The hiring process used to move at a glacial pace. Submit a resume, wait two weeks, hear back…maybe.
Not anymore. Hiring tech is revolutionizing the recruiting process from application to offer.
Here’s what you need to know:
Companies using technology to hire are getting jobs filled faster. Those that aren’t? They’re watching great candidates accept offers from competitors who simply act faster.
In this post, you’ll find:
- Why the Hiring Timeline Has Changed So Dramatically
- How AI and Automation Are Accelerating the Process
- What This Means for Your Resume
- Resume Action Verbs That Will Help You Win
- Adapting to Technology-Fueled Change
Why the Hiring Timeline Has Changed So Dramatically
Look at how hiring was handled just a decade ago. A job opening would come out. Resumes would stack up on someone’s desk. A recruiter would manually review every application. Hiring took months.
Fast forward to today. What used to be a manual process is now almost entirely automated.
Per recent data, it now takes an average of 36 days to fill a job opening. While that may sound like a long time, it’s actually faster than previous years as hiring tech has streamlined the recruiting pipeline.
All because technology does in seconds what once took recruiters hours.
Here’s the catch…
The average job opening gets 250 applicants. Recruiters simply don’t have time to read every resume that’s submitted. Instead they use ATS software and other tools to skim through applications and find the best candidates as quickly as possible.
And that’s where you come in.
If you want your resume to get noticed, it needs to be optimized with strong resume action verbs, clear formatting, and targeted keywords. Running your resume through an AI resume checker is one of the best ways to ensure your application wins in the race against hundreds (sometimes thousands) of other candidates.
How AI and Automation Are Accelerating the Hiring Process
Applicant tracking systems are nothing new. But the new wave of hiring technology goes way beyond basic resume parsers.
Here are a few examples:
Modern ATS platforms scan resumes for keywords, rank candidates by job match, and use AI to assess a candidate’s likelihood to accept a job offer. In fact, more than 70% of organizations use some form of AI technology in their hiring processes, per research.
That’s huge.
The hiring pipeline has been completely transformed by technology. Steps that used to take weeks are now compressed into hours. Automations do the initial candidate matching, and recruiters spend their time where they should be – evaluating candidates that have already been screened.
Oh – and resumes only get 6-8 seconds of a recruiter’s time when they first open the file. If your resume doesn’t make an impact right away, it’s tossed aside.
Yep. Brutal.
But it’s not all bad news. The same technology that helps companies hire faster is also giving job seekers a fighting chance. No longer do candidates have to guess what a recruiter is looking for. Today there are AI resume builders, keyword optimization software, improved mobile applications…you name it. Candidates have access to the same technology that recruiters do.
What This Means For Your Resume
If technology is streamlining the hiring process, you need to let it streamline your resume strategy. Simply blasting your resume to as many jobs as possible isn’t going to cut it.
In fact, that strategy is dead.
You need to customize every application you send out. Your resume should include keywords from the job description, be formatted cleanly for easy reading, and focus on accomplishments rather than responsibilities.
Wait, you put responsibilities on your resume?
Yep. Most people do.
And recruiters hate it. When you submit a resume full of pointless tasks that anyone can do, you’re telling recruiters that you have nothing to offer. But when you use strong resume action verbs that emphasize your accomplishments, you position yourself as a candidate worth talking to.
Does your resume say you “managed” a team, or that you “led” a team?
Same thing.
Wrong.
Bosses love to hear about how you “led” your team to double sales while “implementing” a new ERP system. Simply “managed” doesn’t inspire confidence.
Here’s another example:
When was the last time you submitted a resume that said “responsible for conducting X?” Again – recruiters want to see what you did, not what you were tasked to do.
Strong resume action verbs matter. They catch a recruiter’s eye and let ATS systems know you’re a quality candidate.
Resume Action Verbs That Will Help You Stand Out
Speaking of resume action verbs – here are some of the best ones you can use to improve your applications (both past and future).
When used correctly, these verbs will drastically improve how ATS platforms and recruiters perceive your resume.
Here are a few categories to consider:
- Leadership verbs – Led, Developed, Built
- Achievement verbs – Improved, Created, Designed
- Problem-solving verbs – Streamlined, Made, Simplified
- Communication verbs – Negotiated, Presented, Collaborated
Don’t try to use grandiose language that doesn’t match the job description.
If you’re going after a job as a Chief Strategy Officer, you better believe those three words are going to be in your job description. So when you say you “orchestrated company wide strategy,” an ATS system is going to pick up on that.
Use strong, results-driven verbs that align with the job you’re applying for. Cut the fluff everywhere else.
Adapting to Hiring Technology
If there’s one trend that’s guaranteed, it’s that the hiring process will only continue to speed up. More companies are adopting hiring tech every year. That trend isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
So what do you do about it?
Stop using outdated tactics to find jobs. Handing a generic resume to the “human resources department” isn’t going to win jobs in the modern era.
There are tools that can help you land a job. So use them.
Do you know how to spot a resume that’s been through an ATS system? It’s clean. There’s no fancy formatting because that gets messed up when the software parses it.
Are you using tools to find jobs to apply for? Sites like Zippia and LinkedIn have powerful job search engines to help you narrow down your options.
Resume action verbs matter.
Your applications should be rewritten to include bullet points that are packed with accomplishments and full of strong verbs. Upload your resume to an AI-powered scanner to automatically highlight opportunities for improvement and show you where to sharpen your word choice.
Bringing It Together
Technology is disrupting every aspect of the hiring process. From application all the way to offer, the way companies find talent has changed forever.
If you want your resume to get noticed, you have to speak tech’s language. That means using tools to make yourself look like the best candidate out of hundreds (maybe even thousands) of applicants.
Good luck out there.
