Career Expert Shares 3 Tips To Make Sure A Human Sees Your Job Application In A World Of AI Auto-Rejections

According to Resume Builder, 82% of companies have admitted to using AI to screen resumes. If you’re a job candidate looking for a new role, this can be discouraging to hear.

Luckily, there are some things you can do to make sure you stand out and grab the attention of a human working in the recruitment process. A career expert named Alec offered some advice on how to get your application seen by the right people.

Here are three tips to make sure a human sees your job application:

1. DM someone from the company on LinkedIn

Alec admitted that “before you worry about trying to convince them that you’re actually qualified, you gotta get them to notice you.” One of the easiest ways to do this is to reach out to someone who is connected to the company on LinkedIn.

“If anybody at the company posts about the opening on LinkedIn, go apply to it and then DM them,” he advised. According to Alec, there is an art form to this.

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“Say, ‘This role looks really awesome,’” he said. “‘I just applied. Here’s two reasons why I think I’d be a great fit.’”

“And then sprinkle in a little humanity,” he continued. “Say something like, ‘Good luck in the search. I know finding the right candidate can be really tough.’ It’ll stick out.” Career expert Heather Krasna, Ph.D., said this can be particularly helpful when you know someone who works for the company. This can provide the perfect opportunity to reach out to someone who could help you.

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2. Follow the company on LinkedIn

Alec’s second tip is also connected to networking on LinkedIn. “I don’t know how common this is,” he shared, “but I like to recruit directly from our list of followers on LinkedIn.”

“As a hiring manager, I’m interested in people who are interested in us now,” he added, which makes sense. “It’s not a knock if you aren’t following the company on LinkedIn, but it can help you get noticed.”

This, Thea Kelly from Thea Kelly Career Services agreed, can give you a major boost in the hiring process. “Furthermore, when you seek out and apply to open positions, you can be a more impressive candidate if you’ve been following the company, becoming well-informed about the company and making relevant connections,” she noted.

While it may seem like a small and even unnoticeable thing to click the follow button on a company’s LinkedIn page, it can go a long way in showing your interest in the company.

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3. Include a personalized note with your application

Alec suggested doing this “in lieu of a cover letter.” Cover letters, he said, can become too formulaic.“They’re most often just a reframing of everything that’s on your resume,” he explained.

He used a recent experience to illustrate his point, saying, “I opened up a senior PM job last week. It’s got almost 300 applications so far. About, I would say, 10% of them have cover letters. Pretty much all sound like robots wrote them.”

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While Alec may not be a big believer in cover letters, he does think there’s something else you can do to grab a hiring manager’s attention. “What does catch my attention is when someone shares just a short note,” he said. “Something short and authentic that gives me a quick idea of your personal connection to the company and why you’re interested in the role is more meaningful than a letter.”

Of course, some companies require a cover letter to be included with an application. This is a chance to get creative and truly personalize your letter so it shows who you really are and your connection to the organization.

Following these tips will help you stand out in the hiring process.

No one wants to know that their job application was completely overlooked by an AI auto-rejector. If you want to get someone at the company you’re applying at to notice you, these tips are a great place to start.

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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.