Women in Tech panel experts emphasize importance of using technology in your job search

On Monday, November 11, the Women in Tech (WIT) group, supported by University of Kentucky Information Technology Service (UK ITS), hosted a panel discussion comprised of UK career experts, and a local business owner, who discussed tips that can easily help modernize both job searching and self-promotion.

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Panelists offered strategies for using LinkedIn, generative AI and challenged attendees to think differently about using technology throughout stages of our careers.

Watch or listen the full conversation on YouTube here.

Associate Director of Employer Engagement & Career Advocacy at UK Pigman College of Engineering, Betsy Davies began by discussing the perks of using LinkedIn. If you aren’t on LinkedIn, you’re missing out on one of the most popular networking resources in the world.

“We can't stress enough to students that it is a fantastic tool to make the world smaller to get them connected to alums in networks all over the country,” Davies said. “If you name a big company, we have an alum there, whether it's from engineering and computer science or just from UK.”

Panelist Carrie Downey, a digital productivity consultant and business owner, encouraged networking and connecting with new people on LinkedIn.

“Because you can learn a lot about a person when they share content, info that’s on their profile already, you can have little tidbits of information that spark conversations,” Downey said. “When I go to networking events, I try to ask folks if they are on LinkedIn — then if they say yes, we connect right there using the handy dandy QR code.”

If you aren’t sure how to be more active on LinkedIn, Downey said that the most popular LinkedIn posts tell stories.

“If you're telling stories about the work that you do or the reason you came to the line of work you're in, you're creating a space where people can get to know you,” she said. “Whether that's through written text, post about a story about your week or something that happened in your job that month, or it's a video post — perhaps you record yourself talking to the camera and post that — then people really get to see a face to go with the name and the information.”

Another way to use technology to assist with a job search is by using generative artificial intelligence. Associate Director of Alumni Career Services Amy Gamblin said AI is a great resource.

“We could put through different prompts of looking at their previous resume and maybe looking at a job description that they're interested in, or a job area that they're interested in,” Gamblin said.

She also emphasized the importance of rewriting AI suggestions in your own voice. “Make sure that whatever you're putting in your resume speaks to who you are. It just isn't cutting and pasting what AI spits out. AI gets it wrong.” 

Overall, some of the most important tips offered by the panelist are easy to implement. 

• Set up a LinkedIn profile and interact with the social media platform. Having a photo, background photo and a summary helps you stand out. Posting original content and interacting with others’ posts helps you gain traction on the platform. 

• Find your LinkedIn QR code in the app by taping the search bar. A small QR code appears at the top of the app in the right hand corner of the search bar.  

• Do not use Easy Apply on LinkedIn. Although it sounds like a simple way to apply for a job, because it skips important information like supplemental questions, this feature can disqualify all candidates when they use it to apply for a job. 

• Don’t upload personal information like your email address or phone number on LinkedIn. When bad actors gain access to even a few pieces of information, this could lead to a fake profile being created in your name or a fake job offer designed to capture more of your sensitive information. Never click on links you aren’t expecting to receive. Read more about phishing and social engineering in this article — UK ITS warns UK community of sophisticated social engineering cyber threats. 

• Do not add a photo to your resume. It can disqualify you from a job because having a photo does not allow employers to fairly review your qualifications.  

• Do not use Canva or other design platforms to make your resume. Many applicant tracking systems cannot read or scan text created through designed resumes.  

• Search for applicant tracking systems and use them to scan your resume. Ensuring that your resume uses the right balance of key words can be the difference between passing an initial screening for a job interview or not. Gamblin suggests: Jobscan (jobscan.co), Resumeworded (resumeworded.com), Resume Checker by Zety (zety.com), SkillSyncer (skillsyncer.com) and TopResume ATS Checker (topresume.com). 

• When using AI, change the suggested information into your own voice. When job applicants don’t change AI generated suggestions, employers often receive identical resumes which can lead to losing out on an interview opportunity. You can hear more from Amy Gamblin on UK ITS’s podcast TechKnow by clicking on Episode 5: Artificial Intelligence and Your Job Search - TechKnow | Podcast on Spotify 

One common issue panelists see is how women struggle with imposter syndrome. Employer Engagement Specialist at UK Stuckert Career Center Meghan Pippenger said one way to combat this is to know how to talk about yourself.

“Take time to write down great things about yourself,” Pippenger said. “You might be at the same level as someone else, but there's something unique about you that makes you stand out. So, think about those things, and how you can promote yourself, and give yourself that confidence.”

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