Recruiting software helps companies with the application process
The competition for specialists and talented employees is becoming increasingly fierce between companies. According to the Handelsblatt, many companies are still being rejected by applicants during the selection process. According to HR managers, 94 percent of the time, this is because the candidates in question have already been accepted for a position at another company. The time required for the hiring process thus plays a crucial role for employers in the race for the right workforce. If you take too long, your applicants will be snatched from under your nose.
In order to increase the speed and make the application process more efficient, many companies today use recruiting software programs. They carry out a pre-selection of applicants according to certain criteria set by the respective company and only invite those candidates to an interview who, based on the documents submitted, best fit the position. It’s about things like: Where did you study? How much relevant experience do you have? And what qualifications do you bring with you? Although this makes the selection process somewhat dull and “more impersonal”, employers are also supposed to use this route to find their employees in a more targeted manner. According to the Handelsblatt, it is no longer possible for very large companies such as Audi or Google to process their flood of applications in the traditional way. They receive thousands of applications every week. An almost endless mass that can hardly be processed thoroughly by HR employees. Therefore, these companies rely on the use of software.
Score with the right keywords
Since the artificial intelligence of the recruiting software is ultimately just a computer program, you can use the algorithms behind it to your own advantage. As reported by heise online, the cybersecurity researchers Anahita Samadi and Shirin Nilizade from the University of Texas have shown that using the right keywords can manipulate the AI. For this purpose, Samadi and Nilizade compared job advertisements and applications and, with variations in the advertisements, found out which keywords in an application are rated as crucial for the algorithm. Enriching the content of the letter with the relevant keywords is said to have improved the position in the ranking lists for the selection of applicants. But you shouldn’t overdo it with the use of keywords. According to heise online, an exuberant inclusion in the applications will be punished by the software. As the researchers found out, letters that were peppered with too many keywords slide back down the ranking.
The basics also apply to software
If you want to be successful with your application, you must of course also meet the absolute basics with the software. You should make sure that the spelling and grammar are correct, because the computer programs can recognize errors here very well and sort them out strictly. Failures in this area are even worse with the AI than with a human recruiter, since no person here evaluates the overall picture of the applicant again and perhaps selects based on subjective sympathy. If you know that you have to convince a machine, there is no point in trying to stand out with special creativity or an excessive writing style. The program soberly asks for the content. This must therefore be to the point and have a good structure so that everything relevant is recognized by the AI. If you write factually and precisely, you can score. According to the Handelsblatt, for example, you can make yourself the darling of the engine by listing ten things you are really good at. As already explained, it is also about the right keywords that are required in the job advertisement.
A small break with the usual customs of an application then affects the CV. Basically, it means that you should limit your CV to one page and never extend it to more than two pages. This rule does not apply to Recruiter software. Since it is a kind of robot, unlike a human, it has no problem reading across the pages. While a person doesn’t have time to read through several pages of CVs, this is not a problem for the machine. The only important thing is that everything relevant to the job appears in the CV. A shortening due to a page limitation does not have to be made. Any knowledge required can therefore be thoroughly explained. Nevertheless, one should only keep the CV as long as necessary and not digress to insignificant topics. A good structure is also important for the AI here.
Nicolas Flohr / Editor finanzen.net
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