Using AI to Simplify Your Remote Job Search

Searching for a remote job can be an exhausting and stressful full-time occupation. Fortunately, there’s a shiny new toy in town that can be a game changer for job seekers: Artificial Intelligence.

Job seekers send many applications in a week (see this recent poll on our LinkedIn page), which usually entails creating a tailored CV + cover letter for each one.

And if a job seeker is lucky enough to get an interview and not just crickets, that also means preparing for a job interview or two every week while still sending applications. 😅

In reality, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not a novel technology; but it has made great strides lately, so it feels like something new for us regular folks.

In this article, we will discuss some of the AI tools and strategies that both recruiters and job seekers recommend to leverage your remote job search. AI is here to stay, so why don’t we make the most of it before it becomes sentient and rules us all? Joking. Kind of.

Making Your Remote Job Application Stand Out

Zachary Murray, founder of Foreplay.co, told us that “When we post a job, we get hundreds of responses. The candidates that stand out are the ones who connect with me meaningfully on other platforms after they submit their applications.

Using ChatGPT or another writing tool to craft a brief yet personalized message on LinkedIn + Twitter is a winning strategy for making sure your application gets a fair look. 99% of the time, the people we hire are the ones that do this extra step. Manually it can be laborious, but with the help of AI, you can ensure the messages are well thought out and don't feel like a template.

“There is a concept I like to call "reverse recruiting," explains Plainly co-founder Nebojsa Savicic, where job candidates actually research company recruiters and reach out to them to establish rapport and inquire about a certain job opportunity.

You can use Bardeen to automatically copy LinkedIn profile data to Airtable or Notion and then have a unique database of recruiters you want to engage with. ChatGPT can help you personalize your outreach”.

“Leveraging AI meaningfully means folding it into your daily process, adds Zachary. “Eliminating friction is the best way to do this. I encourage people to set ChatGPT as their default Chrome tab so they are always prompted to think how can AI help me?"

A key takeaway from Nebojsa:

Treat ChatGPT as a brainstorming partner versus an answer-giving-machine. You need to engage in a conversation to get the response you find suitable, and then you need to edit the response afterward. Still, it can save you a lot of time and help you get started.

Other Useful AI Tools (and a word of caution)

In addition to ChatGPT, which you can use for anything from personalizing an intro, crafting a resume, and practicing for an interview, there are many other tools that might help you in your remote job search journey.

But before we list them, a word of caution for remote job candidates from Alexa Franck, Sr. Content Marketing Manager at GoLinks. She recently had to interview candidates for a marketing internship role and saw firsthand instances of AI misuse.

“For this role, we gave our candidates a writing assignment. While reviewing submissions, it was shocking how many used ChatGPT to write the whole project - and how obvious it was! As someone in marketing, I'm very familiar with the tool and the type of language it'll produce with minimal direction.

Many candidates didn't just use this tool to spark ideas or to give them an outline; I could tell they copied the project brief into ChatGPT and then copied and pasted the results. Candidates should be careful when using AI. It's so important to stand out in the interview process. AI, when used the wrong way, can take away what makes a candidate unique.”

Now, onto some fantastic AI tools:

• Rezi and Kickresume: Create, edit, and format your resume with these resume builders.

• Claude: Also a resume builder but with a more conversational approach. It was recommended by a Remotive Accelerator member. They say, "I talk to the chatbot just as I would a career coach. You can upload your resume and discuss it with the chatbot. My first prompt was Give me feedback on my resume.”

• GrammarlyGo: If you are a Grammarly user like the Remotive team, you will have access to GrammarlyGO. Use it to reply to emails faster while making sure they are well-written and properly spelled.

• QuillBot: It helps you find a synonym or a different way to say the same thing.

• Magical: Draft emails instantly, automate tasks, and autofill info. No fancy integrations and it is super easy to use.

The Most Important Tool: You!

In wrapping up our brief exploration of AI's role in remote job hunting, remember that you're the real standout. AI can boost your efforts, but it's your distinctiveness that truly shines. No AI will beat your beautiful, unique, human brain.

Embrace AI as a helpful tool that works alongside your skills, guiding you toward new opportunities in your search for the ideal remote job. The landscape of remote work is changing, and you're evolving right along with it.

If you are interested in learning more about generative AI, this Science Vs podcast episode is a good place to start.

If you have any comments or thoughts about this article, we'd love to know! Send us an email to hello@remotive.com.