Should I Opt Out of AI Resume Screening?

As the evolution and widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to permeate the modern world, a growing sense of anxiety and uncertainty is only natural. What does this mean for the future of my career? Will my job be automated? Where do I fit in a historical epoch dominated by AI? These questions don’t have easy answers, and it can certainly feel alarming when you’re given the option of opting out of an AI scan of your resume before you even start a job application. In this guide, we’ll explore what an AI resume screening is and how to approach the contemporary hiring process.

Organizations have used applicant tracking systems (ATS) for nearly 30 years to scan resumes for skills and help expedite hiring cycles. More recently, AI resume screening tools have become integral to that process. In fact, over 88% of companies will be employing AI to filter resumes in 2025. In essence, an AI resume screening tool uses pre-set search commands, pre-set parameters, and algorithms to rank, grade, or score your resume based on how your professional experience, skills, and background match up with the role you’re applying for.

Although this seems unsettling, the basic concepts are the same as they’ve always been. An automated system analyzes your resume before it reaches the recruiter and/or hiring team to ensure your application has enough relevant qualifications to warrant a deeper look by an actual person. AI resume screening tools are an upgrade of what came before, and while there are plenty of questions to ask, the same tried and true best practices of resume writing will continue to be successful, even with AI doing the first pass.

If the job application page offers an AI screening opt-out, there are a few important things to consider. Recruiters and hiring teams are ready to review your resume, but there’s no way of knowing where the resume goes, regardless of whether you choose to opt out.

I tell my clients to opt in if they are willing to learn from any immediate rejections they receive. If they get a rejection notice and they are willing to take some time to compare their resume to the job description, they can learn which skills they added correctly and which ones they missed.

Preparing for an AI resume screening is the same as for years. A machine learning (ML) algorithm parses your document based on keywords and phrases to ensure you have the qualifications to succeed. With a carefully tailored resume that encapsulates how your experience aligns with the organization’s needs, you’re more likely to generate interviews during the job search.

While an AI resume screening tool does more than just identify key terms from the job posting, that is one of its primary functions, which bears heavily on your success with the ATS. Incorporating keywords and skills that align with the company’s needs usually ensures your application is prioritized within the applicant pool.

While more creative professionals might be inclined to choose a vibrant template with strong visual elements that align with your personal taste, it’s important to understand that older ATSs can misread these aesthetic flourishes. Charts, logos, pictures, and graphics sometimes interfere with older ATS system scans, so most professionals prefer a more traditional, plain template.

Customizing your summary is a must if you’re aiming to maximize results during the job search, especially when dealing with AI screening tools. Incorporating keywords in the summary of your resume immediately shows that you have the prerequisite experience that the company is looking for. Tailoring your opening paragraph also allows you to refine your messaging to appeal to hiring managers.

Rather than copying and pasting bullet points from the job description into your resume, emphasize relevant aspects of your impact and results that address the organization’s needs. Use the job posting for guidance on structuring and prioritizing your accomplishments. For example, a software company may be looking to hire a product manager with a strong background in user experience (UX) design. To make your application appealing for this position, you might emphasize your role in shaping the UX and how you made bringing products to market easier or more successful.

You can use the AI resume screening to your advantage. If you are quickly rejected (within hours), you can figure out which skills and keywords you forgot to add by comparing your resume to the job description.

While you can have your resume reviewed by any AI tool, it’s important to understand that you don’t know what the recruiter and hiring team are doing on the hiring side. Also, the recruiters and the hiring team can tell when AI has written content. You might have more success if you use an AI tool to start, and then you can check the work.

You're not alone if you feel nervous about how your resume might perform during an AI resume screening. That said, if a website offers to analyze how your document might perform in an ATS, think carefully before paying for any services. It isn’t usually possible to measure the accuracy and effectiveness of these platforms, and aligning your resume with the job description is something you can do on your own.