Job hunting can be an exhausting, repetitive process. First, you must find available jobs that suit your skill set, desired pay scale, and availability. Then, you have to contact dozens of employers and send out as many resumes (with cover letters), tweaking each one for each specific job. You have to keep track of all the positions for which you’ve applied, manage communications with prospective employers, and hopefully prepare for and ace many interviews.
What would you give for something . . . anything . . . that could streamline the process and give you an added advantage over the competition? What if a tool existed that could take on the bulk of the work and let you fine-tune the details?
Good news! Such a tool does exist in the form of several such tools. The overarching instrument is artificial intelligence (AI), and utilized correctly, it can aid you in landing that perfect job.
I’m excited to share eight ways AI can supercharge your job search process. Each platform offers unique features and advantages, allowing you to choose the ones that best align with your preferences. By exploring these AI tools, you’ll discover innovative solutions tailored to your needs, saving you valuable time and effort.
Networking: Before you even start searching for your new opportunity earnestly, AI can help you build and manage your professional network. Networking apps can suggest relevant connections, identify industry events, and/or recommend online communities to engage with like-minded professionals.
Ex: Ideta, NetworkAI, Resume Worded,
Career Development Guidance: To prepare you in qualifying for that dream job, AI platforms can offer personalized career advice based on individual goals, skills (and possible skills gaps), and market trends. They can suggest relevant training programs, certifications, or career paths to help you advance in your chosen field.
Ex: Jobiri
Job Search Platforms: AI-powered job search platforms can help you find relevant career opportunities based on a detailed profile you create covering work-related factors like your career experience, education, skills, preferences, current location, willingness to relocate, and even personality and work style. These platforms use machine learning algorithms to match your profile with suitable jobs, saving you the time and effort of wading through innumerable irrelevant listings.
Ex: Sonara, Careerflow, Talentprise
Resume Generation and Optimization: Don’t have a resume yet? Again, AI can help. Based on your data, an AI resume writer will generate relevant bullet points, your impact statement, and your skills and education sections. You can select from numerous colors, fonts, and design templates to customize and personalize the final product. NOTE: Always consider what AI produces to be your rough draft! You’ll need to fine-tune the results to make them an authentic, honest representation of you. The same advice holds regarding every AI-generated component of your job-search materials.
According to international software company Zapier.com, “Many recruiters and hiring managers rely on algorithms and automated applicant tracking systems to scan […] resumes for the right keywords. If those terms don’t feature in your resume, you may get kicked to the ‘no thanks’ pile well before a human touches your application.” Thankfully, AI tools can analyze your resume and provide suggestions for improvement. For instance, certain apps will compare your resume with a job description and offer recommendations aimed at optimizing keywords and highlighting relevant skills, so you can feel confident your resume will land in the ‘yes please’ pile.
Ex: Kickresume, Rezi, Skillroads
Cover Letter Assistance: Certain AI platforms can also help you craft tailored cover letters based on job descriptions and the information you put in. This tool is incredibly time-saving, as writing a cover letter after a cover letter is the biggest job-search time drain of all.
Ex: Coverdoc.ai, Grammarly, Rytr, Jobscan
Email Assistance: For each position for which you apply, you might send emails expressing interest, requesting more information, confirming your application, responding to prospective employers’ questions or requests for an interview, thanking them for an interview, and (hopefully) accepting the job, to name a few. Many of these messages will have numerous commonalities across different companies, so an AI email automation tool can be invaluable.
Interview Preparation: AI-powered chatbots or virtual assistants can simulate interview scenarios and provide nearly instantaneous feedback on your responses. They can help you practice common interview questions and offer tips for improving your performance. If you get interview jitters, these tools can be a real lifesaver.
Ex: Interview Warmup, Mockmate
Negotiation Tools: Salary negotiations can be tricky, but AI-powered compensation tools examine statistics from thousands of job listings to estimate realistic pay ranges based on job title, experience, education, and location. They can also offer insight into job-appropriate benefits and perks. Armed with the right information, you’ll be ready to ask for what you deserve.
Remember, while AI can provide valuable support in your job search by enhancing and streamlining the process, human interaction and personal touch are still paramount in finding the right job. Let AI lend you a hand and give you an edge, but make sure you put your stamp on everything you do.
By Fernando Ortiz-Barbachano
President & CEO of Barbachano International (BIP)
Barbachano International is the premier executive search and leadership advisory firm in the Americas (USA, Mexico, Canada, and Latin America) with a focus on diversity and multicultural target markets. Outplacement and Exe
