Long gone are the days when getting hired meant simply handing in your CV and waiting for a call.
Now, every company wants a tailor-made CV, personalised cover letter and multiple interviews, only to eventually hit candidates with a rejection email.
With jobseekers facing several rounds of assessment, it’s no wonder application fatigue is settling in. But now, a new study suggests AI could provide a helping hand.
The survey, conducted by JobLeads, found that 73% of Americans who have used AI on their job application got the job they were applying for.
According to Jan Hendrik von Ahlen, co-founder and managing director at JobLeads, using AI to assist your cover letter could increase your chances of landing a job, particularly when navigating Applicant Track Systems (ATS).
ATS helps companies manage large volumes of job applications by scanning CVs and cover letters for specific keywords, skills and experiences.
While these systems can help speed up the hiring process – by allowing recruiters to reach more candidates – it often means many CVs are never seen by human beings.
Andy Pardoe, author of Confident AI: The Essential Skills for Working with Artificial Intelligence told Yahoo News that candidates ‘may be overlooked if not precisely matched to algorithmic requirements’.
It’s estimated nearly 99% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS software regularly, and as many as 75% of CVs are never read by a human, according to data collected by Jobscan.
Jan explains that jobseekers can use AI to ensure their application passes through filters ‘by suggesting relevant keywords and optimising the format,’ which ‘not only increases your application’s visibility but also enhances your chances of securing an interview.’
Wondering how exactly you can harness these tools?
According to Jan, all it takes is following four ‘simple’ steps to ensure your cover letter is ATS-friendly.
‘First, enter an instruction prompt explaining what you would require from the tool,’ he explains. ‘Second, paste your resume (make sure it is up-to-date), while also informing the tool you’ll share the job description right after.’
How to use AI on your cover letter
Jan says there are four ‘simple’ steps to make the most out of AI on your cover letter.
- Paste your up-to-date CV
- Review and edit the cover letter
Next, you paste the job description and let the AI work it’s magic – just make sure you carefully review and editing what it provides you with, as you want to ‘ensure it aligns with your personal style.’
This isn’t letting the computer do the work for you; you want to ‘use its suggestions to enhance clarity and impact.’
If you master the combination of AI wizardry and a human touch, Jan says you may just have found the ‘key to standing out in today’s competitive job market.
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