AI in recruitment – what you need to know

Whatever you think of AI it’s unavoidable right now, but how is it relevant when you’re looking for a job and what do you need to do with your CV? 

Automation and AI in recruitment software 

Application tracking software (ATS) has long been used by large organisations to make their recruitment processes more efficient. It has inbuilt AI which screens CVs to make sure they are suitable for the job they’ve been submitted for.  

Research suggests 89% of large companies and 36% of small companies use this kind of software. It can filter and rank candidates, schedule interviews and do lots of other things to save HR people time. So it’s possible your CV may never be seen by a human leaving you unable to secure an interview for a job you might think you’re perfect for. 

Clearly to make this kind of software work, there has to be human input. To get the most out of these systems, talent acquisition people spend time creating the right weightings for factors such as skills, experience, qualifications and other things the job needs. The human bit happens up front and the AI takes over to automate parts of the process. Even jobs posted on LinkedIn can have some ATS features activated by recruiters. This makes it even more important to tailor your CV for every role you apply for. But how can you best do that? 

What you need to know about AI involved with recruitment 

It’s useful to be aware of some of the limitations of these kinds of recruitment systems. For example, beautifully designed CVs – maybe you’ve created one in Canva – can’t be read by this kind of software. There is some value in having a creatively designed CV if you’re applying for a graphic designer or other visual kind of job, but very little if you’re applying for almost anything else.  

An important thing to know is that AI doesn’t see columns or text boxes or tables. So if you’ve created columns or used a table to present your skills/qualifications in, you risk the systems missing out key information that make you suitable for the role. This is something else which could quickly discount you if a job has certain requirements and your CV isn’t formatted so the system can “read” your information accurately.  

Adapting your job applications for AI 

The very best thing you can do is tailor your CV for each job you’re applying for. This is advice I’ve always given, and a part of my job search and preparation service, but it’s become even more relevant now you could be sifted out of the process without a human ever seeing your resumé.  

That means looking carefully at the job description to identify the keywords or skills the job appears to be looking for and making sure that these are included in your CV. You also need to look carefully at the essential and desirable criteria, reviewing any person specifications to make sure you have included them throughout your CV and cover letter. It’s not quite points mean prizes, but it’s close – and you can harness the power of AI to do it.  

Using AI to your advantage in your job search 

Redress the AI balance by harnessing the power of software such as JobScan, which reads a job description and compares it with your CV then advises about the best amendments to make to be successful.  

Asking ChatGPT or Claude to digest a job description and pull out the key bits of information is another way to make the most of AI’s functionality.  

As with all of these kinds of systems, you need to apply your brain to the suggestions it makes and carefully check to make sure that mistakes or biases haven’t crept in. AI is built on large language models which are only as good as their input, so while the developers have made huge attempts to remove biased information, the vast nature of the content which has fed the models makes this a slow process.  

You also need to make sure you don’t sound like a robot! There are some things it does and words it likes to use which make spotting AI-generated content relatively straightforward if you know what you’re doing. You still want to sound like you, so when you do meet the recruiter there’s no difference in how your CV sounds and the person you actually are. So yes, use AI to help you but don’t rely on it – make sure you’re personalising your applications using real examples to make you stand out from the crowd. 

Some benefits of AI in recruitment 

As with all things, there are some up-sides to AI’s increasing role in recruitment. It’s become such an intrinsic part of the process that the UK Government has produced a guide to using AI responsibly in recruitment.  

Automations can make the process of offering interview slots quick and easy for recruiter and candidate alike. Chatbots can provide real-time answers to queries, which improves the candidate experience.  

Having scanned your CV, the AI-assisted system might put you in a database of candidates suitable for future roles, so although you may not get an interview for the first job you apply for, you may be invited to one for a different role at some point.  

And predictive analysis is being used to forecast the best type of person to recruit for particular roles based on how successful the incumbent has been. This is good for both the recruiting manager and candidate as the chances of being successful in a role increase.  

Whatever we feel about AI – it’s here and we need to adjust to it and embrace what we can and most importantly not fear it. As with all new technologies we need to keep learning to understand it and use it properly but carefully. We don’t know how things will change in the future, but I remember when e-learning first arrived and everyone worried that it would replace all face to face learning. It didn’t, but it has it’s place alongside other forms of training. Together with other CV writers at BACVW we work closely with recruiters to understand how AI is changing the job application process so we keep up to date too. 

If you’d like to explore your CV or AI’s impact on recruitment, email me to book a free initial conversation about how I can support you with your career tools.