around 98% of Fortune 500 companies using ATS.
However, AI-integrated ATS platforms not only track candidates but can optimize and expedite the entire hiring process.
Many AI ATS will initially start candidate applications with ‘knock-out’ questions. For example, are you happy to work full-time? These questions help filter candidates before their resumes have even been fully analyzed.
If candidates pass this stage, their resumes are scanned for keywords and information, filtering requirements, such as needing at least five years in the industry. This allows the AI ATS to rank resumes and then present HR managers with candidates who score over a certain amount, 80/100, for instance. Each business can set its own AI-powered ATS system parameters and tweak these for different roles they’re hiring for.
However, not only are candidates up against AI algorithm filters that decide their fate in the hiring process, but another significant concern is that HR managers using AI are not prioritizing training their ATS on diverse datasets.
In order for fair and ethical hiring, companies must use diverse and representative datasets to train their AI recruiting software—and regularly compare hiring outcomes against diversity targets. If done correctly, it can help reduce personal prejudice and bias—an issue among 48% of HR managers. Women applicant’s call-back rate, currently standing at 30% compared to male candidates, can also be improved.
Optimizing Your Resume for AI Screening
It’s easy to see why candidates may view the implementation of AI into the recruitment process as an uphill battle, making job applications even more complicated. However, job seekers can also use AI to their advantage.
If candidates aren’t sending personalized resumes to each job, they’re very unlikely to bypass the ATS since they’re unlikely to include the specific information that role, and the AI ATS system, is looking for. However, updating each resume is time-consuming, and many job seekers struggle to find the time to complete this labor-intensive task.
Resumes must include the right keywords at the appropriate density to “bypass” the AI algorithms inside the ATS system. Fortunately, a range of AI-powered resume optimizing systems provide strategic keyword and industry-specific terminology placement, ensuring that resumes and cover letters are optimized and unique, increasing the possibility of admittance by the system.
These platforms can score candidates’ resumes and provide actionable feedback to improve their documents. For example, AI ATS algorithms look for strong action verbs, so instead of saying ‘I was in charge of a marketing campaign and made sure the team completed their tasks on time,’ a better example would be ‘I directed a multi-channel marketing campaign and supervised a team of five to ensure timely project completion.’
On top of this, candidates should ensure that the design and format of their resumes conform to ATS-friendly templates. Those with non-conformist layouts can result in essential information being missed by the AI filters, meaning even the most qualified candidate is filtered out.
Beyond the Algorithm
Before people panic, AI algorithms don’t control everything in recruitment, and candidates can leverage other strategies and techniques to increase their chances of success.
Firstly, LinkedIn needs to be a candidate’s favorite social media platform, at least while they’re job searching. It’s a place to showcase skills, passion, and industry knowledge, and many HR managers will search for candidates on LinkedIn and view their profiles as part of the hiring process. Candidates should post about industry news, their take on studies and reports, and comment and engage with other industry professionals. Moreover, 72% of recruiters use the site to find and hire new candidates.
This means it’s essential for a job seeker’s LinkedIn profile to be as up-to-date as their resume. Candidates need complete profiles that list all the relevant work experience, using active verbs to describe their roles, work duties, and achievements. Skills with endorsements are also key from current or past colleagues and managers as this supports claims made in resumes.
On top of a complete LinkedIn profile, job seekers can network and build professional
relationships to bypass the AI job gatekeepers. Attending in-person or virtual career fairs, conferences or trade shows, industry workshops, and seminars are a great way to expand your network of industry contacts. Meeting new people brings the opportunity to learn about new job openings before they’ve hit the market, gain insider knowledge, and discover newly established companies—potentially looking for candidates.
Furthermore, newly formed industry relationships can lead to job recommendations, giving job seekers a better head start on applications as a strong job reference can beat any AI-powered ATS system. In fact, one study has shown that nearly 40% of people have secured a job opportunity through networking, underlining its importance in job hunting. In hiring it’s clear that who you know is just as important as what you know.
AI doesn’t need to be seen as the big bad wolf of recruitment by job seekers. In fact, by prioritizing networking and coupling this with leveraging the plethora of AI tools available to optimize their resume, LinkedIn, and cover letter, candidates are perfectly positioned to beat the AI ATS for career success.
