Microsoft's New Tool to Help Craft a Compelling Resume and See Relevant Job Opportunities on LinkedIn

Photo: Microsoft

In a post published on this blog on Oct. 27, 2017, I discussed my motivation for co-founding CareerLight, LLC; namely, to help international students in the United States prepare for a successful career. Another reason for my involvement with the Seattle, Wash.-based company is to learn about how technology is used in human resource management and job recruiting. Therefore, I found interest in reading a blog post by Kylan Nieh, senior product manager at LinkedIn, about the release of Resume Assistant, a tool that integrates with Microsoft Word, through the Office 365 productivity software-as-a-service platform, in crafting a "compelling resume" and "see relevant job opportunities on LinkedIn that are personalized for you."

I agree with Mr. Nieh that "creating a resume that accurately represents who you are, what you've done and in a way that is tailored to the role you're aspiring to, is one of the biggest challenges for professionals." With the aim of overcoming this challenge, a user will select their desired role and industry and then the "Resume Assistant will pull LinkedIn insights from millions of member profiles so you can see diverse examples of how professionals in that role describe their work."

Photo: Microsoft

"Highlighting the right skills can help you get discovered by recruiters, but how do you choose which are the right ones to include on your resume?" Mr. Nieh asks. "Within Resume Assistant, you can see the skills other successful professionals in your desired role and industry have, so you can add them if applicable."

Resume Assistant will also provide users with the ability to"see relevant job listings from LinkedIn's 11 million+ active job openings to jump start" their search. Mr. Nieh notes that "along with job openings, you'll see details of what the job requires, helping you to tailor your resume to a specific role."

Moreover, "If you see something you like, you can go directly to the job opening on LinkedIn where you can learn more about the opportunity and apply. Within Resume Assistant you'll also see the option to turn on Open Candidates. This feature on LinkedIn quietly signals to recruiters that you’re open to new opportunities, and makes you twice as likely to hear from recruiters."

Bryan Goode, general manager for Office 365, notes: "The workplace is changing, impacting not only how people work, but also the frequency with which they change roles, introducing new challenges for job seekers. Nearly 70 percent of people say they have difficulty portraying their work experience effectively, and 50 percent struggle to tailor their resume to a specific job opportunity. Furthermore, job applications on LinkedIn have increased 40 percent year-over-year, signaling increased competition for jobs."

Mr. Goode asserts that "with over 80 percent of resumes updated in Word, Resume Assistant helps job seekers showcase accomplishments, be more easily discovered by recruiters, and find their ideal job."

Microsoft produced a short video about its Resume Assistant:



I am excited to see how other technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) will provide value to the arduous job search process.

Will you use the Resume Assistant tool? Do you have recommendations on how to create an outstanding resume?

Aaron Rose is an advisor to talented entrepreneurs and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of Solutions for a Sustainable World.