Sometimes a large portion of the world believes something is true, despite the fact that it is not true. Here is one that is especially annoying to me.
Myth: Companies use AI to auto-reject your job application based on your resume
I have used multiple different recruiting tools over the years. Lever, Greenhouse, Bamboo and others. Not a single one I have used even had this feature available. Additionally, I regularly ask my peers if they have ever used AI to reject candidates. Not a single one of them have said yes.
This leads to really bad side effects. Designers make their resumes “AI readable”, which usually makes them super ugly. It does not help their candidacy at all. In fact, it makes them look like accountants, not designers, to the actual human designers who look at your resume. Additionally, it makes designers use a portfolio template rather than being creative and making a differentiated interesting experience to view their work.
I mentor many designers. All of them are shocked when I tell them that it’s not AI. It’s just humans rejecting them after looking at their resume for about 3-5 seconds. They don’t want to believe a human can be like this. They think that if they are rejected within 24 hours it means a computer must have auto-rejected them.
This is just not true. Humans who do recruiting get very quick at the task. An applicant tracking system makes it easy to move through applicants quickly. That is the true nature of the ATS tools. They are for humans to work quicker.
Don’t jump to conclusions. You hear lots of nonsense these days. Just because other people do or say something doesn’t make it right. Use your independent mind. Don’t backup misinformation with more misinformation. It’s a tough world we live in where truth is hard to discern. Be skeptical of assumptions.
Bottom line: Humans hire people, not robots. Design your resume for the humans.
Whatya think?