Navigating the world of job applications in the AI era can be daunting, but equipped with expert insights, this article demystifies the process. Discover strategies to enhance your application and outsmart the algorithms. Learn from the professionals how to adapt your resume and cover letter to stand out in a competitive job market.
- Highlight Technical and Soft Skills
- Incorporate Relevant Keywords
- Edit Job and Section Titles
- Create a ‘Results’ Section
- Tailor Application to Job Description
- Use AI to Grade Resume
- Use Action Verbs
- Customize Cover Letter and Resume
- Use Simple, Professional Format
- Incorporate Job Posting Keywords
Highlight Technical and Soft Skills
Having reviewed thousands of applications through both AI and human screening, I’ve noticed that balanced applications perform best. Last week, I saw a candidate successfully pass our AI screening by highlighting both technical skills and soft skills with specific examples, like describing how they improved team communication while implementing a new learning management system. I suggest structuring your achievements in a clear, problem-solution-result format, as AI tools are particularly good at recognizing this pattern while maintaining authenticity.
Rakesh Kalra, Founder and CEO, UrbanPro
Incorporate Relevant Keywords
One effective strategy to stand out during AI-powered application screening is incorporating relevant keywords from the job description into specific, measurable achievements. Instead of simply listing “managed projects,” we should articulate concrete results, such as “managed a team of 5 developers to launch our company’s mobile app 2 weeks ahead of schedule.”
This approach succeeds because modern AI screening tools analyze context and understand how skills relate to outcomes. By integrating key terms naturally within accomplishment statements, we demonstrate both the possession and practical application of required skills.
This method serves two essential purposes: it helps applications pass AI screening systems while simultaneously presenting compelling evidence of capabilities to human recruiters. The key is presenting genuine experience in a structured, achievement-oriented format that resonates with both artificial and human evaluation processes.
Julia Yurchak, Talent Sourcing, Acquisition & Management Specialist| Senior Recruitment Consultant, Keller Executive Search
Edit Job and Section Titles
My suggestion is to edit your job titles and section titles to the job posting. This is a commonly overlooked factor, but I’ve found that changing these labels can bring your application in line with keywords the AI is trained to find. For instance, if an advertisement says “Project Coordinator,” and your resume reads “Project Lead,” update that. I had a colleague who changed her “Marketing Specialist” name to “Digital Marketing Associate” (as per the job description) and was interviewed after months of silence. All these simple and intentional adjustments are important to making sure your application passes the first check.
Matthew Goulart, Founder, Ignite Digital
Create a ‘Results’ Section
Based on my experience helping clients land coverage in major publications, I’ve found that creating a “Results” section at the top of your résumé with specific numbers and achievements helps AI screening tools quickly identify your value. Just last month, a candidate caught my attention by leading with, “Increased team productivity by 35% through implementing automated workflows,” which both algorithms and humans could easily understand and verify.
Justin Mauldin, Founder, Salient PR
Tailor Application to Job Description
When it comes to personal application assets, making AI work for you by tailoring them to include job description keywords will make your job application stand out from others. AI-powered applicant tracking systems (ATS) read resumes and cover letters and identify words and phrases that correspond with the role’s requirements. Tailoring your application to include these keywords—without overusing or “stuffing” them—will help make it more likely to pass those AI filters and land in front of a recruiter. Emphasize technical and soft skills that match that position to demonstrate you’re an ideal candidate. For instance, if the job description stresses teamwork, you should highlight teamwork in your materials with examples when it is possible.
Rabeea Ghazal, Certified Resume Writer, OMY Resume CA
Use AI to Grade Resume
One of the best tips I’ve come across is using an AI model to grade and improve your resume before submitting it to the company. Software like Quinncia Resume Review can be helpful for making changes needed to get through the AI screening round. Another piece of advice is to include keywords and skills from the job description in your resume. I’d suggest writing a master resume with bullets targeting skills relevant to your profession. Think of this as a keyword database. Feel free to make it as long and as thorough as you’d like. From there, create a template to paste relevant bullets. This way, you can easily create a tailored resume for each job posting.
Furthermore, if you have relevant statistics from a previous job, include those metrics. My understanding is that both AI and potential employers want quantitative metrics of success, rather than a description of job duties. Make a note to get these statistics when you come across them or before you leave a job.
Olivia Chiavegato, Founder, CMO, Head Writer, The Vitallist
Use Action Verbs
When it comes to making your job application stand out in today’s AI-driven screening processes, one tip that I have found to be particularly effective is the use of action verbs. These are powerful words that can bring your resume to life by showing not just what you did, but how you took initiative and created impact in your previous roles. Words like “managed,” “led,” “developed,” and “executed” help to demonstrate that you are an active participant in your professional journey rather than someone simply fulfilling tasks.
AI systems are designed to scan resumes for specific keywords and phrases, and action verbs are often prioritized because they convey results-driven actions. By using them, you are signaling to the AI that you’ve taken responsibility and made tangible contributions. For example, instead of saying, “Responsible for overseeing projects,” you could say, “Led projects that resulted in a 20% increase in efficiency.” The second example is much more powerful, showcasing your ability to make a direct impact.
Using these action verbs also allows you to showcase measurable achievements. AI systems often look for quantifiable results as part of the candidate evaluation process. By pairing action verbs with numbers, such as, “increased sales by 13%,” or “developed a strategy that improved client retention by 27%,” you’re offering evidence that you’ve not only participated in projects but have driven success. This is essential in making sure your resume is noticed in both AI and human reviews.
What’s important to remember is that action verbs do more than just help your resume get through AI filters. They provide a compelling narrative about your professional journey, making your experiences feel dynamic and impactful. It’s a subtle yet powerful way to showcase your strengths and potential to future employers.
Darryl Stevens, CEO, Digitech Web Design
Customize Cover Letter and Resume
When AI is screening job applications, and these days you should always assume that it is, you have to do a customized cover letter and resume with each application. You don’t want to lie on your resume or cover letter, but you do need to tweak things for each new position to give yourself the best chance of making it past the AI screening. The easiest way to do this is to pay attention to the wording used in the job listing. If they want a manager and your title wasn’t specifically that but you did manage at least one person, then make sure to include “manager” anywhere you can on your resume. When you start customizing your resume and cover letter like this, you’ll start to notice that you make it past more AI screening than you did in the past.
Caspar Von Wrede, CEO & Founder, Keep The Score
Use Simple, Professional Format
The days of having a fancy design for your resume are over. With AI, you need to focus on a format that looks professional while also being very basic, no-frills design. The reason this is so important with AI in the mix is that as applications come in for a job, the AI just scans everything looking for relevant keywords. But, if you have a design that it has a problem with, then the AI just sees it as something that confuses it and you never make it to the hiring manager’s desk. Simple is best here. That means lots of white space, headings for your jobs and the sections of the resume, with bullet lists to show your experience at each job. And make sure that you’re sticking with basic fonts and nothing fancy. When in doubt, just use Times New Roman or Arial.
Brooks Manley, Agency Owner, Web Designer and SEO Strategist, Brooks Manley Marketing
Incorporate Job Posting Keywords
The importance of incorporating keywords from the job posting into your application materials cannot be overstated. You might be the perfect candidate for the role, but if you don’t make sure your application materials contain the appropriate keywords, you are wasting your time applying.
Heidi Scott Giusto, PhD, Career Coach and Communications Consultant, Career Path Writing Solutions