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#BestofFSCBlog : 5 Resume Hacks To Pass ATS. Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Software Scans Resumes to Weed Out Applicants. A MUST REad!

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Applicant tracking system (ATS) software scans resumes and cover letters to weed out applicants based on factors set by the employer. This can include keywords, design and layout, length, and salary requirements. If your resume doesn’t make the cut, you won’t be asked for an interview.

Other companies direct applicants to apply online using one-word or drop-down responses and auto-fill resume features. One wrong response and, presto, you’re out!

This process can be incredibly frustrating to job seekers. Especially for those that are qualified for the position. With 98% of Fortune 500 companies use an ATS to vet credentials, it isn’t going anywhere soon. But there are some things you can do to increase your odds of passing ATS.

1. Focus on keywords. Read the job description thoroughly and circle keywords. Present keywords and phrases throughout your resume — but be honest! Here are tips on how to use ATS keywords on your resume.

  • Always include the company’s name and the exact position title on your resume.
  • Include a few role-specific keywords in the education and hard skills portion of your resume. Copy and paste keywords, not sentences from the job description. Include action verbs and specific skills from the job posting.
  • Do an internet search for relevant industry keywords to include. Compare the job posting to similar job announcements to pull keywords.
  • Don’t stuff your resume with keywords. Remember, at some point a real human being is going to read your resume.
  • Never lie about your abilities. If you cannot back it up, don’t write it down.

2. Stay away from PDFs. Often ATS misses pdfs, so use a Word document instead.

3. Ditch your headshot. Unless the posting specifically asks for a headshot, it is not necessary. Instead make sure your LinkedIn and social sites include a professional photograph. (And clean up anything on your social sites you wouldn’t want your employer to see … 67% of employers screen candidates using social.)

4. Avoid overused jargon or buzzwords. Never use clichés or overused phrases such as “self-starter” or “attention to detail.” Use a show, don’t tell approach on your resume and cover letter. Instead of “I am a self-starter,” write “I initiated a company-wide volunteer program that resulted in 1500 prepared lunches for school age children in impoverished areas.”

5. Avoid fancy graphic designs. Be basic. Use bullets to get your points across. Be succinct. Make sure that the information on your resume is easy to find and easy to read. In positions where design matters, you’ll be asked to present a portfolio where you can showcase your style.

Eventually, your resume will be read by a person. So, you want to be sure that it is easy to navigate, readable, professional, and includes information pertinent to human eyes … not just ATS. Here are some tips:

1. Highlight relevant experience. Make it easy for recruiters to pick out relevant experience over longevity of experience.

2. Use bullet points and short sentences. Hiring managers and recruiters spend an average of six seconds reading your resume.

3. Include a link to your LinkedIn profile. While you’re at it, update your LinkedIn profile especially concerning dates! (Pro tip: update your LinkedIn profile URL so that it is your name: example https://www.linkedin.com/in/yourname/).

4. Include a link to your portfolio, personal website, or social media sites. Make sure to include or include links to relevant and requested information. Not every position will require a portfolio, but if yours does, you better include a link.

 

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Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

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Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, Llc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, the UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of our corporate partners for the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment!

 

Article continued …

Just as there are things to include, there are aspects of a resume to ditch. Here are some tips to tighten up your resume:

1. Omit your GPA. Unless you recently graduated magna cum laude, there is no need to include your GPA. Work experience is more relevant.

2. Don’t include every job you’ve ever had. Part-time jobs, non-relevant jobs, and side hustles should not be included unless they specifically demonstrate why you’re qualified for the position.

3. Avoid discriminating against yourself. Unfortunately, age discrimination is real and it is really easy to slip information about your age onto your resume. Here are some tips to age-proof your resume:

  • Avoid using AOL and Hotmail email domains. Register for a new email on Gmail that is succinct such as your first and last name.
  • Remove graduation dates from your education section. De-emphasize irrelevant degrees. Instead, highlight relevant training and experience.
  • Avoid including jobs that are older than 15 years.

Job hunting is a laborious process, but you can increase your odds of an interview by following a few common sense tips. Also, be sure to use spell and grammar checks. Independently check for types (pro tip: read your resume backward so your eye catches typos more easily).  You can’t trick an ATS, but you can increase your odds of getting your resume in front of HR or a recruiter.

 

Forbes.com | December 12, 2022 | Ashley Stahl

#BestofFSCBlog : Reality Check- Recruiters are Not your Friends. There’s No Such Thing as a Professional Job-Finder. MUst REad!

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This fact may burst a bubble for most job seekers. The hard reality is job seekers have the wrong idea about what recruiters and headhunters do for a living. When one starts a search for a new job, the first professional they may try to connect with is a recruiter. A recruiter would know where to find a job…right? They can take the resume and push it to everyone they know…right? Dead wrong.  

Here is the hard-core truth. Recruiters are too busy to call anyone their company isn’t ‘interested in’ for a specific job. Recruiters will not return phone calls, voice mail, email, or text messages to strangers or applicants who don’t meet the minimum job requirements. They are already overwhelmed with communications trying to find the ‘perfect candidate.’ If you are not ‘the match,’ – you can talk ’til you’re blue in the face,’ but it won’t change circumstances. You will only waste your and the recruiter’s time.

There’s no such thing as a professional job-finder. Resume writers, career advisors, career counselors, life coaches, or outplacement service professionals may operate with parallel tasking – but they’re not job-finders. Recruiters are candidate finders. It’s not their responsibility to find a job for job seekers. Don’t blindly contact recruiters and ask them to help you find a job. 

 

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Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

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Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

Article continued …

It’s also a numbers game – job seekers submit resumes, aim for multiple interviews, and hope for an offer letter. Recruiters review hundreds of resumes from websites, headhunters, or employee referrals for each position, query the resumes for matching keywords, and send the top 5-10 results to a hiring manager. The hiring manager picks the top three to interview and make a decision based on salary (budget), availability, knowledge, skills, experience, abilities, and personality in the interview.  

It sounds harsh, but it is reality. Finding a job is not a matter of justice, fairness, or luck. No one owes anyone a job. Recruiters are your ‘friend’ only if you meet the immediate requirements of an open job requisition. Recruiters don’t have time to invest in job seekers, their inconveniences, and their car or family problems.  Recruiters do care about recruiting, filling jobs, keeping hiring managers happy, and staying within a staffing budget. They will be polite to qualified candidates and perform the steps necessary to get that candidate hired.  Likewise, hiring managers do not care about applicants’ inconveniences and problems.  Hiring managers care whether the qualified candidate has great skills, stays within a labor budget, and can get the job done.  

Recruiters and headhunters are ‘people finders,’ not ‘job finders.’ They have a set number of specific openings at any given time and usually only hire one person per seat. One. Recruiter’s jobs are to conduct a ‘high throughput’ process. It is a matter of getting the right resume with the needed skill set to the recruiter to solve a company’s problem.  

Job seekers must ask when the decision will be made during the interview. If the company is interested in hiring, they’ll call. If you know when the position closes, call the day after if you haven’t gotten a ‘sorry, we found another more qualified candidate’ message. One call…no more. Drop that job lead into the dead file if you get a voicemail and no callback. Most recruiters have an email management system within their ATS, and there is a chance they’ll notify the ‘rejects.’ But most likely, they don’t have time for follow-up. 

To summarize, there is little point in calling a recruiter to ask them to help you, the job seeker, to find a job. Job seekers should recognize the recruiters’ viewpoint for what they do for a living. It is up to the job seeker to find that job and apply. It’s not a recruiter’s responsibility to help the job seeker find or get that next career position.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:

Dawn Boyer, Ph.D., is an associate of First Sun Consulting, and the owner of D. Boyer Consulting – providing resume writing, editing, and publishing consulting services. Reach her at: Dawn.Boyer@DBoyerConsulting.com or http://dboyerconsulting.com.

Bio: Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D., manages and operates a consulting firm in Norfolk, Richmond, Colonial Beach (Dahlgren), and Gloucester, VA. Her background is 24+ years in the Human Resources field, of which 12+ years are within the Federal & Defense Contracting industry. She is the author of 940+ books on business, human resources research, career search practice, women’s studies, genealogy lineages, and adult coloring books. Her books are listed on Amazon.com under her author’s page for Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D.

 

FSC Career Blog | October 13, 2022 | Dawn Boyer, Ph. D. 

 

 

 

SEO Key Words for Internet Posting:

applicants, ATS, Candidate finders, Career advisors, Career counselors, career position, communications, dead-file, email management system, employee referrals, experience, fairness, follow-up, friends, headhunters, high throughput process, hiring manager, hiring managers, interview, job finders, Job requisition, job seekers, justice, keywords, knowledge, labor budget, Life coaches, minimum job requirements, offer letter, Outplacement service professionals, people finders, perfect candidate, personality, Phone calls, professional, professional job-finder, qualified candidates, Reality check, Recruiters, resume, Resume writers, review, skills, strangers, text messages, voicemail 

 

#BestofFSCBlog :Over 5K Reads! 5 Tips To Beat The Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Increase your Chances of Beating the Bots & Get That Interview. GReat REad!

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You know the job you want, and you know you’ve got the right skills and experience to be successful, but you’re yet to be invited for an interview. In fact, you’ve rarely received so much as a follow-up email. Surely that many recruiters can’t have passed over your RESUME/CV?

Before you start to doubt your credentials, there might be one important step you haven’t considered. As with so many areas of our lives, many hiring professionals now rely on technology to help them screen applications.

So the problem is that an actual person might not see your RESUME/CV for a long time after you submit it. Instead, it will pass through an applicant tracking system (ATS); an HR tool that determines whether your RESUME/CV is a match or not based on keywords.

 

This means you need to become an expert in beating the bots. The good news is there are some simple steps you can take to get your RESUME/CV past an ATS.

 

Include the right keywords

The most important thing you need to do is ensure that your RESUME/CV contains the right keywords. Recruiters will search for RESUME/CVs based on set keywords and criteria relevant to the role, so if you haven’t included these in your application, it will likely go unnoticed.

These keywords could be specific skills, qualifications, and job titles that showcase your experience. The best way to ensure you’re ticking the right boxes is to look through the job description and pick out the specific requirements set out by the employer. You can then pepper these keywords throughout your RESUME/CV.

For example, if the recruiter is looking for a ‘web developer’, be sure to get the job title in there. Not only this but be sure to highlight important skills such as ‘project management and ‘testing’. You could also include specific tools if the recruiter has listed them, such as ‘CSS’ or ‘JavaScript’.

In doing so, you make it much easier for the ATS to scan through and find all their relevant keywords, flagging that you’re a good match for the recruiter’s search criteria.

 

Like this Article?  Share It!    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award-Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

 

Cut the fluff

When it comes to writing a strong RESUME/CV, it’s always important to ensure you only include the most relevant information. However, when trying to beat an ATS, this is even more important.

Though it might usually be beneficial to give details of your passion for the industry, how you’ve risen through the ranks, and your willingness to keep learning, these are rarely termed a recruiter will search for using an ATS.

Therefore, it’s best to cut the fluff and keep your RESUME/CV clear, concise, and absolutely to the point. Stick to actionable skills, qualifications, and job titles that you think recruiters might be searching for.

 

Use traditional headings

Your RESUME/RESUME/CV should be broken up into sections to make the information easier to digest. However, you need to ensure you’re using standardized headings and making them clearly different from the body text. Otherwise, you might confuse the ATS, prompting the tool to organize your information incorrectly. This will make it harder for recruiters to run searches and find your RESUME/CV.

With this in mind, it’s best to stick to traditional headers like a personal profile, key skills, work experience, and education to help organize your information, and ensure all headings are big and bold.

The same applies to job titles. Be sure to use clear and traditional job titles, specifically those listed on the job description. Avoid any quirky titles you might have had in the past, such as developer evangelist or cloud chief architect, as these will only be confusing and could cost you an interview.

 

Format your RESUME/RESUME/CV correctly

An ATS might be very technically advanced, but it still has limitations. At the end of the day, it is a machine and not a person, which means poor formatting can make it impossible for the machine to scan and understand your RESUME/CV.

To give yourself the best chance of beating the bots, you need to make sure your document is left aligned, with margins of at least half an inch. Also, be sure to use standardized fonts such as Arial or Verdana and no smaller than font size 10.

Ensure all information is contained within the body of the document and nothing has spilt into the header or footer. This will boost your chances of application success.

Choose the right file format

You’ve spent hours carefully crafting your RESUME/RESUME/CV, so you don’t want to fall at the final hurdle. You need to make sure you save your file in the most reader-friendly format. Some job descriptions will specify the type of file you should submit; however, if this is not the case, it’s best to stick to a Word document or PDF, because they are easily readable by machines. Never submit your RESUME/CV as an image file because most ATS will not be sophisticated enough to pull words from a non-text-based document.

Keep these five tips in mind as you continue your job search, especially if you suspect your RESUME/CV will be going straight to an ATS and not to a person. This will increase your chances of beating the bots and securing an interview.

Forbes.com | September 27, 2022 | Andrew Fennell

#ResumeWriting : What is an ATS? What is SEO? What are Keywords in Resumes? Think your Resume Got Read? Think Again!

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Job seekers and resume owners are often confused about the terms and definitions of ATS, SEO, and keywords.  Some clients think there is a certain set of standardized words you insert into the resume to get seen after they upload the resume into an online system.

Here is an easy breakdown of the terms and how these resume elements are used by recruiters in the job placement industry.

ATS is the acronym for Automatic Tracking System. The ATS is the software application (often cloud-based) that recruiters use to receive, house, sort, document applicants who apply to specific job requisitions.  Recruiters also perform a procedure called a Boolean search in the SQL database to find applicants with keywords or key phrases in their resumes.  The Boolean search is an automated, and faster method to reduce the number of actual resumes recruiters have to read by identifying the ‘more qualified candidates’ in the system by keyword inclusion.

SEO is the acronym for Search Engine Optimization. Using an Internet browser (e.g., Google, Bing, Opera) to find information means implementing Boolean search using key words to find Search Engine Optimized pages or documents.  The search engine will look for websites with the keywords or phrases and the sites with the ‘most number’ of those keywords or phrases will show up in a result queue, with the most optimized websites at the top of the list.

Recruiters use the same Boolean search process in an ATS (resume database) as an Internet search.  Once the recruiter conducts the search either in the entire database or only within applicants to the specific job requisition, then resumes with the ‘most mentions’ of a key word or phrase will rise to the top of the result queue. Recruiters don’t have time to read 100, 200, 300 resumes, so rely on SEO keywords to find the ‘most qualified’ candidate based on the higher number of mentions of those keywords in the resume.  They will glance through the top 5-10 resumes in the results queue, and if these candidates fulfill the minimum qualifications, they will proceed to interview or push the resumes to hiring managers for decisions.  It is likely the remaining 90, 190, or 290 resumes will never be read and ‘marked’ en masse as ‘other candidates more qualified.’

 

Like this Article?  Share It!    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award-Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

Article continued …

Keywords are single words or phrases directly relevant to a job-seeker’s career, skills, experience, and/or education.  For instance, a computer programmer should mention all the programming languages s/he uses as keywords.  Logistics careerists should use the words supply chain, logistics, supply, warehousing, and inventory as keywords, with metrics, to describe their job tasks and achievements.  Salespersons should include keywords related to revenue, sales, marketing, advertising, and income streams.  Property managers should include metrics for units rented, the values of rental properties, descriptions of how they manage or provide maintenance of facilities and vendors contracting for repairs as keywords and phrases.

Executives (C-suite) should not mistake words like ‘leadership,’ ‘guiding,’ and ‘support’ as keywords – these are vague and subjective.  Corporate executives and/or financial directors should have action verbs as keywords and phrases, including development, research, accounting, finance, investments, mergers and acquisitions, supervision, management, director (of something), and/or project or program management.

The action verbs at the beginning of a bullet should be followed with a documentable, objectively written action with a result.  One example, loaded with metrics, would be, “Managed >$20M in contracts for services, current, and future deployment projects including aircraft support equipment, office supplies, and electronics; managed and monitored contracts valued at

~$2.14M for parts and required services, $3.02M in Aircraft Ground Support Equipment requirements, and >$10M in electronics and future deployment components.”

Knowing what these terms mean, and how to use the processes to your advantage, will assist in writing a more objectively-worded, keyword-loaded, and action-based descriptors of your career and experience.  The more keywords, phrases, objective language, documentable metrics, and easy to read bullets in the resume, the faster recruiters will be able to find you, consider your strengths, and pick up the phone to interview.

SEO Key Words for web post:  achievements, action verbs, applicants, ATS, Automatic Tracking System , Boolean search, career , cloud-based, definitions, descriptors, experience, hiring managers, Internet browser, Internet search, interview, job description, job placement, job requisitions, key phrases, keyword inclusion, keywords, metrics, objective language, online system, optimized websites, phrase, qualifications, recruiters, result queue, resume database, Resumes, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Optimized, SEO, skills, software application, SQL database, subjective, system, terms, websites. Examples below:

Key Word Hash-Tags (#):  #achievements, #actionverbs, #applicants, #ATS, #AutomaticTrackingSystem, #Booleansearch, #career, #cloud-based, #definitions, #descriptors, #experience, #hiringmanagers, #Internetbrowser, #Internetsearch, #interview, #jobdescription, #jobplacement, #jobrequisitions, #keyphrases, #keywordinclusion, #keywords, #metrics, #objectivelanguage, #onlinesystem, #optimizedwebsites, #phrase, #qualifications, #recruiters, #resultqueue, #resumedatabase, #Resumes, #SearchEngineOptimization, #SearchEngineOptimized, #SEO, #skills, #softwareapplication, #SQLdatabase, #subjective, #system, #terms, #websites

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  Ms. Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D., an Associate with First Sun, has a successful business and consulting firm in Norfolk, Richmond, Colonial Beach (Dahlgren), and Gloucester, VA.  Her background is 24+ years in the Human Resources field, of which 12+ years are within the Federal & Defense Contracting industry.  She is the author of 940+ books on business, human resources research, career search practice, women’s studies, genealogy lineages, and has illustrated ~118 adult coloring books.  Her books are listed on Amazon.com under her author’s page for Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D.

Dawn Boyer, Ph.D., owner of D. Boyer Consulting, and an associate with First Sun Consulting, provides resume writing, editing, publishing, and print-on-demand consulting.  Reach her at: Dawn.Boyer@me.com or visit her website at www.dboyerconsulting.com.

 

                                                                                                                                          FSC Career Blog – July 31, 2022

 

 

 

#JobSearch : Tips to Get Your Resume into Human Hands. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) can Eliminate your Resume Before Eyes Ever See it!!

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With the use of automation in today’s hiring processes, getting your executive resume into human hands through online portals can be virtually impossible. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) can eliminate your resume before eyes ever see it!! Even though it is “easier” to submit your resume online, and takes much less effort, you may not get the outcome you want. The technology is in place to scan for certain keywords and keyword phrases in order to move through the hundreds of resumes submitted for a single position. Formatting plays a key part in ensuring the words are read and not bypassed.

To give yourself a fighting chance of getting your resume into human hands, here are some tips to consider:

Optimize Your Keywords

You probably know that keywords are essential in an effective resume. But which keywords should be used and how? Start with the job description. What words are you seeing multiple times? If you have these skills, use them in your resume. What about individuals who already perform this job? Use LinkedIn to read their profiles. What keywords do they possess? Once you have the list, incorporate these words into your resume, showing how you have used these skills in the past, and can use them to benefit the company in the future. This is the best chance you have at getting your executive resume through the automated keyword filter.

 

Like this Article?  Share It!    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award-Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

Seek Out Connections

Don’t rely only on technology. Sometimes we forget to utilize the connections that we have made. You can bypass technology completely and start speaking with your network. Begin talking with people in your industry about your desire for a change. You can do this through LinkedIn, email, or events. When you make connections with people in your industry, you may not even have to send in a resume online. You still have to focus on writing an effective resume, so don’t think your connection will guarantee you an interview. It’s just one of the best ways to get around the initial resume submission stage.

Be Short and Concise

No one wants to read a long resume. You have an average of six seconds to impress a recruiter or HR manager. The first thing an executive resume writer should do is look how to tighten up sentences and sections. Try to keep your resume to two pages or less, but the shorter the better.

Choose Your Approach Carefully

Whether you choose to submit your resume online or in person, following up with the company is important to know where you stand. Sometimes your resume is filtered out right away because of keywords, but sometimes it could have been lost in the shuffle. Without checking in periodically, you may never know. Just be careful not to follow-up too much to the point where you look desperate.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn

 

FSC Career Blog – June 22, 2021

 

#JobSearch : Recruiter And Application Tracking System(ATS) Expert Shares Resume Dos, Don’ts. How to Effectively Create your Resume to Get Through ATS.

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In the hiring process, 90% of large employers use an Applicant Tracking System where job candidates submit their resumes online when applying for positions. Many job hunters – whether they are 20-something or 50-something do not understand how the Applicant Tracking System works and certain myths have been passed around on the Internet that are not true. Tejal Wagadia is JobScan’s Career

Expert with a background in corporate recruiting who also writes a job search and career blog called coffee and tejal. She talked with me about the facts regarding resumes, ATS, and how recruiters and employers use it. Job Scan, she noted, is an online service that uses AI to review a resume and aid you in optimizing your resume as you apply to a specific ATS system.

What is an Applicant Tracking System?

ATS is a human resources software, that works as an online database or a digital filing cabinet and so a recruiter or hiring manager can go in and look at your resume, notes Wagadia. ATS is used by companies of all sizes to organize, search, and communicate with large groups of applicants, but it is significant to note that 99% of Fortune 500 use an ATS in their recruitment and hiring process. Companies often hire for multiple positions at once and receive hundreds if not thousands of applicants for each job opening. When a recruiter or hiring manager receives that many resumes, it’s not feasible for them to carefully read each one. ATS makes searching easier—or even automated—saving time and removing unqualified people.

When you apply through an ATS, you will most likely be asked to answer what are called “knockout questions”, stated Wagadia. Knockout questions can be in the style of checkboxes or short answer questions. Their purpose is to narrow the pool of applicants. Filters are used by the software to eliminate unqualified candidates often involving Education requirements, certifications, specific experience, or work authorizations. So, if you answer any of the knockout questions unsatisfactorily, the resume will either be flagged or auto-rejected by the ATS. If you answer the knockout questions correctly, your resume will make it through to the next stage.

 

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Article continued …

Recruiters and managers then select specific keywords to sort through and find appropriate candidates. These keywords are used in the job posting. They could be based on skills, location, or work experience needed.

“One major myth out there on the Internet about ATS is simply not true,” revealed Wagadia. “This online statistic is a myth: “75% of resumes are never seen human eyes as they are filtered out by the ATS.” In my experience and talking with other recruiters, this is not true. Your rejection is likely from a human being.” A resume writer simply made up this statistic and many resume writers repeated it and use it in their service ads and on their websites.

Here are her insights to lower your job search stress on how to effectively create your Resume to get through ATS.

MYTHS to Avoid. Wagadia noted that there are no tricks to beat the ATS. You need the experience, and qualifications because sooner or later in the review process a human looks at the resume and if you lack these you are instantly rejected. Here are her tips for improving your resume. Writing keywords in white on the resume inside margins does not work. Thinking more keywords the better is not effective either.

Customize the resume based on the job description. Look at the first 3-5 qualifications and 3-5 duties and ensure that you are using that verbiage on your resume. Add it if it is missing. Do this with each submitted resume for each job opportunity.

Avoid these mistakes. Don’t submit in a PDF format although the system may accept a PDF, it’s more effective to submit the resume as a Word doc. ATS cannot read headers, footers, text boxes, tables, columns, or color ink. Also, some job hunters rate their skills themselves on their resume but this another critical error. Use traditional fonts and spell out acronyms.

Only apply if you meet 75-80% of the qualifications. The company will eliminate you if you lack most of the key qualifications. But if you have most of the qualifications you can apply. For example, you have 5 years of experience and they ask for 7, you are close enough if you have all the other work experience asked for. What is essential is to determine if you have done this job and what have you accomplished on the job. If the answer is yes, apply.

Use a traditional standard format. Keep in mind that when a recruiter does look at your resume, it’s a pretty quick glance. Have your top accomplishments and best experience near the top. ATS wants your information in specified standard headings Education, Professional Experience, Technical Skills, Honors and Awards, etc., so do not get creative here in making up section heading titles.

Refine your job search to be more effective. Think QUALITY over QUANITY in terms of the application you make. Do not spend endless hours a week online filing dozens of applications. You must be fresh to customize that resume to use for your application. When one is done, walk away from the computer. 5-10 hours a week is the approximate amount of time you need to spend on identifying leads, customizing the resume, and applying. Also important to note that additional job search hours should be spent on Interviewing and the all-important networking tasks.

NETWORKING must be an essential part of your job search process. Assuming you are qualified for the job, look to find the recruiter on LinkedIn. Reach out to that person. Mention you are applying and very briefly outline your skills and ask for more info on the job. Another key step is to look for a connection working inside the company and reach out to them for more info about the company, job. You should also ask them to pass on your resume to HR or the appropriate recruiter or hiring manager as an internally referred resume ALWAYS gets looked at.

 

Forbes.com | May 25, 2021 |  Robin Ryan