Final month, a good friend despatched me a rejection e-mail she’d acquired inside 90 seconds of submitting her utility. Ninety seconds.
She’d spent three hours tailoring her resume, researching the corporate, and crafting a considerate cowl letter.
The automated response didn’t even fake a human had been concerned.
She wasn’t shocked. Simply drained.
That is the truth of job looking in 2025.
Most purposes by no means attain human eyes. They’re filtered, scored, and rejected by algorithms designed to course of lots of of resumes within the time it takes you to brew espresso.
And whereas recruiters will inform you these programs save time and cut back bias, the reality is extra difficult.
I’ve talked to sufficient hiring managers and recruiters in my follow to know what’s occurring behind the scenes.
Some are relieved by the effectivity. Others are annoyed by the gifted candidates who get filtered out as a result of their resume didn’t embody the proper key phrases.
And nearly all of them admit the system isn’t good.
For those who’re making use of for jobs proper now, understanding how AI screening truly works and what recruiters give it some thought can change your whole method.
Right here’s what I’ve realized.
The algorithm isn’t on the lookout for the most effective candidate
Right here’s one thing most individuals don’t understand: AI screening instruments aren’t designed to seek out the most effective particular person for the job.
They’re designed to remove individuals who don’t meet particular standards.
That’s a vital distinction.
Almost 98% of Fortune 500 corporations now use applicant monitoring programs to handle their hiring.
While you submit an utility to a significant employer, the chance that software program will evaluate it first is nearly sure.
The software program scans for key phrases, years of expertise, job titles, training credentials, and formatting consistency. It’s checking packing containers, not evaluating potential.
A candidate who might excel within the position however took a nontraditional path may by no means make it by way of as a result of their resume doesn’t match the template the algorithm expects.
I labored with a shopper who had ten years of related expertise however stored getting auto-rejected. Once we reviewed her resume collectively, we realized she’d used completely different terminology than what appeared within the job descriptions.
She referred to as herself a “program coordinator” when the postings stated “venture supervisor.” Similar work, completely different phrases.
We adjusted her language to reflect the job descriptions with out mendacity or exaggerating. Inside two weeks, she began getting interviews.
The algorithm wasn’t rejecting her {qualifications}. It was rejecting her vocabulary.
Recruiters know the system misses good individuals
I’ve heard recruiters admit, typically with actual frustration, that they know gifted candidates are slipping by way of.
They’re conscious the instruments they use prioritize effectivity over accuracy. However they’re additionally managing inconceivable workloads.
When an organization receives 500 purposes for a single position, manually reviewing every one isn’t practical.
In order that they depend on software program to slender the pool to twenty or 30 candidates. From there, human judgment takes over.
The issue is that the preliminary filter will be ruthless and arbitrary.
In actual fact, 88% of employers acknowledge they’re dropping extremely certified candidates just because these candidates aren’t submitting resumes the system can correctly learn.
They know the instruments are flawed. However the quantity of purposes makes guide evaluate impractical.
A recruiter I spoke with throughout a workshop advised me she as soon as manually reviewed rejected purposes out of curiosity and located three candidates she would have interviewed instantly.
However by the point she noticed them, they’d already moved on to different alternatives.
She described it as “obligatory however imperfect.”
That’s the stress. Recruiters perceive the constraints, however they’re working inside programs that prioritize velocity and quantity.
Your job as an applicant is to be sure to’re not eradicated in that first automated go.
Formatting issues greater than you suppose
AI screening software program struggles with creativity. Fancy fonts, graphics, tables, and textual content packing containers can confuse the parsing algorithms.
What seems to be polished to a human is likely to be utterly unreadable to a machine.
I maintain a useful resource library with pattern resumes for shoppers, and those that carry out finest in automated programs are nearly boring.
Clear fonts like Arial or Calibri. Commonplace part headings like “Work Expertise” and “Training.” Bullet factors as a substitute of paragraphs. No headers or footers the place vital info may get misplaced.
It’s not about dumbing down your resume. It’s about ensuring the software program can truly learn it.
One shopper had a fantastically designed resume together with her contact info within the footer. The ATS couldn’t extract it, so her purposes have been flagged as incomplete.
As soon as we moved her e-mail and cellphone quantity to the highest of the web page in a normal format, the issue disappeared.
Consider your resume as needing two variations: one optimized for machines and one optimized for people.
The machine model will get you thru the door. The human model will get you the interview.
Key phrases aren’t simply buzzwords
You’ve in all probability heard that you’ll want to embody key phrases from the job description in your resume.
That recommendation is right, nevertheless it’s typically misunderstood.
This isn’t about stuffing your resume with each time period from the posting. It’s about strategically matching the language the corporate makes use of to explain the position with the language you employ to explain your expertise.
If the job description mentions “stakeholder engagement” 5 occasions, and your resume says “shopper communication,” you’re not talking the identical language even when you’re describing the identical talent.
The algorithm received’t make that connection for you.
I train shoppers to create a grasp resume with all their expertise, then customise it for every utility by pulling in related key phrases naturally.
Not mendacity. Not inventing expertise they don’t have.
Simply translating their precise expertise into the terminology the corporate is on the lookout for.
This takes time, and I do know that feels irritating whenever you’re making use of to dozens of jobs.
However sending a generic resume to 50 postings is much less efficient than sending a tailor-made resume to 10.
High quality beats quantity whenever you’re coping with automated filters.
The duvet letter nonetheless issues, however in another way
Some applicant monitoring programs scan cowl letters. Others ignore them completely.
And even after they’re reviewed by people, recruiters typically skim them in seconds.
So why trouble?
As a result of when a recruiter does learn your cowl letter, it’s your likelihood so as to add context the algorithm can’t seize.
It’s the place you clarify a profession pivot, spotlight a selected accomplishment, or reveal that you simply truly perceive what the corporate does.
I coached a shopper who was transitioning from educating to company coaching. Her resume confirmed training expertise, nevertheless it didn’t instantly connect with the position she needed.
Her cowl letter defined how designing curriculum for numerous learners translated on to growing coaching applications for workers. That narrative made the connection clear.
The recruiter later advised her the quilt letter was the rationale she obtained the interview.
Don’t use your cowl letter to repeat your resume. Use it to inform the story your resume can’t.
Making use of by way of the corporate web site isn’t sufficient
Submitting your utility by way of the web portal is important, nevertheless it’s not often ample.
For those who cease there, you’re simply one other resume within the pile ready for the algorithm to determine your destiny.
Every time potential, discover a technique to join with somebody on the firm. A recruiter. A hiring supervisor. An worker in a associated division.
LinkedIn makes this simpler than it’s ever been.
This isn’t about being pushy or entitled. It’s about recognizing that referrals and inside connections typically bypass or complement the automated screening course of.
A fast message that reveals real curiosity and related {qualifications} can get your resume flagged for human evaluate.
I follow this myself when reaching out to potential companions for workshops. A chilly e-mail not often will get a response.
However a considerate LinkedIn message that references particular work they’ve achieved? That opens doorways.
Individuals nonetheless need to rent individuals, not resumes.
Give them a technique to see you as an individual earlier than the algorithm makes the choice for them.
What recruiters want you knew
After I’ve requested recruiters what they need candidates understood, a couple of themes come up repeatedly.
First, they’re not the enemy. Most recruiters genuinely need to discover nice candidates.
They’re annoyed by the constraints of their instruments, too.
Second, following directions issues. If the posting asks for a portfolio, a writing pattern, or particular info in your utility, embody it.
These requests typically aren’t non-obligatory, they’re screening standards.
Third, persistence with out pestering is appreciated. A well mannered follow-up every week after making use of reveals curiosity.
5 emails in three days reveals poor judgment.
And at last, they discover whenever you’ve clearly utilized to 100 jobs with the identical generic supplies versus taking the time to tailor your utility.
The trouble reveals.
Remaining ideas
Navigating AI-screened purposes is irritating, and it’s affordable to really feel just like the system isn’t truthful. In some ways, it isn’t.
However understanding how the method works provides you extra management than you may suppose.
You’ll be able to’t change the truth that algorithms are doing the primary spherical of screening.
However you possibly can study to work with them as a substitute of hoping they’ll by some means acknowledge your potential by way of sheer pressure of will.
Optimize your resume for readability. Use the corporate’s language. Make significant connections the place potential. Comply with directions fastidiously.
And keep in mind that getting by way of the automated filter is simply step one.
The aim isn’t to trick the system. It’s to ensure the system can see what you truly carry to the desk.
As a result of when you get in entrance of a human, that’s the place your actual {qualifications} matter.