The trick tech-savvy job seekers are using

July 26, 2023

By Kim Komando

You apply and apply and hear nothing back. Is your job search doomed? It might all be down to the bots. Studies show three out of every four resumes never make it to a real person.

How do you get your resume out of digital purgatory and into a hiring manager’s hands? A crazy trick some tech-savvy job seekers are using made the news, and I want you to know about it.

Bottom of the pile

Applicant tracking systems help managers and recruiters filter out applicants based on a job’s requirements. Some programs have built-in AI that can rate and rank applicants, help recruiters search by keyword and prioritize internal candidates or referrals.

They can also auto-reject applicants who lack preferred certifications or years of experience. In a perfect world, the hiring manager would check over each resume to make sure AI is doing its job, but this is not a perfect world.

Resume power moves

That’s where a new technique called “white fonting” comes in. Social media influencers who’ve had luck with white fonting say it helps you get past that initial AI bot screening that scans resumes for keywords. 

All you have to do is copy the relevant keywords from a job you’re applying to, paste them into your resume, and then change the font color to white. Wait, what?

The color change makes the keywords invisible to the naked eye, so your resume looks totally normal to hiring managers and recruiters. But AI bots will pick them up and potentially bump you to the top of the list. 

The trick has a proven track record of success, but it’s not always a guaranteed win. Some programs automatically scan your resume and input sections into an application. If that’s the case, your white font may also slip through to human eyes.

Jazz up your calling card

Whether you try out white fonting or not, spend some time making sure your resume’s polished to perfection.

• Keep it short. Only include experience that’s relevant to the job you’re applying to. A good rule: Stick to jobs from the last 10 to 15 years — and aim for no more than two pages.
• Focus on numbers and metrics to clearly demonstrate your awesomeness. Recruiters and hiring managers want to see specifics. 
• Adjust your resume based on each job you’re applying to. Even just a few minor adjustments can go a long way.
• Put some personality into your cover letter. That’s your chance to show who you are — just don’t go too far. No one cares that you had a black belt in high school, sorry.

We all know someone looking for a job. Share this article with them so they know the crazy way to hack the AI job system.