How to Use AI for the Job Search: 11 Tools & Tips

Being familiar with AI tools and skills is more important than ever, especially if you’re in the job hunt. Luckily, there are specialized tools you can use to impress your next hiring manager—the first step is knowing how to use them properly.

Use these five tools and follow six handy tips to start impressing hiring managers now.

5 Tools to Sharpen Your Job Hunt

1. Resume Optimization Tools

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) and resume screening tools have made it easier than ever for employers to find the best candidates for the jobs they’re offering. However, the algorithms they use can be picky, especially when they’re trained to only look for specified keywords relating to the skills they need.

AI-powered resume optimization tools like SkillSyncer, Kickresume, and Enhancv are leveling the playing field for job seekers. They identify the keywords recruiters add to job posts and compare how strong of a match your resume is for each one.

2. Cover Letter Editing Tools

The time you take to create a personalized cover letter for every position you apply to quickly adds up. AI tools like Kickresume and CoverDoc.ai suggest improvements for the verbiage in your cover letter and identify the keywords that make it stand out.

3. AI-Powered Interview Preparation Tools

AI can make a massive difference in how prepared you are for your next job interview. Coaching tools like Google’s Interview Warmup, Huru, and Interview Copilot can provide you with feedback without the pressure of being in an actual interview. They can also help you with:

• Adjusting your body language
  
• Modifying your tone of voice
• Addressing questions you struggled with
• Getting a better sense of what to expect
• Creating a stellar first impression

In the past, interviewing was a matter of trial and error. It could take months to properly find your rhythm and start getting the results you want. However, AI has made it easier to make those adjustments and get to those second- or third-round interviews sooner.

4. Networking Opportunity Finders

As any career coach will tell you, networking is a huge part of the job hunt! New AI-powered tools are being developed to help you find relevant networking opportunities and personalize your outreach at scale.

For example, GPT for Sheets allows you to develop personalized messages at scale. Simply add a list of recipients—such as experts in the industry you’re trying to join—to a Google Sheet with a few basic pieces of information about each one. From there, the tool will create a unique message based on the information you provided and allow you to send it out in a matter of clicks.

These tools make it easier than ever to connect with the decision-makers in your industry when and where it counts—and make it easier to get your foot in the door.

5. Negotiation Coaching Tools

So, you’ve finally gotten a job offer—congratulations! However, you’ll still need to negotiate with your new employer to make sure you’re getting the compensation you deserve. Tools like Payscale compare salary surveys and job listings to get a clear estimate of what you should earn based on your qualifications and the job itself.

Using these research tools helps you understand what to expect during the process. In turn, you’ll make a stronger case for the pay and benefits you deserve based on our experience, training, and location.

6 Tips for Using AI Tools for the Job Search

1. Start with OI (Organic Intelligence) First

Even though AI can scale up your efforts, it can’t do all the work for you. You still need to speak for who you are as a person and a professional—and what you’re looking for in an employer.

The materials you use, such as your cover letter and resume, can speak to that. Since AI can’t read your mind, you should start by writing about your own experience and goals in your cover letter, resume, portfolio, and other materials yourself. Then, once you’ve clarified what you’re looking for, AI can refine your writing.

2. Know How Employers Use AI for Recruitment

Many ATS programs rely on specified sets of keywords based on the duties and responsibilities the role covers. If the ATS software detects those keywords or close, relevant matches in a resume, it will notify the hiring specialist that the resume may be a good fit and show them why it’s relevant.

When you’re refining your resume and cover letter with AI, pay close attention to the keywords in the job opening. This will make your resume stand out and illustrate its relevance to the career you want.

3. Simulate Your Interviews

Some companies are beginning to use AI for first-round or screening interviews so that acquisition specialists in HR can focus their time and talents on the later parts of the process. However, you can also use similar tools to practice and prepare for interviews.

It can take a few tries to find your footing with the interview process. Using AI can make you more comfortable and prepared beforehand so you start getting invited back for follow-up interviews sooner and get that much closer to the job of your dreams.

4. Keep Up with the Job Market

The job landscape is ever-changing. Utilizing AI tools such as Disco can help you identify and address gaps in your skill set that are relevant to your career through specialized courses. Subsequently, they make it easier to sharpen those skills and become more qualified for the career you want.

5. Use AI to Optimize Your Social Footprint

As a networking support tool, some AI programs identify networking opportunities based on your career interests. It also simplifies the process of optimizing your LinkedIn profile, digital portfolio, and other assets by identifying opportunities that will make you more visible. When you use them correctly, you can create an online presence that turns heads.

6. Understand Ethics

AI is biased. It also has plenty of limitations and can potentially be tampered with. These issues stem from the fact that these tools were created by humans. That’s why you should always use your best judgment when utilizing these tools for the job hunt and never send anything as-is after you’ve used generative or editing tools.

Also, it should go without saying, but we’ll mention it anyway: Never give AI tools your personal identifying information. Having a solid set of AI tools for the job hunt isn’t worth someone else getting their hands on your Social Security number.

Add a Human Touch with a Job Coach

At the end of the day, job hunting is a human process—so it pays to have someone else in your corner to support you. SkillUp’s career coaches can do all that and more.