Amanda Augustine, TopResume, New York, New York, USA
From self-driving cars to search engines, artificial intelligence (AI) is slowly transforming the world around us.
Now, it's starting to play a role in how project professionals land new gigs. Recruiters and hiring managers increasingly are relying on tech tools—including those programmed with AI or machine learning—to dramatically accelerate their workflows and make smarter, more efficient hiring decisions.
Three out of four hiring managers think AI's impact on recruiting will be at least somewhat significant, according to LinkedIn's Global Recruiting Trends report. And the area where it might have the most impact is candidate sourcing, according to 58 percent of respondents.
Not every organization has an AI bot scanning résumés, of course, but even those that don't are likely relying on automated programs—not a stack of paper résumés or CVs—to identify qualified candidates, says Amanda Augustine, a certified professional career coach who's worked with project professionals, and a career expert at TopResume, New York, New York, USA.
“More companies are using applicant tracking systems, because they can make a stack of résumés more manageable for the human to sort through,” she says. “But if you're a project manager applying for an open role, that means everything from the file type you use to the layout of your résumé will factor into whether you make it through the electronic gatekeeper. People get stuck in the system all the time—even if they have the exact right project skills and experience for the open position.”
—Amanda Augustine, TopResume, New York, New York, USA
To stand out in the new digital talent search, project professionals must tweak their approach—and extend those lessons across both their résumé and online profile. Here's how.
1 Get Specific With Skills and Certifications
Strong leadership chops and a great communication style might make someone a better project manager, but showcasing those skills on a résumé or LinkedIn profile won't do much to help that person land an interview, says Francois Passet, PMP, human resource information systems director, Vertiv Co., London, England. “Focus on specifics, like highlighting certifications and technical skills, because that's what's being searched for—not soft skills,” he says.
—Francois Passet, PMP, Vertiv Co., London, England
Real Disruption
The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on hiring is widespread—but that doesn't mean it's uniformly embraced. The percentage of respondents who say that AI is the top trend affecting how they hire, according to LinkedIn's Global Recruiting Trends report:
For instance, someone looking to fill a portfolio manager role might search for candidates who list PMI's Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP)® certification. Someone trying to fill a role on a team that uses an agile approach might set the applicant tracking software (ATS) to prioritize applicants who list the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® certification.
“Think carefully about what skills or certifications or experience a recruiter would be looking for—and then step back and think how they would search for them or how they would instruct an automated tool to scan for them,” says Ellen Bird, director of talent acquisition, Artisan Talent, Chicago, Illinois, USA. If a candidate's LinkedIn profile details years acting as scrum master on successful projects but doesn't include the word “agile,” it might not make it out of the applicant pile. Likewise, if a candidate lists the full name of every project management certification but doesn't include the acronyms, such as PfMP® or PMI-ACP®, bots might overlook those hard-earned certifications.
2 Mirror the Desired Role
The advice to include keywords from the job description in the application has been given since even before the process became automated. But it's never more important than when automated software or an AI algorithm is scanning a candidate's profile, says Ms. Bird. A human brain might infer that managing nuclear projects involved advanced risk management. But ATS that's been programmed to hunt for the words “risk register” or “risk management” will skip right over that application.
For a macro approach to incorporating more keywords in a résumé, CV or LinkedIn profile, Ms. Augustine suggests this exercise: “Copy the job descriptions of three to five roles that you might be interested in applying for into a word cloud generator tool,” she says. “The words that keep popping up—and are big in the word cloud—are the ones you want to focus on, assuming you have those skills.”
She suggests using each keyword a few times in different phrases, to increase the odds that the application will pass a screen for both “stakeholder management” and “managing stakeholders,” for instance. “But don't use each keyword 15 times,” she says. Remember, if an application makes it past the tech screen, eventually a human will read it. Cram too many keywords in and it might beat the bot, only to have a human give the same résumé a thumbs-down.
3 Brag About Project Wins
Posting to online profiles can keep candidates top of mind with people in professional networks and give hiring managers who land on candidates’ pages a bigger window into who they are. But don't assume all online activity is equally valuable to the job search. “I've never heard of anyone being recruited for their effective reposting of newspaper articles,” says Mr. Passet. “Playing up real-life successes or recognition—like being selected to present at a project management conference, for instance—is much more meaningful on the project management job market.”
Job seekers also can showcase their expertise by penning their own posts on certain project topics, says Ms. Augustine. Or, if they'd rather join the conversation than start it, they can add commentary to any articles they share. “Take advantage of the opportunity to share your point of view within your discipline,” she says.
4 Mind the Format
“While the PDF file type is normally preferred because it maintains your formatting, not every applicant-tracking system can process it,” says Ms. Augustine. “Don't leave your application up to chance: Unless the site specifically states that it accepts a PDF, send your résumé or CV as a Word document.”
She also warns against including any information in the header or footer of the file (most systems can't process those fields). And stick to a clean, straightforward format. “ATS favors documents that have a clear hierarchy to their information,” she says. “When you try to get creative with your résumé layout, the system may get confused and miss some of your information. Better to be simple and understood than look slick and wind up in the ‘no’ pile.”
5 Do a Trial Video
Video interviews have replaced phone screeners at many organizations, but some companies are taking video one step further. They increasingly ask candidates to answer pre-set questions on video, then use sophisticated algorithms to analyze that footage for everything from technical expertise to energy and attitude. Candidates asked to submit a video “selfie” should give it the same consideration and effort that they would an in-person or two-way interview, says Catherine Cunningham, founder, The Career Consultancy, Adelaide, Australia. “Make sure you've done your research on the organization, be mindful of any time limits you're given to answer each question, and keep your answers succinct and focused,” she says.
Job seekers who think too much about the algorithm analyzing every word or facial expression might get tripped up, so try to relax, she says. And take comfort that every project professional will have an opportunity to practice at some point. “Whether you like the new AI tools or not, they're not going away.” PM
—Catherine Cunningham, The Career Consultancy, Adelaide, Australia
AI All-Stars
Three standout projects in the race to thread machine learning throughout the hiring process.
Robot Vera
Russian startup Stafory is now running pilot projects in Europe and the United States to test and refine a robot capable of conducting and analyzing hundreds of video or phone interviews simultaneously. To build the robot's vocabulary and help it better understand human speech, the project team input 13 billion examples of syntax and speech, pulling from job listings, TV and Wikipedia.
VMock
In September, Boston University joined the growing number of universities that have rolled out VMock, an online platform that allows students to upload their résumés and receive real-time feedback on everything from grammar and word choice to the likelihood of their résumés receiving a response. VMock relies on machine learning predictive analytics and AI algorithms. Prior to the rollout, the project team tailored the platform to its student population, inputting information about demographics, employers, job listings and internships.
Greenhouse
This AI-powered human resources tool engages candidates in conversation, helping to suss out their skills and experience and better pair them with the right job openings. In September, Greenhouse announced a joint project with IBM Watson to integrate its cognitive tools into the platform and provide enterprise organizations with a customized platform in as little as two weeks.