In this mini-episode of Promoted, Merit America Career Coach Sabrina Louissaint explains what probably happens to your resume after you hit submit, and how to use AI to get past it without losing your story.
You spent an evening on a resume you’re proud of. You applied, but you never heard back. It’s easy to take that personally. Look at it this way: A lot of the time, human beings never saw it.
Key Takeaways
Silence after you apply usually isn’t a verdict on you. It’s often a software problem.
In this episode, Sabrina shares:
- Why around 71% of companies use software that scans your resume before a hiring manager sees it
- How that software reads for keywords, and why that has nothing to do with how hard you work or how qualified you are
- What AI does well during a job search: organizing, tailoring, and polishing
- Why AI can’t write your story, because the story is the one thing it doesn’t have
- A simple rule for using keywords: If it’s not true, don’t use it
As Sabrina puts it: AI drafts, AI suggests. You decide what goes on the page, every time.
Tune in to learn:
- Why “no response” often means your resume was never read by a person
- How to use AI to spot the phrases applicant tracking system likely scan for
- How to work those phrases into experience you really have
- Why you should always keep the final say on your own resume
Check out the full episode!
Join Sabrina Louissaint for a quick, practical reframe on resumes, software and how to use AI to get seen without sacrificing your story.
Podcast Transcript
Welcome back to Promoted, the podcast about leaving low wage work for good. Today’s episode isn’t a lecture on tools. It’s about how to make AI work for you in your job search as an editor, not a ghostwriter, without ever losing the thing that actually gets you hired, your own voice.
Picture this. You spend an evening after work writing a resume you’re proud of. You hit submit. You never hear back. It’s easy to take that personally.
But here’s what actually happens. A lot of the time a human being never actually saw it. According to Resume Genius, around 71% of companies use applicant tracking systems or ATS
software that scans your resume before a hiring manager even lays eyes on it.
That system reads for keywords. So knowing how to work with it can be the difference between getting seen and getting skipped. And it has nothing to do with how hard you worked or how qualified you are.
The reframe to hold on to is that AI isn’t the thing that’s keeping you out. If used right, it’s how you get through the gate that’s already there.
Now, the worry I hear most, if I use AI, will my resume end up sounding like everybody else, like a robot wrote it? Honestly, yes, if you let it write it for you. That’s exactly the trap. So, let’s talk about the line between using AI and being used by it.
It means AI helps you organize, tailor, and polish. It does not write your story. The story is the one thing that it doesn’t have. It means you teach the tool how to talk so that what comes back sounds like you when you read it out loud. It means you’re not trying to trick the ATS with stuffed keywords.
You’re making sure your real experience is described within the words employers are actually searching for. One’s a con, the other’s a translation. Read it out loud. This is the whole game. Draft the bullet points with AI, then say it out loud like you’re telling a friend what you do.
If you’d never say it that way, it doesn’t go on that page. Teach the tool your voice. Before you ask it to fix anything, feed it a few sentences of how you naturally describe your work.
Now, its suggestions blend towards your tone instead of erasing it. Tailor for each role. Paste in the actual job description and ask AI where your experience already lines up and where your wording could reflect it better.
You’re not inventing anything. You’re surfacing what’s already the truth about yourself. Catch the ATS keywords honestly. Let AI point out the phrases the system is probably scanning for, then weave them into your experiences you actually have. If it’s not true, it doesn’t go in.
Keep the final say. AI drafts, AI suggests. You decide what lands on the page every time.
So, let’s recap. Use AI as an editor, not a ghostwriter. Read every version out loud. If it doesn’t sound like you, it isn’t done.
Tailor for each role and let AI catch the keywords that the system’s looking for.
Keep your voice at the center of every single version. If everything I just said sounds like a lot to figure out alone, it is.
That’s exactly why our program pairs you with a coach and teaches you how to use these tools so you’re never guessing whether your resume still sounds like you. A career coach can offer you personalized guidance.
We provide tailored advice and strategies to help you build your ideal career. Confidence will help you use AI to support your strengths and advocate for yourself even when it feels difficult. goal setting.
Together, we’ll define clear and achievable goals based on your overall career goals and accountability. We’ll help you follow through on your career plan and make sure your resume and job search materials still sound like you. Because your career success isn’t about just getting a job, it’s about building the career that you deserve.
Thank you for tuning in. I hope these strategies give you practical ways to keep moving forward in your career. If you’re ready to take the next step, Merit America can help. Visit our website at www.meritamerica.org to learn more.
(Transcript is edited for length and clarity.)