Getting the all-important interview is any job-seeker’s goal. It is the first step toward landing the job you want and need in today’s economy. But how often have you hit submit and then never heard anything from the company ever again? It can feel like you aren’t getting anywhere when you can’t even get an interview. This can make sending out application after application feel as pointless as bailing water from a sinking ship: What are you really accomplishing? One reason why you may not be getting anywhere is because of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
These systems are built to weed out applicants and whittle the pile of resumes down before an employer looks them over. The system scans and ranks certain keywords or phrases included in the resume that are indicated by the employer as important. These can be anything from “management experience” to “experienced coordinator” or even “inventory.” It simply depends on what the employer wants to see. As such résumés without those keywords or phrases will automatically be discarded, leaving fewer resumes to sift through.
This is great for an employer, but can be a huge obstacle for the hopeful applicant. Understanding ATS is one way that you can get past it and closer to the interview. Doing basic research and being honest about your skills are two things you can do to get past ATS.
Researching the Job
The first thing to do before submitting an application is to research the company. This can mean looking up the company’s specifications, their goals and company mission statements. All of this info can usually be found on their websites, or in the job descriptions. Once you get a feel for the company, you can start to match up your own qualities to theirs. It is also important to make a decision on whether or not you still want to apply to the job based on what you find out. At El Paso Professional Resumes we always recommend that you never apply to jobs you don’t actual want.
Beat the Applicant Tracking System - Alter, Do Not Change
One of the most important things you can do on your résumé is to keep it honest. Often, it can be all to easy to simply say what you think the employer wants to hear or change your experience to fit the company. Ultimately, this will not help you, it will only make it harder to get and of course keep a job. Instead, you should analyze your skills to see if you have what they are looking for.
Sometimes you do have the title of being a “Budget Advisor” but you have it written as “manage inventory budget for department. Perhaps the job posting is asking for a “communications expert” but have “managed emails and correspondence.” Altering your wording to match what the qualifications ask for is one way to satisfy ATS, the important thing is that you do not change your skills. This is simply ensuring that the right keywords are included in the resume.
It can be very tempting to flood your resume full of keywords and phrases over and over again, but do not do that! Not only are ATS systems smart enough to see through such repetition, but a person reading through your résumé definitely will. Remember that the goal is to get your resume into person hands, that means it still need to make sense and look good.
Hire a Professional Resume Writer
In the end, you simply need to create a resume that will satisfy ATS and remain truthful. Hiring a professional resume writing service is one way you can ensure that your resume is correct and ATS ready. El Paso Professional Résumés knows ATS and is ready to help you get that interview! Call today to get a quote for your personalized resume.