How A.I. is helping job seekers proofread and polish résumés, job applications
Yahoo Finance columnist Kerry Hannon explains how job seekers are using artificial intelligence as a tool to get hired.
Video transcript
SHAWNA SMITH: Speaking of-- sticking with ChatGPT, talking about how much of an impact it could really have across industries. Let's talk about how it could help you find your next job. According to a working paper written by three MIT researcher's, job seekers are tapping into AI.
They're seeing an 8% increase in their chances of getting hired. Kerry Hannon joining us now with a closer look at this. And Kerry, the big question, how exactly is AI increasing those chances of getting hired?
KERRY HANNON: Yeah, you know, I absolutely love this study. I mean, this is one of those, I think, a really happy story about AI helping job seekers, right. So what it can do is, because writing skills are really super key in what employers are looking for. Because it shows that you have an attention to detail, you're a good communicator, and often simply allows them to understand what your skills are.
It's how you present yourself, right. And we all have asked our partners, or our buddies, or whoever to proofread our resumes. And trust me, there are always mistakes. There are misspellings, there's typos, there's all kinds of things. What this AI does is it lets people do their resume, do a check through this, and they'll pull out things like phrases that you use, or correcting your spelling, or your grammar. And these are-- it just sort of levels the playing field.
And so the study, the researchers found that, in fact, these people, the resumes, they did a half a million job seeker resumes they looked at. And did two control groups on this. And they found that, yeah, it ticked up the number of people who are hired who went through this system.
And better yet, they got better pay. So I mean, this is one time that I think it can be super useful and fast to help you smooth out your resume and put the best polish on it.
DAVE BRIGGS: So Shawna and I went through a little exercise. We asked ChatGPT to build our resumes. I, frankly, was astounded at how quick it picked up details from, I don't know, around the internet somewhere. I didn't put in any years. It filled those in, in terms of my experience.
Although some weak sides, it added John Doe next to my name. It had John Doe's email address, too. For those of you that want to email John Doe. And XYZ University, I actually went to Colorado, not XYZ. Where are the real shortcomings, so far?
KERRY HANNON: Oh, man, I just love that, Dave. Thanks for doing that.
DAVE BRIGGS: I'm using it!
KERRY HANNON: [LAUGHS]
DAVE BRIGGS: I'm not looking for a job, but I mean. I mean--
SHAWNA SMITH: You're really sending a message with this segment!
DAVE BRIGGS: Everyone ought to freshen up their resume, I'm just saying.
KERRY HANNON: Anyway, I think it just is promising that it could really-- bravo. If this can help people correct mistakes, those spelling mistakes that reject you quickly, yeah, yeah. This is great.
Now we all know the downsides to AI that's been going on for a while now. 90% of employers use the applicant tracking systems, which are like a huge black hole, when you send your resume electronically. And most people have no idea why they've been ghosted.
And it might be because they didn't have the exact word on their resume that matched the word in the job posting. Or they had a gap in their resume. So it's really been problematic for workers who really are, we call them, the hidden workers.
A Harvard study looked into this. And it's pretty extensive. And it's problematic. But that's something that's sort of the dark side of the AI and the job hunt and the resume area.
But I'm liking this stuff about fixing spellings. Because I've been guilty of finding these on my own. Even when I read them out loud.
SHAWNA SMITH: It does certainly help. And Dave, I was going to say, you're lucky that you actually had John Doe. My ChatGPT totally forgot to put my name anywhere on the resume.
DAVE BRIGGS: Did you tell it your name?
SHAWNA SMITH: I told it my name. That was the first thing I typed in there. And it didn't include it at all. But it got some of the other information right. So I can't be too critical.
DAVE BRIGGS: Strong analytical skills!
SHAWNA SMITH: That's exactly what they got right. Exactly.
DAVE BRIGGS: Stuck the landing! Way to go, Chat.
SHAWNA SMITH: All right, Kerry, thanks so much for that.
KERRY HANNON: Thanks, guys.
