Is AI replacing recruiters?!

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Career Resources

• Find our job board, a referral link to Zapier, and more here.

• Here’s a quick tip to increase the chances of showing up on recruiter searches on LinkedIn!

• This week’s issue is written in partnership with LinkedIn with a deep dive into their new AI-enabled sourcing platform. My hope is that whether you’re a recruiter or jobseeker, this gives a bit more insight into the tools recruiters are using to find you! (Check out a sneak peek of the platform in my video!)

So, let’s talk about how recruiters are using AI!

There’s been a lot of talk lately about how AI is showing up in hiring, and if I’m being honest, I’ve had mixed feelings at times too. But here’s the truth:

AI isn’t taking away the human side of recruiting. It’s helping us make room for it again.

In today’s issue, I want to highlight how I’m using AI in my day-to-day work, what candidates should keep in mind, and how recruiters can start incorporating it without getting overwhelmed.

What AI is (actually) doing in recruiting

For most people, “recruiting” sounds like constant phone calls and interviews. But if you're in the role, you know how much time is spent trying to find the right people in the first place.

That used to mean writing long Boolean search strings, testing filters, revising again and again, just to hopefully get a decent list of candidates.

Now? I paste in my hiring manager notes, and LinkedIn’s Advanced AI-Assisted Search helps me pull together a targeted list based on the intent of what I’m hiring for, not just exact matches on titles or buzzwords. It even picks up on traits and qualifications that aren’t always written on someone’s profile.

It saves me time, sure. But more importantly, it helps me find people I might have missed before.

For my fellow recruiters: how to start using AI without overhauling everything

You don’t need to become an AI expert overnight. Start small. Here’s what’s worked for me while using LinkedIn Recruiter’s Advanced AI-Assisted Search: I use intake notes and job descriptions instead of writing manual search strings or selecting the right keywords

I ask follow-up questions to refine searches, kind of like you would in a conversation - I chat with the AI assistant on LinkedIn the same way I would with any other AI assistant!

I use the time I get back to do more of the work I enjoy - talking to candidates, supporting hiring managers, and building better processes.

Tips for candidates: how to stand out in an AI-enabled search

One misconception for candidates and even some recruiters, is that you need to get every keyword right on your profile, but with Gen AI you don’t need to try and outsmart the system, just be clear and honest about your experience. Here’s what helps: Make sure your profile tells your story clearly: what you’ve done, who you’ve done it for, and the outcomes

Describe your work in a way that reflects the impact, not just the responsibilities. If your profile currently reads like a job description, replace this with evidence of the kind of projects you’ve led and the results you’ve achieved.

Don’t try to stuff your resume with keywords that you think recruiters may be looking for. The great thing about generative AI is that it can read between the lines and understand context.

The goal of these tools isn’t to screen you out, it’s to help recruiters find you more easily. Help us do that by showing up as your full self! LinkedIn’s research says recruiters using AI tools like this are saving close to a full day of work each week. I feel that. It’s not just about efficiency, it’s about being able to breathe a little more and focus on the parts of the job that matter. Check out LinkedIn’s Advanced AI-Assisted Search feature in Recruiter today!

🙋Answering Your Questions🙋

Yes! First, I want to acknowledge that this is a function of the market. For most roles, we get strong inbound so it makes less sense to contact prospects. Those we do reach out to will generally need to be 100% matches.

Some of the things that can help:

1. On LinkedIn, follow the company and indicate interest in companies you’re interested in. This helps rank you higher in the searches.

2. You can turn on the “secret” open to work banner - no visible banner, but on the backend, recruiters know you’re interested!

3. Look at job postings for several jobs you’re interested in and look for themes in areas like the metrics/goals listed, the platforms or certifications they’re looking for, etc. These are things you’ll want to make sure are in your profile (or a resume you have uploaded!) since this is often what recruiters will be searching for.

4. Be active on the platform - posting/commenting weekly at a minimum shows you’re active and increases the chances they’ll reach out. If someone has an empty profile or hasn’t posted in a while, I’m less likely to reach out because my assumption is they aren’t checking LinkedIn!

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