The recent, rapid development of natural language processing, machine learning and other AI-based tools leads to the increased usage of such techniques in the hiring process. More and more companies use algorithms to screen your CV/resume, searching for the right keywords. According to the company Resumeterpro, around 72% of resumes are rejected by applicant tracking systems (ATS) before any human can assess them. These systems track every word on your resume, carefully searching for the skill keywords that are essential for the position.
The question remains: How well can a computer assess your ability to do well in a job? I believe that every one of us had or still has a totally vague description of yourself in your resume, including empty, nice-sounding power words: Result-oriented, detail-oriented, team-player… Would you also want to tell me that your biggest personal drawback is being a workaholic/perfectionist? But frankly, do these words add any value?
Resume screening tool analyses not only your professional experience, but also your summary, formatting, grammar, accomplishments. I may agree that it may work in the majority of cases. I, myself, when working in a HR company could screen a resume within a moment, basing my judgment on the formatting and grammar. However, in my opinion, in some cases the resume screening tool may be disadvantageous for the job applicant but also the employer. What if, for example, the job applicant has very unique experiences/achievements that are not covered in the screening algorithm?
Another limitation and also an advice to you, fellow readers is to be aware of the format of your resume. Applicant Tracking Systems may be not able to read all documents saved in .docx format, PDF or as a JPG. Wanted a nice, not super boring, unique resume that was edited in Photoshop & saved as JPEG to save space? Good for you! REJECTED.
If you wonder whether your resume is able to go through applicant tracking system, try Jobscan.co, where you can upload your resume and see whether a robot thinks you’re good enough ?
Sources and further reading:
hbr.org/2016/12/hiring-algorithms-are-not-neutral
accesswire.com/436847/72-of-Resumes-are-Never-Seen-by-Employers
cvsaviour.com.au/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-applicant-tracking-systems
jobscan.co
