Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

As artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized how businesses recruit and select talent , job seekers must also adapt to this new reality. This week, we shift the focus from how companies and HR managers can lead the process to how job seekers can use AI strategically to enhance their success in the job application process while maintaining authenticity, integrity, and self-awareness. The Research Acknowledging AI’s significant impacts on various HR functions , particularly the hiring process, my coauthors, Drs. Ning-Kuang Chuang , Yung-Kuei Huang , and I published a viewpoint article in the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research . We discussed how job seekers can use AI tools strategically and responsibly throughout their job search. How Job Seekers Can Stand Out in AI-Assisted Hiring Job seekers who understand how AI systems operate across the hiring process can take greater control of their career search. Specifically, we propose six strategic ways to succeed: Se...

Last week, we discussed how more companies used AI to screen resumes and analyze job candidates’ performance in the initial interviews. We called for companies’ attention to the  potential AI biases in hiring . This week, we will visit what job candidates can do to help AI pick us and recommend us for hiring. A. Writing a Resume Tailored to AI Screening First and foremost, job candidates must thoroughly research the job and the company to understand its job descriptions and organizational culture. From there, they can: Write the resume in Word and submit it as a Word document instead of a PDF file. Select a straightforward format and avoid using graphics, charts, or complex layouts that could confuse AI. Use headings effectively to help AI pick up the content it seeks, such as “Relevant Job Experience” and “Education.” Strategically pick the relevant keywords that match the job descriptions as the job candidates describe what they perform(ed) at work. Highlight their achievements a...

A new wave of industrial revolution is here --- AI (artificial intelligence) will change everything we do. Undoubtedly, AI can improve restaurant operations.     Menu Engineering and Quality Control    AI can provide insights into a restaurant’s menu offerings and pricing strategies based on consumer data and market trends. Restaurant owners can adjust the recipes/menu and price accordingly.     AI can help restaurants monitor food temperature, cleanliness, and safety procedures, ensuring they comply with health and safety regulations. For example, AI can remind a sushi chef to replace a sushi plate that has been “sitting” on the conveyor belt for too long with a more popular item.     Consumer Experience   AI can help restaurants create location-based, personalized marketing campaigns to reach specific and targeted customers at the right time. Then, AI-empowered chatbots, reservation, and table management systems can help restaurants an...

Last Thursday, we shared a few resume-writing tips to pass AI screening and the 6-second test. Today, we will visit tips on how to build an appealing LinkedIn profile.  Based on the research findings from my work, I want to emphasize that having an appealing LinkedIn profile has become increasingly important in today’s job market. I define an appealing LinkedIn profile as one that is:   Free of spelling and grammar errors.   Complete : with all essential sections filled (e.g., a profile picture, work experience, and education). Relevant:   Having relevant work experience or educational background to the opening.   Consistent :   showing consistent information to the one revealed in the cover letter, resume, and job interviews.   Specifically, I recommend job seekers pay attention to the following areas:     Use a professional portrait picture:  A high-quality picture showing our professional look will be helpful. Avoid excess use of fil...

Technology-mediated interviews (TMIs), such as videoconferencing and asynchronous interviews, can help both companies and job applicants save time and money in the selection process. The social distance mandates and people’s concerns about the widespread coronavirus during the pandemic have accelerated TMIs’ adoption. While the global economy is getting out of the pandemic, TMIs will likely stay, especially during the initial screening stage, as more companies want to embrace the four-day work week and the remote work trends. Besides TMIs, more HR managers use job candidates’  LinkedIn profiles  to access their qualifications and overall organization fit. It becomes prudent for hiring managers and job seekers to understand how job candidates’ TMI performance and LinkedIn profiles might jointly affect HR managers’ hiring decisions in the real world. The research Accordingly, I worked on a project with  R.L. Fernando Garcia  at SM Hotels and Conventions Corporation in ...

No matter how impeccable service a restaurant provides, chances are it will still receive negative online reviews from time to time. Recently, some top-rated restaurants in San Francisco and New York, including those with Michelin stars, began receiving a blitz of one-star ratings on Google with no description or photos ( Morales, 2022 ). The owners believed those leaving one-star ratings had never dined in their establishments. Moreover, soon after the reviews, they all received emails from the reviewers who claimed the responsibility.      What did the reviewers want by leaving one-star Google ratings?     The reviewers asked the restaurants to pay them a $75 Google Play gift card before they would remove the ratings. If they did not receive the gift card, they would add more bad ratings to the business.     How did the restaurants respond to those negative reviews?     One owner tweeted about her experience to Google as a complaint. Google...

Speaking of the permanent changes in the hospitality industry, many people will probably agree that demands for “bleisure”/“work-from-anywhere” travel and contactless self-service will continue to grow in the near future. Not everyone, however, realizes that data-driven decisions will become a key driver for growth in the industry, which has already affected how we do business now.   Automatic service enables businesses to capture more operational and consumer data for business decisions   One advantage of using automatic service comes from its ability to spontaneously capture and store real-time operational and consumer data for additional analysis. In the old-time when businesses still relied on workers to serve customers, operational data were collected usually through careful book-keeping, documentations, and observations; consumer data through market research were often limited to their perceptions, behavioral intentions, or past experience.     Now that automat...

The  COVID-19 pandemic  is a once-in-a-generation crisis with  lasting economic and societal consequences . Crises and disasters often bring unpredictable catastrophic  changes  to the market. Yet, effective management of a crisis can help businesses reduce the event's negative impacts and shorten the recovery time. As the global economy  begins to recover , businesses are making  changes to adapt  to the post-pandemic world. For example, more companies now let employees  work from home  permanently. When people work remotely and classes are taught online, social media plays an even more critical role in crisis communication than before. Research identifying the types of social media messages that get people's attention during the COVID-19 pandemic is timely and helpful in supporting business decisions regarding crisis communication. The empirical study about crisis communication strategies on social media I worked with Drs.  Jungwo...

            On October 28, 2021 Panera releases their Flatbread Pizzas. The original lineup included a margarita flatbread pizza, a cheese flatbread pizza, and a chipotle chicken flatbread pizza. Although this move looks like it might be a way to boost sales during the pandemic, flatbread pizzas have been in talks for over a year before the release.  Will pizza help with delivery sales?           The strategy behind this move seems to be sold as a way of providing more meal options with clean ingredients that customers can feel better about eating, rather than some other fast-food options. However, this move has seemed to be more of a push to boost their delivery sales. Delivery sales have almost doubled with the launch of the flatbread pizza, and with this increase in delivery orders, overall sales have increased by thirty percent (Ellwanger, 2020). Delivery has been able to take off for many fast-food chains during ...