In this era of increasing technological advancement, the emergence of accessible free generative tools like Chat GPT has introduced a new angle to the job hunt. These tools serve as virtual job coaches, capable of creating cover letters, resumes, email drafts and even compile interview questions with just a prompt. Surely, this is a win for job seekers, translating to less time spent refining CV, more ideas to choose from and more time to search and apply for jobs. More so, AI can match resumes to job listings, enabling the job seeker to save time.

Beyond the resume stage, AI tools also help candidates become more interview ready. Lastly, AI has the potential to guide applicants towards recognizing skills that are transferable to a broader set of potential jobs than the candidate had considered. For example, the day-to-day work of an HR Manager involves managing a large number of people in a high pressure environment, a skill valuable in other positions outside human resources.

But, what do recruiters make of this? The responses vary. Advocates of AI tool usage by jobseekers argue that the adoption of technology when job hunting was inevitable. In an article written by Startups, some HR managers view candidates who use artificial intelligence tools as smart and resourceful. Using effective prompts and instructions to streamline repetitive tasks with the aid of AI have been lauded as smart.

On the other hand, recruiters that are against using artificial intelligence during the job search process hint that it worsens the issue of white lies on CVs by creating information that is most times exaggerated. More so, the issue of similar applications submitted by different applicants who use AI tools, making it difficult for them to stand out in the crowded pool. There’s also the argument that AI-generated materials may lack the depth, emotional connection and unique perspectives derived from human experience, often resulting in a robotic tone.

So, what should you do — embrace AI for a better, faster job search or stick to the traditional ways of job hunting? Bear in mind that the hiring landscape is changing with the introduction of various technologies and tools. While there isn’t a one size fits all solution, there are some factors to consider when incorporating artificial intelligence into your job hunting process.

Here are some guidelines:

• Review and edit. After using AI tools to generate or enhance your cover letter and CV, it is important to review and edit the content. This ensures that your voice, tone, unique attributes and experience are correctly represented. More so, some recruiters who receive AI-written resumes are turned off. To ensure that you maintain authenticity and uniqueness, be sure to edit accordingly.
• Tailor your resume to the job description: Customizing your CV to align with the job description is important. This does not in any way mean exaggerating or stretching details. It is rather about demonstrating how your skills and experience with the job requirements. In likely cases where ATS will be used, using relevant keywords will increase the likelihood of the text in your resume meeting the mark of the screening criteria the company may be using. The essence of using appropriate keywords isn’t to ‘game the application process’ or to mislead. It is rather to show how your skills and experience tally with the job description. The job description then serves as a foundation — a guide for tailoring your resume.
• Format smartly. When it comes to formatting, ensure that keywords are spelt correctly. This is because RPA (robotic process automation) bots do not necessarily read resumes as much as they parse them. Cut down on using keywords and phrases that people outside a certain field, like IT may not recognize. An example of this is using “K8” instead of the term “Kubernetes”. Another guiding principle is to keep your resume plain and simple. Avoid putting skills, education and experience in different text boxes in a column view. When you fail to do this, the system may not capture all the information it is supposed to, giving the recruiter an incomplete first impression. Keep the CV creativity minimal.
• Get feedback on your resume: After you have used AI tools and refined results, share it with a recruiter, a coach, friend or colleague to get their feedback. Their insights will shed light on whether your CV sounds mechanical and robotic, or if it accurately reflects your skills and expertise.

Having established the rules for leveraging artificial intelligence to get a head-start on your job hunt, here are some tools to enhance your interview experience and refine your resume and cover letter.

ChatGPT

For job seekers ChatGPT plays a number of roles. From resume and cover letter writing to researching a company. When it comes to researching companies that are hiring for certain roles, it cannot access specific job openings but will tell you how to go about it.

It can refer you to a local institution where other members of the profession take classes or attend networking events. When it comes to crafting a cover letter and resume for you, all you need to do is give it as much information as possible. Remember to always edit and personalize results as much as possible.

Ace

Particularly relevant in this age of digital interviewing, Ace is an AI tool designed to assist job seekers in refining their interview skills through practice sessions, performance tracking and access to resources for improvement.

This means that ahead of interviews, Ace equips you with the ability to refine your interview techniques, strengthen your connection with recruiters and enable you to showcase your value to prospective employers. Because we know the value Ace brings to job seekers, we have partnered with them to give you a 50% discount and a 7-day free trial. Try it out

Kickresume

If you find it difficult to present your skills, expertise and experience in a compelling way, Kickresume powered by Chat GPT-4 can be valuable to you.

It offers swift text generation, grammar checking, sample materials, expert advice and automated resume building. Keep in mind that the rule of thumb is to always and always, edit and personalize results.

LinkedIn

I’m sure you are familiar with LinkedIn but did you know of its generative feature to help job seekers write brief, cover-letter like messages to recruiters?

The LinkedIn AI feature enables you to draft a message to the recruiter alongside open roles on the platform’s job page. It draws information from your profile, the recruiter’s profile, the job description and the company of interest to create a personalized message. This is currently only available for premium accounts.

Having now customized your CV and cover letter and honed your interview skills through practice, it is time to take the crucial step of applying for jobs.

Check out these open Data Science, Angular Specialist, Backend Developer, Devops Engineer and other global jobs on Propel.

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