By Andrea Bossi ·Updated March 22, 2026 < /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… It’s harder than ever to get a job today, and, just the same, it’s a tough time to even land an interview or recruiter screening call.
A few things have contributed to this moment, like there being more applicants in the first place, thanks to a combination of more people being out of work and looking for jobs and jobs being easier to apply to in the first place, like with LinkedIn’s few-click “Easy Apply” option. On top of that, there are now AI-based resume screeners —- these have a heightened risk of discriminating by race, especially against Black men, per the Brookings, and sites like Workday are currently in litigation for their AI-powered screening tools allegedly discriminating by age, among other demographics.
The job search doesn’t just feel hard, but there’s data to back up those sentiments, too. About 0.4% of job applicants have a chance of landing the job they’re applying for, per Business Insider.
For anyone who has been applying for jobs and feels like applying is just sending your resume into the abyss, that’s fair. But there are some moves you can make to bolster your resume and its chances in the 2026 job market.
To start, don’t ever ask AI to write your resume and then copy and paste that version into what becomes your final document. Some AI tools being used to screen resumes are checking if the resumes may have been made with AI. By copying and pasting, it puts you at risk of being an easy flag.
“One of the AI tells is generalities,” Americas CEO Dave Brown of Hays, a recruitment firm, told Fast Company. “Use it to help draft but then personalize it and make it human.” Brown recommended using “I” statements like “I did” and “I delivered” in order to talk about tasks and projects owned, in addition to results.
To really make the resume feel personalized and not a too general, potentially-AI-crafted document, it can be worth including “specific stories about how you were able to impact [your company], or the feedback from what a customer said, or a quote, or a testimonial from someone,” per Brown. Always include specific data where you can. List your skills, too.
The next best thing to submitting a resume in the first place? Well, there are at least two options.
In today’s environment, it pays to get creative. In addition to a resume, it’s not a bad idea to create slides or even to make a video to accompany your resume in order to get the company’s attention. “If you’re really interested in a deep experience and you know who’s hiring for the position, remarket yourself in a different way,” Brown continued. “Show that you are paying attention to what’s going on with the organization.”
Recording a personalized video for each job application or recruiter can sound absurd, especially for someone who has been in the job market for decades, but apparently, that’s what today’s strained job market is asking from job seekers. Otherwise, a lot of hiring still happens through referrals, Brown told Fast Company. A personalized video can do that, and so can connecting with or knowing someone internally.
Applying for a job and sending in your resume shouldn’t feel like sending your application into the abyss, but today, it can seem like a common experience. Whenever that feels daunting, know there are still actions you can test out and take.
The post Feel Like You’re Sending Your Resume Into The Abyss? You’re Not Alone—Try These Moves appeared first on Essence.