Applicant Tracking Systems ATS: software that can reject resumes

[Jamberry77]

Hello,

 

On one of my email lists, a mom posted about how she had trouble getting a job interview in her field (blood bank management) even though she had lots of experience prior to homeschooling.   She learned that her resume was being rejected by programs designed to screen resumes for certain words (related to a particular position).  I know nothing about this except what she wrote, and she has given permission to me to share it.

 

from her article:

 

 

The software compares your resume to the job description and calculates a percentage match.  I read that you need about an 80% match to obtain an interview.  These programs are called Applicant Tracking Systems, or ATS.

  I found a site where you can have access to a program like the ones used in HR to test out your resume.  You are allowed a certain number of scans for free.  If you want access to more scans, there is a fee.  So, I tried the scan for a job for which I was applying at the time.  Although this was a job for which I met the listed requirements, I was shocked to see that I had a match of only 23%. 

Thankfully, the site helps you to fine tune your resume by breaking down where you matched and where you did not.  It turns out that the software looks for certain keywords (or possibly phrases) in your resume to match those listed in the job description.  Now, I imagine that there is probably quite a bit of variability in how job descriptions are written with the huge variety of jobs that are out there.  But, in my case this was a major road block. 

 

and further in the article:

 

Eventually, I kept a master list of skills that I then adjusted for the particular position for which I was a applying.  After not having received a single interview prior to that time, once I started to use these techniques I began getting called almost immediately.

Let me give you links to the sites that were most helpful to me.  This first one is an excellent, thorough explanation of ATS systems and how to have them not work against you.  It goes into even more detail than I have:

https://www.livecareer.com/quintessential/optimizing-resume-applicant-tracking-systems

This second one is the site where you can scan your resume and job description to see how well they match.  It also gives many other evaluations and tips that are helpful:

https://www.jobscan.co/

Besides the use of ATS systems, there are some other things that I learned along the way that I’d like to share.  The first is that social media has become much more important in job searching.  It is best to have a current and complete page on LinkedIn if possible.  Although this is a time consuming process, it truly is helpful.  Recruiters can find you there (again, using key words), you can benefit from having established connections to previous supervisors and co-workers (it will tell you if you ever worked with or went to school with someone who currently works at a particular place), you can e-mail these same colleagues without knowing their personal e-mail addresses, and it shows that you are technologically up-to-date.

I have also read that other types of social media are being used by recruiters; one source said that Twitter is used even more than LinkedIn.  (I still didn’t set up an account, though).  And, I think we all know that public Facebook posts may also be examined by recruiters.

Another tip that I can share is in regard to the online personality tests that are frequently used now.  I recently learned that some of the tests track more than I would have guessed.  Some track how long you take to respond to each question, so make sure you don’t walk away from the computer in the middle of the test.  They also can track any answers you marked even if you changed them before you submitted the test.  One even stated that it only accepts the first answer, even if you change it! 

Another problem that I encountered was losing the formatting on my carefully formatted resume when it was uploaded to the employment site.   It’s ideal if they allow you to attach your resume.  But, if they do not, you’ll be forced to cut and paste it into a little box.  First of all, this will automatically remove things such as bold, underline, and size of letters.  Secondly, it may also change your spacing.  There is nothing more frustrating than having spent a lot of time formatting to show that you are attentive to details, then to have it changed to look like a mess.  (I found some info about saving your resume in text mode to help with the first issue, but it did not help with spacing.)   Upon Julia’s suggestion, I tried changing the font that I had been using for my resume.  The one I used was quite plain, but I thought it was slightly more appealing than, say Arial or Times New Roman.  This made all the difference!  Once I tried changing it to one of the most common fonts I had no problem with it keeping my spacing. 

Finally, I also found that some sites did not allow me a way to upload a cover letter.  I really felt that I needed to state why my job history was a fit for the position.  For these, I made the cover letter the first page in my resume document.  I really don’t know if this helped or hindered my chances (since I suppose it’s possible they could think that I was being pushy), but I felt it was worth the risk to have a chance to speak for myself.

 

 

Back to me:  I have the complete file on my computer.  Let me know if you want me to send it to you via email.

 

Jamberry

 

 

[Tree Frog]

I would appreciate the file. I'll email my address. Thank you!