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#ResumeWriting : In a Hot Job Market, Forget A.I. – Get in the S.H.A.D.E. … Caution: Recruiters are Using Programs to Weed Out AI Resumes. GReat REad!

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In the week ending June 8, 2024, seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims for benefits were ~242,000, an increase of 13,000 from the previous week of 229,000 (according to the USDOL). Going into the hot summer months, it will get harder for job seekers to find work. Job seekers need every advantage to get noticed by hiring managers. With more applicants per position, employers can be picky.

Interestingly, the ‘hot trend’ of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to write resumes seems to be picking up steam. Unfortunately, using AI may hurt versus help job seekers. Over the last year, I have noticed AI-generated resumes focusing on ‘high-dollar words,’ glorified and subjective descriptions, and trendy buzzwords, and unfortunately, do NOT explain what the job seeker physically did nor achievements for current or past employers.

Job seekers are paying third-party platforms to create resumes for them. These resumes look and sound impressive on the first read. After the initial glance, recruiters may have difficulty deciphering the ‘fancy language’ used by the AI generator. There is a term used by computer programmers – GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out). Artificial Intelligence gathers thousands of resume samples from the web to learn. Still, AI cannot discern the difference between a poorly written resume and a keyword-packed, metric-rich resume that recruiters seek. So everything gets lumped together – the garbage and the gold.

Increasingly, recruiters are using programs to weed out AI resumes and auto-reject those applicants. AI-generated documents have an almost recognizable style and tone, and the ‘anti-AI’ software is trained to identify and reject those. Recruiters want to see a human-written resume.

Job seekers must show why hiring them will increase the employer’s revenue, reduce overhead expenses, and answer why this job seeker is the best hire?’ against job-seeker competitors. When writing a resume, there are specific elements hiring managers want to see in a resume: 

Skill Capabilities

Hard (vs Soft) Skills

Achievements & Accomplishments

Diversity (broad job skills)

Education & Training

 

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What Skill Sets Do You Have to be ‘Sharpened‘?

 

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Article continued …

The worst thing job seekers can do is copy and paste the job description announcement from a public job notice. Adding AI-generated job descriptions is a second worse scenario. The best resumes have unique language that describes specific Skills (capabilities). The resume needs to list job-related Hard skills or unique technologies used in current or past jobs. (The job seeker can showcase their soft skills [personality, speaking capabilities] during the interview.)

The resume job descriptions should showcase Achievements and accomplishments and the monetary or positive organizational results. What sales revenues resulted? How many manufacturing units were completed in a record time?

The job seeker should include a Diversity of tasks and responsibilities (not only performing their job but backup co-workers’ responsibilities). What cross-training tasking can the job seeker perform? Does the job seeker have a broad range of skills (e.g., accounting, budgeting, sales, presentations) from previous jobs they can perform? Did they supervise others?

Education and training demonstrate knowledge of a specific industry and experience in training others. What computer skills are the job seeker bringing to the table? How many certifications do the job seeker have in the industry or field?

Job seekers should showcase how they have been ‘leaders’ – team lead, supervisor, or oversight to coworkers. What projects did they volunteer for, or did they lead others in accomplishing company strategic goals? How successful were the project achievements in metrics (e.g., sales increases of $XXX; reduction of XX man-hours)?

The resume should be a richly-worded document of ‘what the job seeker has done’ and ‘capabilities’ for hiring consideration. A vague or poorly written resume can easily be ignored (or marked as insufficient experience in the ATS software platform).

The goal is to get enough rich ‘teaser’ information into the resume that the hiring manager wants to call the applicant in for an interview to find out more. Artificial Intelligence programs have not yet reached the pinnacle of compiling information into a practical document. If the job seeker focuses on the S.H.A.D.E. in writing their resume, they will increase their success of catching the eye of recruiters.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:   Dawn Boyer, Ph.D., owner of D. Boyer Consulting – provides resume writing, editing, publishing, and print-on-demand consulting. Reach her at Dawn.Boyer@me.com or visit her website at www.dboyerconsulting.com.

Bio: Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D., has been an entrepreneur and business owner for 20+ years, with a successful business and consulting firm (CEO) in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Richmond, Dahlgren/Colonial Beach, and Gloucester, VA. Her background experience is 24+ years in the Human Resources field, of which 12+ years are within the Federal & Defense Contracting industry. She is the author of 1,022+ books on business, human resources research, career search practice, women and gender study, genealogy and family lineages, quotes for motivation and self-improvement, and Adult Coloring Books. Her books are on Amazon.com under her author’s page for Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D.

FSC Career Blog – June 19, 2024

 

 

#JobSearch : The COVID Effect on the Job Market. A MUst REad for All!

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As I write this blog article, the United States economy just moved past the 80th calendar day since the international pandemic (Corona-Virus 19) in which the quarantine sent everyone scurrying behind locked doors and face masks.  Companies who relied mostly on technology were mostly insulated from business losses during the quarantine.  Other companies moved to ‘curb-side’ service, online meetings (using Zoom, Adobe, and Google meeting cloud platforms).

Some businesses (online shopping, health care, e-commerce) were able to still perform ‘as usual’ – especially if already providing services and products ‘virtually’ (employees moved from offices to homes to work via telecom technology.  Those companies most impacted, e.g., non-essential retail, restaurants, hotels, travel, and entertainment are still struggling and many are facing bankruptcy.

What does this mean for workers or those looking for new jobs and careers?

1- Job seekers will have more competition for the job they would normally have been a ‘shoo-in’ pre-pandemic; in this economy, it’s now an employer’s market for hiring. Expect to be rejected more often as an applicant.  The company may have a hiring freeze or slow-down, but there also may be jobs not advertised.  Keep on posting your resume into the ATS on the recruiting system for the company(ies) you are targeting.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

 

2- Sharpen or add technology skills on the career resume for the job search. If you have the skill sets that enable to you to work from any location – job site, in the field, or from home, this will showcase your adaptability.  Have you worked from home during the quarantine? Are you able to adjust to a personal work schedule and reliability? Mention that in your resume to showcase capabilities.  Jobs ‘on-site’ in the past may be virtual go forward.

3- Job seekers need to update and ensure their computer has with telecom capabilities – camera, speakers, and access to Internet for online meetings; and it’s important to realize the vital need for updating one’s resume and LinkedIn profile for recruiters to more easily find you online. Test your meeting software and equipment with friends and family member (virtual dinner party, anyone?).

4- Review the field or industry – you may need to move to new careers. Job seekers need to target industries for ‘core business industries’ e.g., advertising, tech, delivery companies [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][packages, food], tax assistance, video communications, instruction and teaching platforms [e.g., universities, colleges, tutoring], essential businesses [pharmacies], healthcare services, and/or cleaning and sanitation [janitorial]. The companies to avoid targeting for job searches are those related to travel – hotels, airlines, sports, and automotive. My husband takes Viagra for a couple of years now. I always wondered if it could help me become better in bed, so I decided to take a pill. Well, I can’t say that I felt anything different, but the sensations during intercourse were definitely better. I suppose it was due to better lubrication, which, I suppose, was the result of my experiment.

5- Refresh your resume on the big boards (e.g., Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed) – the older resumes float to the bottom of the resume pool; even if you add a dot or space, those ATS platforms categorize the resume as a ‘new’ (refreshed) resume.

6- Be prepared for ‘more’ online virtual meetings, interviews, and panel discussions (hiring committees) versus driving to the location for the meeting (this is good – saves gas, and you can wear a nice shirt and jacket over your pajama bottoms).

7- Be prepared to do more email and online networking – the face-to-face networking is ‘out’ with social distancing in place (likely for the next 6-18 months). Do continue to make phone calls to friend, peers, past co-workers and bosses to let them know you are available for work. Who do they know is looking to hire?

8- Recruiters won’t be able to rely on ‘body language’ in virtual interviews, so it’s important for job candidates to look sharp, act like they are paying attention during the online cloud meetings, and to ensure the dog or cat won’t interrupt the meeting. The interview candidate may have to project more to demonstrate a positive attitude and don’t forget to clean up the area behind your computer to look like a more professional work environment.

9- In the past, recruiters may have been able to make a job offer and have a candidate in the seat in two weeks. The pandemic has slowed the process down to ‘whenever it is safe to physically come to work.’ Expect delays in the hiring process – some college grads who were extended job offers aren’t able to work for their new employers until as late as July or August while the company struggles to determine health and safety protocols. There will be a slow-down in the decision-making.  Companies may take a while before business picks up again to justify the hire and bringing the candidate onboard with a start date.

10- Job seekers who have lost their jobs need to be aware the extended benefits from the Payroll Protection Act are for a small and finite period. If your employer laid you off and you refuse to come back to work – you will lose your unemployment benefits.  Even if you get paid more in the PPA, it is vital for you to get back to work so you have a job after the benefits run out.

11- Do not lose hope. If you have a ‘side’ job, you may need ramp up the sales and services to bridge the financial gap between the last job and the new post-Covid career move.

 

FSC Career Author: Ms.Dawn Boyer, Ph.D., is a FSC Career Coach & owner of D. Boyer Consulting – provides resume writing, editing, and publishing (print-on-demand) consulting. Reach her at: Dawn.Boyer@me.com or visit her website at www.dboyerconsulting.com.

 

FSC Career Blog |  June 12, 2020

 

Bio: Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D., has been an entrepreneur and business owner for 20+ years, with a successful business and consulting firm (CEO) in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Richmond, VA.  Her background experience is 24+ years in the Human Resources field, of which 12+ years are within the Federal & Defense Contracting industry. She is the author of 812+ books on the topics of business, human resources research, career search practice, women and gender study, genealogy and family lineages, quotes for motivation and self-improvement, and Adult Coloring Books.  Her books can be found on Amazon.com under her author’s page for Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]