Project Management Tips

AI has already found its way into the hiring process (SHRM, 2024) and various job roles and tasks (Pew, 2023; Gurchiek, 2023). ResumeBuilder (2023) reports that a survey of 750 executives on AI adoption shows that (a) 53% already use AI, (b) 24% plan to start using AI in 2024, (c) 37% believe AI will replace workers with 44% believing AI will lead to layoffs, and (d) 83% believing that AI skills will help employees retain their jobs.

Without question, AI can provide value by giving suggestions on formatting and structuring resumes and cover letters, and giving ideas on how to rewrite sentences. However, thousands of AI software applications, advice videos, and career coaches are also overselling AI’s value to job seekers, saying that AI can make their resumes ATS-friendly and improving their chances of getting an interview.

A survey of articles on using AI to write resumes by technology specialists and career service professionals lists the downsides to using AI that job seekers should consider. The limitations of AI most highlighted by these authors included the following:

1. AI has limited contextual understanding and can miss essential accomplishments that are needed to showcase job seekers’ unique experiences and skills.
2. AI may miss helping the job seeker include employer-valued soft skills on the resume.
3. AI cannot tailor resumes to specific job descriptions.
4. AI cannot write with an individualized touch and may overuse generic language.
5. AI can create misrepresentations and misleading statements about qualifications by using exaggerated language-its choice of action words and adjectives may be inappropriate.
6. AI can only suggest ATS key words and identify words that are in the job application or guessed at from its common data bank.
7. AI runs the risk of making resumes similar by using high-frequency stock phrases or words in its data bank.
8. AI may format resumes and add content that deviates from industry best practices for the jobs that the job seeker is applying to.
9. AI can introduce words and phrases that the employer’s ATS system might reject due to bias.

Complex data and programming issues underly the limitations of AI. Some additional AI limitations to consider include the following:

1. AI is limited by what is in its database, how the AI was taught, and the structure of its algorithms. Different AI systems used in resume writing products use different AI engines that can produce different results.
2. How a corporation sets up its ATS, and what keywords are being used to filter applications, can only be guessed at by the AI resume analysis and writing products and, in fact, may not identify helpful keywords to use on a resume beyond what is on the job application that you provide it with.
3. AI cannot advise job seekers on how to communicate alignment between themselves and the employer’s mission, vision, or culture. Job-job seeker alignment is most effectively achieved through subtle word choices, the writer’s self-presentation, and the way accomplishments are presented.
4. Generative AI will not fully research intangibles like the company’s values, mission, or culture for the jobs you are applying for, which are needed to help tailor a resume. Job seekers need to do their research, which helps not only with resume and cover letter writing but in a job interview.
5. Last, a final human review and proof reading is still recommended to correct any issues from the AI application.

Not all corporations or job seekers have a rosy view of AI resumes and the AI-driven hiring process. For example,

1. Giovel (2023) indicates that 63% of recruiters surveyed prefer receiving resumes tailored to the job position. He emphasized the need for the human touch in the job application process.
2. The Johnson and Johnson’s corporate career website stresses three points for job applicants using AI to write their resumes and cover letters: (1) ”generative AI could misrepresent your candidacy by missing important information…”, or “…misrepresent key facts with great flourish…”; (2) “employers are going to have zero tolerance for factual inaccuracies in job-application materials”; and (3) “AI-generated language in resumes and cover letters can be detected by employers, which could easily eliminate you from consideration for the role.”
3. Reddit user r/lostgeneration posted this comment: “Why are Olive Garden and FedEx forcing job applicants to endure a strange personality test that turns them into blue avatars?” This is a growing sentiment among job applications, which might reduce a company’s ability to attract talent. This also raises the question on the use and validity of assessments and personality tests as valid measures used during an AI influenced hiring process.
4. Last, NYC 144 prohibits employers and employment agencies from using an automated employment decision tool (AEDT) in New York City unless they ensure a bias audit is done and provide required notices (Paretti, 2023). The Law was enacted in 2021. It took effect on January 1, 2023. Enforcement begins on July 5, 2023

Career Service Providers need AI literacy and to understand AI’s limitations and to decide whether this tool can benefit their clients for the effort and cost. Career Service Providers will still need resume and cover letter drafting competencies to teach their clients, or to make referrals, regardless of using AI.

Personally, I prefer that my clients forgo AI software and work with them to (a) learn how to do job research, (b) effectively read an employment posting, (c) know how to write a resume and cover letter, and (d) be aware of ATS formatting and keyword requirements. I want clients to leave the career guidance encounter with lasting skills and not be dependent upon costly, questionable AI resume subscription services.

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Regards, Rob

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References

Desai, A. (2024, March 21). The pros and cons of using AI in CV writing. Bramwith Consulting. https://bramwithconsulting.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-using-ai-in-cv-writing/