Job recruiter looks over a resume during a job fair in New York City.
Chris Hondros/Getty Images
In today’s competitive job market, it’s safe to say your resume is being scanned, not read, by hiring managers and recruiters.
With hundreds of applications being received per open role, employers spend an average of just 11.2 seconds on each resume, according to a study done by AI-powered interview platform InterviewPal. While this number varies from company to company, the reality is that in today’s artificial intelligence world, the decision to move a candidate forward is sometimes shaped by AI tools that filter applications before a human even sees it. Therefore, one small mistake or missed opportunity can easily cost a candidate the chance to advance.
Forbes spoke to a few recruiters and workplace experts about what they actually look for in those first few seconds of scanning your resume — and how you can increase your chances of moving to the next round.
Quickly Show Alignment With a Job’s Requirements
“What’s very important for candidates to know is when you’re looking at a job description, there’s a reason things are in sequential order,” says Roshaunda Green, global senior talent acquisition partner at the shipping software company Pitney Bowes. “What we’re doing is putting in those first one to five bullet points, the skills and tasks that are mandatory and necessary to do the role right.”
That’s why, she says, candidates should clearly explain at the top of their resume how their experience aligns with the job’s required skills. Even if you don’t meet all of the requirements, Green adds, you should be able to show that you meet at least 80% of them without recruiters having to connect the dots on why you’re a good fit for the position.
Emphasize Measurable Impact
Priya Rathod, Indeed’s workplace trends expert, emphasizes that when recruiters glance at your resume they want to see right away the metrics, results, and concrete numbers that show the impact you’ve had in past roles.
For example, she says, if you’re in sales you need to explain, “how many years did you attain or go above your quota? How many new clients did you bring on? What was the actual impact on your organization?”
During a time when many people are using AI to create their resumes, using generic descriptions like “responsible for…” can make your application indistinguishable from those of your competitors.
Use Keywords That Match the Role
About 71% of hiring managers say they use AI-powered software to filter out candidates faster and more easily. This means that before a human recruiter even looks at your resume, it may be screened by a machine. That’s why, Rathod says, one smart way to use AI when crafting your resume is to keyword match your document with the job description to ensure your application makes it to the next round.
She advises job seekers to keyword match their cover letter as well. But, she warns that AI should only be used as a starting point and that employees should personally tailor the overall language, tone and details of their resume and cover letter to their unique experience.
Show Originality–And That You’re Human
While AI has its benefits, Rathod and Green agree that relying on it too much when applying for jobs can do more harm than good. In fact, 67% of hiring managers say AI-generated resumes have negatively impacted the hiring process because there’s been a surge of applicants using the tool to fabricate or embellish their experiences, and there’s been an increase in applications that all look the same.
“What I’m seeing is a lot of people going to AI, pulling the raw feedback they receive and not customizing it,” says Green. She adds that “putting in a cookie-cutter AI merged resume from the job description is really doing yourself a discredit.”
Rather than submitting a generic resume, Green and Rathom advise candidates to personalize their documents so recruiters notice right away their unique capabilities.
“AI is a good thing,” says Green. “But you have to go in there and customize it. Put your quantifiable metrics, put your accomplishments, change the tone, change the wording, because as recruiters we’re getting 15 of the same resumes for one job, and you lose credibility immediately as a candidate.”