Skill Sage

Problem & Motivation

In today's tough job market, job seekers face a daunting challenge when it comes to navigating through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Up to 90% of employees, including the prestigious Fortune 500 companies, rely on these systems as the initial gatekeepers in the hiring process. Even if the applicant's resume manages to pass the initial automated screening, the resume must also be approved by the Human Resource and role-related hiring managers. In the face of numerous rejection emails, job seekers often grapple with the challenge of effectively showcasing their experiences when they are unaware of the specific issues with their resumes in the first place.

Our motivation behind creating a solution is rooted in the need to empower job seekers. Providing them with a tool that not only assists them to overcome the ATS barrier, but also enhances the authenticity and effectiveness of their resumes. 

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Our MVP allows users to copy an paste their resume (without any personal information) and Skill Sage's multiple features will provide different suggestions about the resume's content.

Here's how Skill Sage works:

• Resume Optimization: Skill Sage analyzes your resume against job descriptions linked to your desired job titles, identifying pertinent skill sets, and provides improved descriptions enriched with relevant keywords.
• Skills Gap Analysis: Our tool performs an in-depth examination, pinpointing sought-after skills outlined in job descriptions for your target role. Skill Sage then reveals the relevant skills present on your resume and highlights areas where acquiring additional knowledge might be beneficial for the roles you're interested in.
• Authenticity First: We believe in authenticity. Skill Sage ensures your resume accurately reflects your experiences while enhancing its appeal to ATS.

Skill Sage is more than a tool; it's a partner in a career journey. Craft a resume that not only passes through the ATS gatekeepers but also showcases a person's true potential to human recruiters. 

Data Source and Data Science Approach

Skill Sage harnesses the power of three diverse datasets to fuel its innovative data science approach. The first dataset comprises of tech-related resumes sourced from Indeed, offering a comprehensive look into the experiences and skills of job seekers in the technology sector. The second dataset consists of tech-related job descriptions from Dice, providing valuable insights into the specific qualifications and requirements sought by employers in the tech industry. Additionally, a dataset containing job-related information and skills extracted from a GitHub corpus enriches the tool's understanding of the dynamic landscape of tech roles.

The data science approach employed by Skill Sage is anchored in advanced natural language processing techniques. Sentence transformers are utilized to convert resume sentences and job description sentences into high-dimensional vectors. Cosine similarity is then employed to measure the similarity between these vectors, enabling a nuanced comparison between the content of resumes and the expectations outlined in job descriptions. This approach goes beyond traditional keyword matching, allowing Skill Sage to identify contextually relevant information and provide nuanced recommendations for resume optimization.

Evaluation

Skill Sage undergoes a thorough evaluation process combining unsupervised user testing and domain expertise in resume optimization. User testing involves deploying the tool to a diverse group, gathering real-time feedback on usability, effectiveness, and overall impact. This approach ensures broad applicability across different industries and user backgrounds. Simultaneously, domain experts in resume optimization assess Skill Sage's alignment with industry standards, especially in tech-related fields. This dual-layered evaluation strategy, incorporating insights from both users and industry experts, guides iterative improvements to the tool's capabilities, ensuring it not only navigates ATS effectively but also resonates with the expectations of human recruiters. 

Ethical Considerations

Our team prioritize the privacy and security of our users. We want to assure you that when you input your resume into our tool, we do not collect any personal data. We understand the sensitivity of personal information, and our commitment is to provide a secure and trustworthy environment for our users. Skill Sage operates on a strict policy of data confidentiality, ensuring that your professional details remain confidential and are not stored or used for any purposes beyond the immediate resume optimization process.

We also acknowledge that it is important to ensure the truthfulness of all information presented in your resume. We do not endorse or support the inclusion of false or misleading information. Please use this service responsibly.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank both of our capstone supervisors Joyce Shen and Todd Holloway for their constant support throughout the entire project's journey. Their guidance was vital towards the success of our final product. In addition, we would also like to acknowledge the UC Berkeley Master of Information and Data Science (MIDS) Career Services for providing insight into the core components of an outstanding resume. Their expert advice about what areas to focus on significantly influenced the development of Skill Sage's core features.