My life as a recruiter and a resume writer has revolved around AI for the last 10 years. From establishing myself as one of the first machine learning recruiters in Los Angeles to leading talent acquisition for rapidly growing AI startups across New York City and San Francisco, I have developed a deep understanding of the technology that now shapes one of the most competitive, complex hiring landscapes in recent decades. With AI embedded into every aspect of the traditional job search, from resumes and applications to interviews, it is critical that freelancers not only understand what has changed but also how to adapt their approaches to deliver value far beyond what AI tools can provide to job seekers.
It is important to know that much of the value of AI tools depends on user prompts and questions, and without being an expert in resume writing, it can be nearly impossible to know exactly what to ask to refine and iterate on resume content. People often dive into writing, forgetting that having a solid strategy is the key to a successful job search. This is where freelancers can immediately showcase their value over and above AI tools by asking the right questions about target roles, seniority, and key skills. Taking an advisory approach, freelancers can use their experience to determine if the experience matches with their goals, and even suggest alternative paths and job options. This not only establishes credibility but also provides value from the very first interaction. Applying this approach to the entire engagement is exactly how a freelancer wins against AI.
Now, even though I personally don’t use AI to write resumes, there are plenty of use cases where it can be incredibly helpful to the freelance community. AI can be helpful in enhancing content clarity, improving readability, and ensuring grammatical correctness. Even though spell checkers have existed for decades, AI expands upon this by providing feedback on tone and optimal word choices. Using these tools to efficiently research companies, roles, and technologies enables freelancers to better communicate and collaborate with job seekers in niche fields. The time that freelancers save on these basic tasks can be used to focus on gathering information, developing a career narrative, expanding on achievements, and aligning them with clear career goals.
As AI has been embedded into more aspects of the job search process itself, applicant tracking systems (ATS) have come to the forefront of the conversation. Throughout my career, I have personally used most of the major platforms and seen them used to parse candidate data, match skills, and even curate the applicant pool based on a job description. Yes, these features can mean more efficiency, but they can also mean missing out on the most qualified candidates that just don’t know the nuances - and tricks - behind writing a resume in today’s job market. This is why I reviewed every single application throughout my career, though this is not the reality for most recruiters today.
With all that said, there is still no understating the importance of having an ATS-compatible resume to ensure that a human recruiter actually reviews the profile. These systems are, unfortunately, somewhat of a black box, and it is unlikely that anyone other than a recruiter or HR professional would have experience using them enough to understand the nuances. This experience, of course, can be helpful as a freelancer, but the good news is that there are some things about the traditional job search that haven’t changed - and one of those is the effectiveness of a simple, minimalist resume. Not only is it considered professional and expected as you become more senior in your career, but it also guarantees the ATS will be able to parse over all of the information in your resume for review. Specifically, use only one column, remove headers and footers, apply a common font like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman, and list each role title, company name, and time period on one single line. Keep in mind that the fancier designs with different colors and graphics are usually not compatible with most ATS. They may make your resume look pleasing to the human eye, but that type of resume may never see a human eye!
Having seen AI evolve first-hand over the last 10 years has been nothing short of incredible. Companies have been able to hire qualified candidates at a faster rate than ever before, and despite the introduction of AI, job seekers have persisted and continue to secure new roles. The most effective resumes I see aren’t necessarily the ones with the most content or metrics; they are the ones that tell a story, and that’s where freelancers and job seekers should invest the most.
With 10,000+ resumes revised across 60 countries, Alex knows what stands out. Explore her Fiverr Pro profile here. 
