Beat the ATS!

By Laura Brown, Frederick County Workforce Services

Did you know a robot reads your résumé before a human being does?

That’s right, if you are applying for jobs online, chances are your résumé is being screened by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before it’s being seen by an HR rep. Applicant Tracking Systems are software systems used by HR professionals in their hiring process. The ATS uses an algorithm to rank applicants and present the HR rep with the top candidates they should consider. Keeping the ATS in mind when writing your résumé is key to landing an interview.

So, how do you write your résumé in a way to increase the chances the ATS choses you as a top candidate?  How do you beat the ATS? One of the easiest ways to make your résumé ATS friendly is to use a simple format. This means no charts, no pictures, and no graphics. ATS have trouble reading résumés with those elements and will often toss them. Keep an eye out for hidden or invisible grids as well, these can often be found in premade résumé templates, and they can confuse an ATS. So, keep your formatting simple and clean. Create your résumé on a blank text document from scratch.

Another way to help strengthen your résumé against the ATS is to use keywords. The ATS will compare your résumé to the job description. It will compare the text word for word. If your résumé shares the same important keywords, it may rank you higher. To the ATS, the more your résumé matches the qualifications and skills listed in the job description, the higher your chances of being the right candidate for the job. So, if the job description is looking for someone who is an “expert in excel”, “an independent worker”, and someone who has experience in “data entry”, if applicable, make sure you use those same phrases in your résumé.

A great way to check your résumé against an ATS is to use an ATS scanner. Online you will find both free and paid ATS scanners that will allow you to compare your résumé to a job description. For example, you could use www.jobscan.co to scan your résumé. JobScan.co will allow you to upload or paste your résumé, then paste a job description. It will scan them and give you feedback including a list of keywords you might want to add to your résumé.

Often people write one résumé, apply for 50 or more jobs a day, and don’t get calls for interviews. This is like throwing a handful of darts at a dart board. Every time you edit or target your résumé for a specific job, it’s like taking a step towards the dart board. Choose 5 jobs you really want to pursue and target those. Use the job description and take the time to edit your résumé for that specific position, rank higher in the ATS, and get the chance to interview!