AI Job Search - 20 Tools to Help You Land a New Job
#WF44 Building your CV/resume, finding the best vacancies, auto-applying for jobs, tracking applications, and job interview coaching
The fastest-growing app of all time, ChatGPT, has shone a revealing light onto us funny humans.
Given this sparkling new technology, a range of uses has been attempted, from,
The Hilarious - “write a new verse of Ed Sheeran’s song, ‘Shape of You’, including the word, tomato🍅.“
The Gloomsters - “what will we do all day when there are no job?”
The Feckless - “please write my weekly status report to make it sound like I was actually productive.”
Rather than focus on the unknown impact of AI on work, a group of entrepreneurs has focused instead on building tools to use AI to help people find work.
There has been an explosion in tools to support job applications for candidates.
This is about time as the very first CV was sent by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1482.
In 2023, the global jobs gap (the unemployed and those who want employment) is 453 million people which is more than double the level of unemployment. (Source ILO)
That’s a lot of potential job-matching that needs to be done!
However, work-matching systems are inefficient and broken in many places.
The data is terrible, the science is bad, and recruitment practices are riddled with discrimination and bias.
Thankfully, a new infrastructure of work is being built but that might take a decade, but for those that want a paycheck next month, read on, this might be useful.
Using AI to produce a more compelling CV/Resume
Using AI to make more effective Job Applications
Using AI to help you ace your Job Interview
Improving your profile photo😊 using AI Apps
21st-Century Career Tips
ChatGPT prompts for HR
Q&A With a Workforce Futurist ChatBot
Poll - which will be the most useful category of AI job search apps?
I have tried to highlight the most compelling apps in each category, which offer at least some free services. It’s not meant to be comprehensive, but to give you a flavour of a new generation of technology being used.
Using AI to produce a more compelling CV and resume
Whether you are an accomplished ‘silver-fox’ executive, or your only work experience has been at McDonald’s at the weekends. Building a CV/resume can be time-consuming and an invitation to procrastinate.
Gathering basic data. Getting the right structure. Standing out from the Crowd.
All require some thought and crafting.
Thankfully this new generation of CV/Resume Writers will do most of that work for you.
Some use GPT-4 to come up with relevant bullet points. You then choose design templates and customise colours. Some improve your existing CV, and, generate tailored cover letters.
Examples include :-
Resume AI - allows you to create 10 bullet points for free.
Resume Worded - optimises your LinkedIn profile, looks for missing keywords in your resume.
Rezi - can create free AI-generated resume, cover letter, and even when you have finished a resignation letter! A human review is available for $8.
Ramped - CV bullet point generator, creates a resume.
Kickresume - can create a free resume website.
Hiration - can rewrite your resume with ChatGPT - short free trial period.
SkillSyncer - matches job skills to resume skills.
Using AI to make and track multiple job applications
There are several problems applying for multiple jobs for candidates.
The first is finding appropriate vacancies to apply for.
Unfortunately, the vacancies are maintained by various digital landlords and talent aggregators, so it’s impossible to view them all in one place.
Another problem is keeping track of all the applications.
Some of the apps below allow you to set up a few questions to find your job preferences. They then give you detailed descriptions of suitable job matches and auto-fill job applications using a chrome extension, and tracks all the applications in one place.
Instead of an ATS - Applicant Tracking System, these apps are like a JTS - Jobs Tracking System
Examples of AI Apps to support Job Applications, include :
Simplify - finds suitable job matches based on preferences and auto-fills applications using a Chrome extension.
Massive - finds suitable job matches based on preferences and auto-fills applications. 7-day free trial available.
Teal - finds suitable job matches based on preferences and auto-fills applications. “Companies have recruiters, and you have Teal.”
LoopCV - auto sends application emails based on their templates.
Talentprise - in-depth job preference questionnaire focused on IT jobs, allows employers to see your profile.
Pyjama Jobs - upload resume to search for jobs, links AI-generated resume to job search.
Sonara - auto applies to openings until hired. 3-day free trial.
Preparing for Interviews with AI Training
Preparing for a job interview is never straightforward.
Anxiousness can be increased by not knowing what questions will be asked, speaking in a foreign language to native speakers, and just the plain weirdness of speaking about your best self to another person.
Thankfully the technology is developing so we can practice with the machines before coming into human contact!
Examples of AI Job Interview Apps
Big Interview - basic free course on how to answer interview questions, video interview practice (premium). Interview negotiation techniques. Quizzes, videos, and training modules around the job interview process.
beConfident - Job interview practice simulations, AI assistant gives hints and samples to questions for 1000s of jobs.
Interview Igniter - free website, whilst in testing phase, powered by ChatGPT with mock interview questions generated by AI.
TalkBerry - the main focus is to improve language speaking skills and has free Chrome extension. Have full interview conversations with AI.
Examples of Profile Photo Improvement Apps Using AI
If your ‘selfie profile photo’ was taken in low light and makes you look like a gargoyle - you might need a new profile photo.
Professional photographers are the best but can be expensive.
But now you can use AI tools to enhance your photo much more cheaply.
No evidence suggests how you look impacts your ability to do a job,
but remember once the bots have screened your application, a human from HR will be judging you for ‘cultural-fit’, so you might as well look the part.
Secta Labs - 80-90% of users are happy with their improved headshots. You can apply for the whole team too.
Try It On - $45 for 200 headshots with 2 human edits. Early access for personal AI stylist.
Here is a Twitter List of AI Apps For Job Seekers that also includes AI Recruitment Apps. Feel free to bookmark, follow, and share this.
21st-Century Career Tips
If you are looking for a job, then the technology used to apply is only part of the equation. In my post on Career Success I give some tips on developing 100 lives, which include :
Nurture relationships and networks. The focus is on technology here, but the true success factors are how well you network and build relationships. Find your team, your work BFFs, your tribe - support them and they will support you back.
Learn, baby, learn! “Expect life-long learning, and keep a record of your learning accomplishments“
Take a View on Industry Trends. Industries are changing quickly and so is the nature of the organisations in them and the work that needs to be done. Develop some possible scenarios for your industry, the opportunities, and the impact on your skills.
Think Like A Business - $Me, MyselfLtd, and ICorp. Workers exchange their time and skills for money. We are all mini-businesses, so think like one - with branding, sales-pipelines, and, cash-flow.
Develop 100 Different Lives - if the job you apply for does not work out, don’t worry you have a few more rolls of the dice…
“There is no 21st Century career map. Whether you are 20 or 60, you have an infinite set of paths open to pursue your goals. Develop 100 different lives - try new things, join new teams, learn new skills, adapt, and continue.”
Reply to this email (for subscribers) if you want to chat about careers.
ChatGPT Prompts for HR
For those applying for jobs, it’s useful to know what the person receiving your application is thinking.
Johannes Sundlo, has written this useful post on Chat GPT Prompts for HR.
Some Examples :
Please help me choose the best strategy and channels for advertising the <role>, such as job boards, social media, forums, and similar sources.
Can you advise how to build and maintain a talent pool, ensuring we consistently supply potential candidates for future opportunities?
Give me ten suggested pre-screening questions for the <role> that the candidate can answer when applying. These should be easy but still useful.
You can read the web version of this article here.
Q&A With a Workforce Futurist ChatBot
Will these tools help me get a better job?
If they increase the chances of finding the best vacancies for your skills and experience, improve the chances of getting an interview, and improve your chances of doing well in the interview. Then Yes.
Does this solve the inherent problems with the recruitment process?
Nope, it will still be broken, but we still need to eat.
By the time AI has helped us to find a job, will AI also reduce the demand for the skills in that job?
A fuller consideration of this question is in my article, Generating a Human Response to Artificial Intelligence on The Future of Work
Do these tools give an unfair advantage to the candidates who can afford to pay for them?
Although many have free trial options for candidates, the best features are all paid. It might be that the best prepared candidates also have had the most help. This isn’t a new problem, but one for employers to think about. Are we getting the best talent, and for society - is this fair?
How will hirers respond to the use of these tools?
After a while, recruiters might find that the standard of applications improves which is a good thing. However recruitment is essentially a discrimination task, so it makes their job a bit harder. Will HR (and HR Tech) be able to identify applications that have had AI help, and does it matter if the candidate has been resourceful?
Currently, candidates are paying for these services directly, but will different funding models emerge?
Already some of the apps allow employers to see the profiles created.
The best apps might be differentiators in the future, so could be attractive to colleges, and even cities, who might fund them.
AI Job Search Summary
This new generation of AI apps will not all be flourishing next year, but many will help candidates find a job. They all use AI to some extent and other technologies, but the main focus here is the functionality - is it useful or not?
My hypothesis is that more people will be working on shorter-term work contracts, and jobs, in the future. The work-matching infrastructure needs to be much more effective. Most investment has been on the employer side of the equation, and technology to support the candidate side of recruitment will grow quickly.
Poll - Which Apps Will Prove to Be Most Useful to Job Seekers?
If you are job-seeking, then good luck with your search. Do let me know how you get on with any of these apps or if you are building something better.