Resume tracking is the norm these days. Most mid-sized to large organizations receive hundreds and even thousands of resumes through the internet. Company representatives must respond to these huge volumes and somehow find and select the ideal candidate. As a result, employers and recruiters rely on automating the resume selection process.
With a large and constantly growing pool of applicants, it has become increasingly difficult for companies to print and file a hardcopy of every resume that comes in. Driven by advancements in technology and the increasing volume of applicants, the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) was born. Companies use the system for resume tracking. Through the ATS, they sort, store, and manage the considerable number of resumes they receive on a daily basis. Ideally, only a few good resumes will be sorted out for recruiters and employers to read and they will never need to bother with the rest.
There are many different ATS systems on the market, and each is somewhat different from the rest. Some have multi-layered functionality and others are quite basic in features. As with most early technology, no ATS is perfect. Most regularly disqualify resumes from qualified people. They parse out poor candidates, but they filter out good ones too.
Most submitted resumes are misread by ATS. This is because the system requires very specific formatting and structure. Veering from this even a bit can hamper correct scanning, interpretation, and filtering.
Your client may be the ideal candidate, but if without the right resume, nobody may ever know it. But, if you understand the way the system works – and its weaknesses – you can improve your client’s chances of being selected for an interview.
Ensure that your client’s resume passes the resume tracking system. Analyze the resume against the following areas that might be missed, misaligned, misunderstood, muddled, or mistaken by ATS readers:
- ATS systems are gluttons for information – they can take in seemingly unlimited amounts of data, but can’t decipher the meaning or significance of subjective and intangible value the job seeker brings. To improve the resume’s relevance and ranking, ensure that it matches the job posting or job description closely.
- ATS systems read plain text best. More text is good, but you can help the ranking by cutting articles, pronouns, and other unnecessary words out of the resume.
- Your client’s resume can be as lengthy as it needs to be. Page breaks are unrecognizable in ATS, so instead of breaking the document up, make one long resume.
- Keywords and key phrases are crucial to the functionality of ATS, but the ATS cannot translate or exchange synonyms. Consider including many variations of key words and phrases in the resume.
- Some ATS systems don’t pick up a keyword block, such as an “Areas of Expertise” competency section. For the best chance, scatter the words and phrases throughout your client’s resume.
- ATS algorithms are designed to select keywords and phrases that are specific to a particular job, but unique and different from other postings in its information bank. Your client’s resume will be ranked not only against the post, but also against other resumes that are submitted. Take your keywords to the next level by adding keywords that other candidates might not think of using.
- ATS resumes are parsed into components to compare applicants “apples to apples.” It expects to locate the following sections in your resume: Contact Information, Summary, Work Experience, and Education. Most ATS today do not pick up other areas such as: Certifications, Professional Memberships, Speaking Engagements, Publications, and Lists of Patents. If you have anything important to share, make sure to do it in one of the sections that the ATS reads.
- The system only recognizes a very straightforward reverse chronological structure. Even if your client has earned promotions within a company, list every job separately. In every section, include the company name, job title, the start and end dates, job responsibilities, and achievements, in that order.
- The system calculates the number of years’ experience for each competency to calculate the number of “credits” that the job seeker receives. Therefore, it is best to list activities in every position held, repeating them multiple times if necessary.
- Most ATS need work history to credit applicants for experience. Even if your client is a student, include a “work history” section; add projects so that the ATS will give credit for skills and competencies.
- ATS read text files the best. However, systems can scan Word documents as well as PDF files. If you must use these formats, then here are some more suggestions to ensure Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
ATS may be smart, but people are smarter. The most diligent recruiters know that they may miss important candidates if the ATS does not spit their resume out, so they many continue to briefly scan every resume, just in case someone special is waiting in the wings. Many savvy recruiters also jump to meet candidates who take the time to call and explain why they are a perfect fit for the opportunity. So, if your client is not chosen for an interview, recommend that he or she follows up with the employer directly.
via Resume Tracking Systems are Flawed; You Can Take Advantage of ATS.
Resume Tracking Systems are Flawed; You Can Take Advantage of ATS
