Nine out of ten large employers now use “robots” (Applicant Tracking Systems) to review your resume. Knowing how to bypass their judgmental algorithms is becoming a necessary tool in your job search arsenal.
We recently provided you with quite an extensive list of free and visually appealing resume templates. Free Microsoft Word resume templates to help you land your dream job. Free Microsoft Word resume templates to help you land your dream job. many things! To ease the headache of preparing your resume, we've compiled a selection of great Microsoft Word templates. Download and customize for free! Read more . These resumes will work in your favor when a human finally looks at them. But an impressive resume doesn't necessarily help you navigate the auto-selection stage. To do this, you need simplification, and keywords.
The following tips are known to be the best (and most acceptable) ways to avoid the beady eyes of the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). If you have more information, leave it in the comments..
Applicant tracking systems were first built to help recruiters organize resumes and do basic screening to simplify recruiters' jobs. They have evolved since its inception..
Now, these systems are much more sophisticated. They are the reason why more than half of resumes are no longer seen by human eyes. These systems look for very specific words, years of experience, places of education, misspellings, incorrect formatting, and much more. If you don't meet the criteria at this first stage, your resume automatically ends up in the trash can.
An employer will specify to the system what he is looking for (and avoiding) in a candidate, and how important each of those qualities is. The system is capable of classifying applicants based on Yes, where, and how these attributes were mentioned in a resume.
If an applicant doesn't take this reality into account, despite being perfectly qualified for a job, they could see their resume being rejected without being properly considered.
To begin then, let us understand that these robots I am looking for very specific things. It's your job to help them find those things by rewriting your resume in a simplistic way. Stylize your resume for instant results in the job market. Stylize your resume for instant results in the job market. That will guarantee you the job. That would be stupid. However, I can guarantee that your resume will be ahead of a... Read More If you are using excessive formatting, such as tables or images, remove them. If you're trying to stand out using alternative title headings, stick with the standard headings (education, qualifications, experience, etc.).
Often your resume will be scanned and then certain words will be selected from the image that was created. Do everything you can to keep that resume simple. Improve Your Job Search:3 Quick Ways to Improve Your Resume Improve Your Job Search:3 Quick Ways to Improve Your Resume Your resume is key to landing that job interview. Technology can help check how legible your CV is, increasing your chances of making a good impression. Read more.
This means removing any unnecessary shading and keeping fonts simple, sans-serif like Tahoma or Verdana. Even typical serif fonts like Times New Roman can be too fancy for some ATMs.
When it comes to attaching your resume to your application, you may be used to sending PDFs. When you send a PDF, you know that it will display correctly for the recipient. However, some ATSs find that reading .doc or .docx files (usually from Microsoft Word) is easier to detect. Therefore, it is safer for you to simply create your resume in Word. How to Create a Resume Template with Microsoft Word How to Create a Resume Template with Microsoft Word Your resume could be the difference between interviewing for Dream Job or Never Again Employer:Use these tips to make sure you're the best you can be. Read More Get rid of the PDF.
Instead of showing off your literary skills by writing full paragraphs whenever possible, use concise bullet points. This helps the reader, be it a robot or a human, to scan the text more easily.
Keeping your bullet points concise means you also avoid any unnecessarily flowery language. This has the added benefit of reducing the word count of your resume, which increases keyword density throughout the document. More on this later.
Apparently, most ATSs have an easier time understanding their work experience if that experience is written accurately. Many people will write the date of employment just before the employer's name, since it looks clean on the page.
Instead, write your employer's name first , followed by your title, then the dates. This makes it easier for the ATS to track and calculate your years of experience (although you should still state this clearly at the top of your resume).
A surprising number of ATS will ignore your resume if an address is not included. Not only may they be looking for a candidate who lives within a certain radius, but they may also need to contact you by mail. So don't forget to include this piece of information.
However, wherever you put it, don't put it in the header or footer of the document. These can be ignored when performing the evaluation.
An ATS will immediately ignore your resume if spelling errors are detected. Sometimes this is because the employer has chosen to have errory resumes rejected. Sometimes it's because the ATS doesn't know what you mean.
As an example, if the ATS is looking for the specific keyword “Photoshop”, and you accidentally type “Photo Store”, you have not given the real desired keyword, and therefore could be rejected.
Within the job description there will be many clues as to what words you should include on your resume. If the job description mentions six different programming languages a candidate should have, do your best to include each of these on your resume.
Even if you're not fluent in some of those languages yet, you can mention them in a later summary section. Perhaps you could imply that you are "enrolling in an online course in Python". In which case, even though you haven't written Python yet, the keyword is still on your resume.
The same is true for personal attributes. If a job description calls for someone with a "keen eye for detail," and you've written "attention to detail" on your resume, change it. Mimic the language you find so much in the job description. and the company website.
Using an online tool like Wordle can help display those keywords visually.
Before you submit your resume, search LinkedIn for people who have a job similar to the one you're applying for at that company . Take a look at the language they use to describe their role. Look at the skills and qualifications they have, and the software they use.
These people are already employed at your target company, so they have the right skills. Use this as an opportunity to mimic her style.
As with search engine optimization (SEO), the placement and density of your keywords play a big role in how you "Score." If the most important keywords are not mentioned until the end of your resume, they may carry less weight.
That is why it is increasingly common to eliminate the vague. “The Objectives” Section at the beginning of the resume. This is now replaced with an "Overview" section. This overview is only a few sentences long and provides the perfect opportunity for you to quickly insert the main keywords you have identified. You can then repeat this on the resume, giving them additional weight in the ATS.
We've talked a lot about inserting keywords into your resume, but don't overdo it. Some people go too far and start inserting small, white blocks of text that contain nothing but a long list of invisible keywords. This is ridiculous. So you're stuffing your resume with so many keywords that it's barely readable.
Make sure to include the relevant words. Mimic the language the company uses and you'll stand a good chance. Don't get too desperate.
For some positions, if certain educational institutions (such as an Ivy League school) are not mentioned on your resume, you will not be considered a worthy candidate.
If you've never been to a school like this, don't worry. Many of these schools offer online courses Where to study:Navigate the world of free online education Where to study:Navigate the world of free online education Now that online learning is commonplace, it is also a nightmare to choose which learning systems to use. We make it easy by giving you an overview of the best options available. Read More In your Education section, then, you could write that you are expanding your grades by studying a Computer Science course at Yale. This not only enhances your education, but also gives you the opportunity to insert the name of a recognized institution on your resume.
If submitting your resume is the only way to get the job, follow these tips. If you are able to avoid the "machine" however, by all means move on. This could mean reaching out to people on LinkedIn, through email. 12 Reasons People STILL Ignore Your Emails 12 Reasons People STILL Ignore Your Emails Do you often have a hard time getting people to reply to your emails? We show you why people might ignore your emails and how to get them to notice and react to your message. Read More
For most, however, the resume is still something they will need to submit. In these cases, make sure you have tailored that resume to the specific employer. This is much more likely to get you through the screening process rather than submitting another generic document.
This all boils down to keeping things simple, while also finding and including the top keywords for that position.
What other tips do you have for overcoming “robots”, intercoms, applicant tracking systems – whatever you want to call them?
