Why aren't you getting a call for job interviews? (Part I) Make sure your resume passes AI screening and the 6-second test
The unemployment rate is low. Our industry still faces an ongoing labor shortage challenge. Many restaurants and hotels struggle to fill vacant positions.
Then, will restaurants and hotels hire just anyone applying for the job? If that is the case, why some of us have never heard any follow-up calls?
Maybe we were unlucky by applying for a “ghost job” --- jobs employers do not want to fill. Alternatively, it was because we did not submit the “right” resume or failed to set up an appealing LinkedIn profile. It is time to review the resume-writing (this post) and LinkedIn (Part II or the next post) tips.
Make Sure Your Resume Passes AI Screening and the 6-second Test
Everyone wants to get a good job. A vacancy in most desirable companies will receive hundreds or even thousands of resumes.
To streamline the hiring process, many companies have already used AI to help their hiring managers screen resumes. Afterward, resumes piling up on a hiring manager’s desk (or folder) will only get 3 – 6 seconds of the manager’s attention before being moved to the “trash can” or another folder for further consideration. So, we must ensure our resumes stand out and get attention.
- Tailor our resume to the opening position: AI will check if our resumes have the indicative keywords that match the job descriptions of the vacant position. It is critical to describe our experience with the keywords found in the opening’s job descriptions. For a supervisory position, for example, we should demonstrate our leadership experience with keywords like “supervised,” “managed,” “led,” “coach,” “mentor,” “train,” etc.
- Highlight our achievements and quantifiable results: Every hiring manager in the hospitality industry knows what a Front Desk agent or a line cook typically does. Instead of listing typical job duties, we should emphasize our achievements and quantifiable results. For example, we may use “supervised 10 associates in a shift” and “exceeded the sales goal by 20% in Q1 2023.”
- Keep it short: One page is all we need to highlight our experience relevant to the job we are applying for, regardless of how many jobs and years we have worked.
- Pick a clear and concise format: Use bullet points, space, and bold/italic/underline functions effectively to make it easy to spot critical information.
- Use standard fonts and formatting: Avoid using fancy fonts that are difficult to read. Minimize the usage of ALL CAPS because hiring managers may find them difficult to read. Remember that plain texts work better for AI than tables, images, and graphics.
- Proofread the resume: Being free of spelling or grammatical errors is a “non-negotiable” item in many hiring managers’ minds.
Good luck with your job search. I hope you will get hired soon!
If you recently got a job offer, what advice would you give to job seekers?
Note: This article was also published in Hospitality News Magazine. The picture was downloaded from Impress.ai.
Before reading the article, I never knew that AI was usable to screen job resumes. When I first started writing my job resume, I was just following what I found online and went to sessions that Cal Poly hosted where they review your resume and give advice. This will definitely be something that I will look into to see if it can help me in the future. The 6 second test is also something I did not know about, but I think it will also be very useful in editing my resume and that potential employers may notice me. Some advice that I would give to job seekers is that you should get your resume reviewed from as many people as you can.
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