You’ve probably used the all-time popular Canva templates to create your resume. And with every platform rolling out AI features, it makes sense to use the platform for an AI-generated resume that can be tweaked a bit.
We get it - they’re the templates that show you actually care about putting in extra effort. They’re so bougie - something like Emily (in Paris) would use when applying to fashion firms in Paris.
It’s totally fine to use all the pretty fonts, the template styles, and the colors, but only if you’d like your application to be trash-canned by ATS systems.
Bummer.
Here’s what happens.
When you send in that application with all the pretty details on your resume, it ends up not getting picked up by the “resume parsing system”.
That’s a huge blocker right there.
Let’s find out more.
Here are the main takeaways:
For candidates; try to opt for basic, simpler resume formats
For recruiters; do not rely on AI too much and see what kind of resumes are you dealing with. If they’re only Word documents or some of the simpler ones, you might want to go through the other rejected resumes.
And when you reach the interview stage, make sure to make Quil your meeting assistant. This AI won’t disappoint you.
Now let’s get into the backend process for this debate.
When an applicant applies to a company, the application will be most likely screened by an ATS.
That’s because about 99% of all big corporations use an ATS. 20% of small-to-medium-sized businesses use an ATS to streamline their applications.
So, to help with this process, an ATS takes the applicant's resume and converts it into structured information that can be analyzed by the ATS.
@https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSkEx1sQDRw&list=PL-VcUkJMDUf--_Hpwpg6omtOR4t9zJAXC
This makes the recruiter’s job easy because there are no manual processes, and they won’t have to sift through thousands of applications.
Let’s understand this with an example.
Imagine you apply for an SEO lead role.
That role requires you to know how to use Semrush and Moz, and know on-page SEO.
But here’s where things go wrong: you’ve used a Canva-designed resume with creative fonts, colorful headings, and a unique layout that looks fantastic to a human reader.
However, ATS systems aren’t built to appreciate aesthetics — they’re built to recognize structure and keywords.
Even if you have all those keywords on your Canva-designed resume, it won’t make it to the top.
We know, it’s a tough world out there. And the consequences?
On the flip side, a recruiter can’t sift through all the applications and screen every word on everyone’s resume.
As a candidate, it means you’ll have to plug in the effort to make sure your resume doesn’t get stacked away.
Let’s look at how to avoid that.
The simple way to avoid this: go back to the 90s resume template. The more basic it is, the more you have a chance to make it past the machines and land in a human recruiter’s hands.
This whole scenario sounds very unfair - but if you want to reach the top of the list, you’ll have to abide by simple rules.
So, if you’re applying through a normal pipeline, a simple, scannable, and ATS-friendly resume is the way to go.
That’s also the case if you’re applying through LinkedIn’s “Easy Apply” option, or any other form that seems to be powered by a job board.
However, if you’re applying through a referral (or directly through someone), you can still use the resume you put so much effort into.
Everything’s centered around AI these days - and the recruiting industry is no exception.
And like humans, AI ain’t perfect.
The resume generated using Canva’s AI system won’t get you through the pipeline.
Here’s one use case of how you can use AI to make your application stand out:
If you’re applying for the role of a MERN developer, you’ll need to make sure all of the keywords related to the open position are in there.
Here’s a prompt you can try out (using ChatGPT)
Hey, I need you to analyze this job description (past job description here) and pull out keywords from it. After that, use those keywords to build my experience in different roles in company A, company B, and company C.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll get a basic output to refine using your prompt engineering skills.
Another tip that we love is: to apply reverse psychology to ChatGPT. For instance, instead of telling/prompting the GPT model on what to do, ask it what would “it” do if it were in your place. Make it ask you questions instead of providing the answers.
That list of questions will help you identify loopholes in your resume and convey your message properly.
AI will help you form the basic structure of your resume that you can use on a simple template - not Canva (or the others).
The main con AI-generated resumes have is that they work with no context.
They can’t get inside your brain and pen down all your experiences, the high points, specific details, or anything like that.
That’s where you need to balance AI and how you’ll personalize its output.
What’s more, seasoned recruiters (and even newbies) can spot AI-generated resumes a mile away. One glance, and it's game over.
And that can be held against you.
AI does wonders when it comes to helping you out.
Take recruiters as an example.
They maximize tools like AI note-takers, ATS systems, and whatnot.
But from a candidate's perspective, it’s important to be careful when using AI. A bit of help when adding your skills + a traditional resume format is the best road to take.
Quil is an AI notetaker for recruiters, automating the manual recruitment process for recruiters and large hiring agencies. It counters redundant admin tasks like note-taking during interviews and manually updating the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) post-interviews. Plus, it integrates with your favorite platforms like Zoho Recruit, Lever, Top Echelon, HubSpot, and Salesforce, making the entire hiring process feel like a breeze.
