Artificial intelligence is becoming more ingrained into the hiring process, with 71% of companies using an applicant tracking system and 65% of candidates receiving assistance from artificial intelligence at some point in their application process.
For employers, the presence of AI has shifted how they assess applications — with increased emphasis on resumes matching the job description; for candidates, it has changed what “standing out” means, in which having a creative format and building a resume without relevant keywords may lower the chances of passing through an ATS.
While AI tools can help with resume editing and moving an application out of the slush pile, CRE hiring still needs the human touch, said SelectLeaders Associate Director of Recruiting Katie Hart. Using online platforms, such as SelectLeaders, LinkedIn and ZipRecruiter, as well as meeting industry members in person and making connections with recruiters can make a huge difference in matching employers and candidates, she said.
This year, SelectLeaders refined its platform’s capabilities and suite of resources to further align with employers’ and candidates’ needs — including the ability to optimize profiles for increased visibility, target specific roles and more. The new rollout, based on feedback and suggestions from hiring managers and candidates, also includes a guide to using the platform.
Learn more about how to leverage SelectLeaders to fill open roles and navigate the hiring process.
For Employers: Communication And Clarity Are Key To Successful Hiring
SelectLeaders’ enables hiring managers to fill out the following fields in their profiles: overview of the company, relevant images, a frequently asked questions page and a list of open roles, which would give credibility and personality to their company while allowing candidates to learn more about what they do, said SelectLeaders Director of Tech and Product Ray Miranda.
While going through this process, the platform creates a profile score reflecting how much of the profile is filled in, with each section weighted differently. Miranda said that while employers should aim to reach the full 100%, the higher the percentage, the greater the matching ability.
For employers, a strategic way to approach hiring is to think about what they expect from their employees and to outline how they want their interview process to look, Hart said. For their profiles to appeal to the right candidates, employers should be transparent about benefits and compensation, what skills they’re looking for and how they want employees to contribute to their culture.
“Being clear about expectations makes for a better candidate experience and helps you answer their questions throughout the process,” she said.
Instead of sifting through a sea of resumes, employers can now use filters to search for candidates by role and find those who have tags in their profile indicating that they are looking for that role. From there, they can curate their own candidate pool, right in their SelectLeaders account. Employers can make decisions on applications with accept and reject buttons, with a customized email that can go out automatically to candidates they have decided not to move forward with.
Employers can gain access to the Candidate Connection feature to target CRE candidates. Candidate Connection comprises three tiers: 200 resume downloads for one month, 600 downloads for three months and 1,200 downloads for six months. Resumes can now be filtered by parameters such as what role they’re looking for, their skills, education and experience, where they’re located, whether they’re actively or passively job hunting and more.
Hiring managers can reach out to SelectLeaders’ executive recruiters, who can help not only with searching for the right candidates, but also with translating requirements and expectations into a job description.
For Candidates: Prioritize Intentionality Over Quantity Of Applications Sent
In addition to a clean, organized format, stand-out resumes should include specifics on what their role entailed day-to-day and special projects that the applicant took the lead on, such as how many units were managed for a property manager role, Hart said.
She emphasized the importance of a resume being in one’s “own voice,” and the resumes that don’t look like they were formatted in Claude or ChatGPT are the ones that stand out.
“When you see a lot of the same type of standard resume made with AI tools, it starts to look the same,” she said. “Candidates have a better chance if they use their own formatting and still use their own voice when it comes to crafting a resume, even if you are using AI to help with formatting and content.”
Candidates can now set up alerts for roles, thereby increasing their chances of being among the first to apply, said Bisnow and SelectLeaders Account Manager Jermaine Jackson. The database can recommend roles based on their profile. Similar to the employer page, candidate profiles are also scored based on how much of it was completed.
With the revamp, applicants are also able to upload multiple resumes to their profile and choose which resume to submit to which role.
While many job seekers may think applying to more jobs will increase their chances of finding a match, it’s more important that they be selective about where their applications are going, said SelectLeaders Enterprise Account Executive Roman Velichko.
“Choosing opportunities where you can provide direct value to the company and that are closely aligned with your interests, passions and skills versus trying to get anything means you’ll have a higher probability of staying in that job long term,” he said.
Both candidates and employers can access resources on SelectLeaders to help them gain insight into how to navigate hiring today.
“Whether it’s your first time on the site or you’ve been using it for a while, the new features and tools can help you get closer to your goal,” Miranda said.
Reach out to SelectLeaders Enterprise Account Executive Roman Velichko here to set up a demo and learn more about how to get started.
