The New Age of Hiring: AI Is Changing the Game for Job Seekers - CNET

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The New Age of Hiring: AI Is Changing the Game for Job Seekers - CNET

When I was growing up, way before artificial intelligence captured the zeitgeist, applying for a job was relatively simple: Print out a fancy resume, dress smart and be ready to interview, in person. Those old rules no longer apply.  Over the last two decades, digital technologies have radically transformed the employment landscape. Automated software, colossal professional databases and one-click applications now dominate the hiring and recruitment process.  If you've been job hunting recently, chances are you've interacted with a resume robot, a nickname for an Applicant Tracking System, or ATS. In its most basic form, an ATS acts like an online assistant, helping hiring managers write job descriptions, scan resumes and schedule interviews. As artificial intelligence advances, employers are increasingly relying on a combination of predictive analytics, machine learning and complex algorithms to sort through candidates, evaluate their skills and estimate their performance. Today, it's not uncommon for applicants to be rejected by a robot before they're connected with an actual human in human resources. The job market is ripe for the explosion of AI recruitment tools. Hiring managers are coping with deflated HR budgets while confronting growing pools of applicants, a result of both the economic downturn and the post-pandemic expansion of remote work. As automated software makes pivotal decisions about our employment, usually without any oversight, it's posing fundamental questions about privacy, accountability and transparency.  For job seekers, AI-powered hiring software is a black box.  You might commit to a time-consuming online application only to be ghosted or receive a generic rejection email without feedback. "No one really understands what's happening to them as they navigate the process," says Mitra Ebadolahi, senior project director for economic justice at Upturn, a technology and equity nonprofit. That's disempowering, she adds.  Technology, though, is a curse and a blessing, depending on how it's wielded and who's wielding it. An array of online tools — such as resume-boosting software that improves keyword-matching and generative AI platforms that draft cover letters — are helping applicants avoid HR's "no" pile, the point of no return. Plus, with algorithm-based career platforms like LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter and Indeed, there's more access to job postings than ever before. Cyberspace is crowded with ways to adapt to this brave new world.  When I ask experts whether automation will completely take over hiring, most say recruitment is a human-driven process. Tailoring your application for an ATS just helps you get a foot in the door, says Ankur Chaudhari, product lead for Jobscan, an online tool that optimizes resumes. Chaudhari compares the process to an entrance exam, like the GMAT. Even if you score high, you'll still need to compete with other students for a top-ranking business school. If you score low, you'll never have the chance to show how qualified you really are. Job seekers will always be the underdogs in the hiring process, with or without AI. By knowing the rules of the game, you won't change that fact, but you could get a leg up.  Kind regards, robot Lauren Milligan, an Illinois-based career coach and resume writer, works with clients who've been out of the job market for some time. Disenchanted by the idea of being evaluated by AI, they enlist her business, ResuMayday, for help. For large-volume hiring, the majority of resumes go through a computer software program called an Applicant Tracking System. An ATS scans, collects and sorts resumes, allowing hiring managers to screen candidates and track their progress quickly. Jobscan "Job seekers are behind the eight ball in every stretch," Milligan says.  That's because of an unfamiliar, and frankly impersonal, application process. A machine screens the majority of resumes that travel from an IP address to an employer's database.  For larger corporations handling thousands of resumes, automation can relieve burdensome administrative tasks and increase efficiency while cutting costs. Nearly 99% of Fortune 500 companies filter candidates through a major ATS such as Workday, Taleo, Jobvite, Greenhouse or Lever. Automated tools might be used during multiple stages in the...