Courtesy João Ferrão on Unsplash
By Peturla Scarlett
With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) comes various possibilities for students and faculty alike at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus, but there are also concerns about the future of jobs and how legitimate these AI services are.
According to the Office of Career Strategy at Yale University, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) — software that scans resumes before it is passed on to a human reviewer — are used by “98 percent of Fortune 500 companies…66 percent of other large companies and 35 percent of small companies.”
The Office of Career Strategy goes on to say, “Even the federal government and many non-profits use ATS as it is an efficient and cost-effective way to screen large numbers of resumes.”
This screening process often involves software indicating whether or not the candidate is well suited for the position. A system advanced enough to simplify the hiring process for companies typically calls for fewer human reviewers — also known as hiring managers. This is one of the many jobs that are threatened by the world’s rapidly advancing AI technology.
Barbara Figueredo, a senior majoring in Education with a minor in Leadership Studies, said, “I know a lot of people are using AI and I think just the sheer number of people that use it is what kind of makes it scary… luckily, I’m a teacher and so they’re always looking for jobs. I’m not worried about my job demand; I know I’m pretty much gonna get one after graduation but I could definitely see how that can be a worry [for others].”
Websites like Jobscan claim to “reverse-engineer” the ATS system and help convert resumes to better fit specific job positions. First, it reviews the document by comparing its contents to the job being applied for then, it gives the resume a score and suggests ways to improve it so other AI software like ATS will place it in the “yes” pile.
Taylor Snipes, the Employer Relations Coordinator at USF St. Petersburg’s Career Services said students can use this method to their benefit by “Making sure your formatting will work for those systems because if it doesn’t, [if] you don’t check it beforehand, when an employer looks at it and it won’t pop up your [key]words for any reason … you won’t know until you just didn’t get the job.”
After using AI software to make sure your format is correct and you have the necessary keywords, Snipes suggests having the resume reviewed by a human as well.
“Some things AI and those automated systems will catch especially [is] grammar; a word may be spelled correctly, but they don’t have the context of ‘is this word used correctly?’” Snipes said.
Students can have their resumes reviewed for free at the Career Services located in the SLC building. They can also visit their website for resume writing guides and other career related resources. Resumes and cover letters can also be submitted to Handshake for a virtual review before employers access it.
The future of AI is still uncertain which is why current students have concerns about their prospective careers.
“There’s still going to be a lot of people that want new students specifically if they’re coming out of these programs with all these new ideas and all this new knowledge and they want that —they want the human interaction,” Snipes said. “I always recommend making yourself to where someone can’t turn you down, like learn new skills, take certifications, learn how to use AI to your advantage and show that to your employer.”
