How Disruptive Technology Will Change Your Job Search Forever
The face of the job search world is rapidly changing. No surprise that the advent of new, complex automatic technology is shifting how people find, apply, interview, and are hired for jobs across the world. Some features are already old news, such as Applicant Tracking Systems. Don’t get complacent! Artificial Intelligence (AI) and disruptive technology will change your job search forever.
These predictions aren’t something that will happen in the distant future. I’m being conservative in saying that you will experience radical changes within the next 5-10 years.
Applicant Tracking Systems
ATS is a widely used job applicant management software that is also changing rapidly in the face of new demands from employers and disruptive technologies. As of right now, we are still clinging to resumes in electronic document form. Currently, ATS software is basically a ‘word matching’ program with a few fancy tweaks to help recruiters sift through the 100’s of resumes they receive for a job posting.
In the future, the ATS system will have to change because the ‘Resume’ as we know it will cease to exist.
Your Resume is a Digital Dinosaur
Paper resumes are throw-backs from the digital dinosaur age. You can expect resumes to go extinct in the near future. We will no longer have electronic documents that have to be uploaded into ATS systems for people to read. (Yay!) Programs are already finalizing beta testing right now that house your ENTIRE professional dossier, skills assessments, personality assessments, strengths reports, credentials, etc. These programs have the capability to be a ‘one-stop-shop’ for employers.
What does that mean for you? That means that your old resume document will be completely unnecessary. Employers can pay a nominal fee to access this database and find ideal candidates at will. If Microsoft is smart, they will be already working on a tool that expands LinkedIn to house a professional’s entire work history with all the associated documents.
Who needs resumes when you have LinkedIn?
Your Job Search – Digitally Remastered
Want to find a great new job? No problem. Just ask Siri, Google, or Alexa … or whatever your personal AI assistant is called. After answering a few questions, your personal AI assistant will respond with potential options that match your criteria (and ideally) your professional dossier. Your assistant will submit your credentials and all you have to do is wait for a response.
We already have very useful programs that make applying for jobs so much easier. Take for example: JobScan.co will help you understand if your resume is a good match for the job description based on a keyword match. Google jobs is literally kicking digital butt as one of the BEST online job boards out there! However, none of this will matter in the foreseeable future.
In the future, your job search will be mostly automatic and not even conducted by you.
The AI Recruiter is Ready for You
Artificial Intelligence in recruiting is happening now. Adobe has created AI-based tools to speed up the recruitment process. I am cautiously hopeful that AI will help eliminate bias and promote diversity in the workplace. Unfortunately, all software is programmed by humans … and all humans have biases.
Don’t take my word for it – see for yourself in the video below:
Here’s the video link: https://youtu.be/fH1RGZRF_q8?t=144
Meet Your Interview Robot
AI interviewing has already begun. In fact, several major international companies are leveraging some form of robotic automation during the interview process. As digital transformation guru Bernard Marr mentioned: “Unilever partnered with Pymetrics, a specialist in AI recruitment, to create an online platform, which means candidates can be initially assessed from their own homes, in front of a computer or mobile phone screen.”
Some of my clients are already interfacing with recorded and AI assessed screening interviews. Based on the direction Unilever is going, much of even the training and onboarding process will be automated as well. Say good-bye to awkward conference calls and say hello to candid camera! Your face, tone of voice and a thousand other data points will be assessed during the process
What’s nice is, many of these programs will give EVERY applicant feedback. No more silent treatment after the interview.
Expect More Assessments … Boo
If talking to a camera isn’t awkward enough, be prepared for additional testing during the hiring process. The sunny side of this prediction is that some testing bots already in place give even rejected applicants great options. For example: Harver will suggest positions at other organizations for which the applicant better suited based on their test results.
From I know of business culture trends and human behavior – it’s probably too much to ask that there be standardized testing to alleviate some of the multiple assessments you can expect in the near future. The good and bad news is, I’m absolutely certain that standardized testing will be developed in the long-term for professionals at all levels.
In all likelihood, AI will drive not only what type of job you have but whether you get promoted in the future.
Do We Own the Bots or Do They Own Us?
Looking into my crystal ball, I foretell that most people will be assessed as early as age 6 and be put into specific learning programs to develop them in the areas of their strengths. The standardized testing and assessments we already know will take on a whole new flavor as children will be given direction by their AI bot teachers and programs based on their expressed skills. Aptitude testing will happen at regular intervals to herd people into their ‘ideal’ niche.
I’m somewhat torn about the potential of college in the future. For one, colleges will not be what they are today. I’m afraid that higher education will morph into an AI-controlled process. What program you follow will have been determined for you at a young age – hopefully with some choices. On the one hand, people will have education customized to their strengths (which is excellent). On the other hand, education will not have as much of a ‘human’ touch as it does now.
Once you are deemed ready to start into the working world, your job options may be chosen for you. That’s awkwardly good news for graduates but also absolutely awful at the same time. No more resume slinging, no more freebie internships with a hope to get the foot in the door. BUT – your entire career progression will be mostly determined by external forces. What the heck happens when you want to shift careers??
Wait … What About HUMAN Resources?
For those that want to put the human back in Human Resources, you might be fighting an uphill battle. Disruptive technology will change your job search forever. I see nothing that will stop the adoption of technology that is faster and promised to be ‘better’ than old methods. I’m already seeing networking becoming less and less effective as HR dominated process takes root in almost all facets of the job search. There’s a lot of time-savers in more automation. On the flip side, there’s almost no human in it. All of our messy interactions, learning experiences, and challenging opportunities … Gone.
What I’m most concerned about is, will we forget what it means to be human in the process?
A little bit about me …. my name is Erin Urban (LSSBB, CPDC), I’m a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, a keynote speaker, a certified career growth and leadership development coach with almost a decade of mentoring and coaching successful professional transformations.
I help people achieve more potential, more purpose and more passion in their careers!
Want to grow your career and not sure where to start? Let’s chat! Schedule a consultation call HERE.
