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#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.

 

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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

#JobSearch : 5 Resume/CV Trends To Forget In 2022. In this article, I’m going to Go Over 5 of the Most Common Trends that you Should Abandon. GReat REad!

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If you want a CV that consistently lands interviews, it’s best to keep things simple, professional, and easy to read.

Whether it’s overusing cliché buzzwords, wasting space or not highlighting your professional achievements, there are several dated CV fads that might currently be impacting the success of your job applications. If you’re regularly not getting invited to interview, your CV might be impeding your professional goals.

In this article, I’m going to go over 5 of the most common trends that you should abandon when writing your CV, and how to write a bold, engaging CV that secures an interview.

Wacky designs

When it comes to your CV, a simple design will always be more professional and effective than something unconventional. You might hear suggestions about designing a ‘creative’ CV to catch the attention of the recruiter, but an “eye-catching” design won’t do anything to help your candidacy. Your potential employer only cares about one thing: your ability to do the job well.

Ultimately, It’s your work experience and professional achievements that will determine whether you land an interview or not, so making this information simple to find and easy to read is key. A complicated CV design can actually work against you by making your accomplishments difficult to locate on the page.

Keep your CV design simple, with a clean font, a conventional lay-out with clearly defined sections, and key information listed in easy-to-read bullet points. If you’re going to use design, use it to highlight your skills and achievements.

While you might want to demonstrate a long history of stable employment, you don’t need to include every job you’ve ever done when writing your CV. Recruiters mostly care about your last 3 years of employment, so focusing on these roles is key, especially your achievements within them.

If you have a career history going back many years, you can still include older roles, but just in short summary format. Make sure that they do not take up more space than your recent employment, and only include information that is relevant to your target jobs.

As a general rule of thumb, any jobs from over 10 years ago should be left off your CV.

 

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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 …

Clichés and buzz words

When it comes to writing your CV, the rule is simple: show, don’t tell. Writing that you’re a “team player” or “always give 110%” isn’t going to give a recruiter any concrete evidence about your skills. In Buzzwords are just fluff – they take up space while adding nothing of value.

Besides being ineffective, some recruiters will even roll their eyes when they come across a CV full of overused clichés and buzzwords. So, rather than claiming that you’re a “passionate, hard-working and creative employee”, demonstrate these qualities by giving examples of your professional achievements.

If you want to demonstrate that you’re a “team player” or “results driven” you should do so by listing achievements that highlight these qualities.

Only listing responsibilities

Your CV isn’t just about listing your former roles and responsibilities; it’s also about proving your worth to a potential employer. While a strong job history does prove a certain level of competence in your field, it’s your achievements that will help you stand out from competing candidates.

When writing out your responsibilities for your former or current job, you should add some examples of the personal successes you enjoyed while in the role. Whether it was landing a key client or optimising your former company’s workflow, this information will prove to the employer that you are capable of bringing real value to their organisation.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that achievements can make or break the competitiveness of your CV. Between two equally qualified candidates with a similar job history and education, it’s the achievements that are going to be the difference between who gets the interview and who gets the polite rejection.

Hobbies and interests section

Space on your CV is limited, so it’s essential that you use it wisely to communicate your suitability for the specific role. Having a “hobbies and interests” section is a waste of space on your CV, unless your hobbies are somehow linked to your professional life.

Instead of adding a hobbies and interests section to tell employers that you “watch TV and socialise with friends”, use the extra space to beef up the parts of your CV that are the most interesting to a potential employer.

When you’re adding any information or work experience to your CV, it’s always helpful to ask yourself the following question: “What does the recruiter learn about me from this?” If you believe that the information you’re sharing will enhance your suitability for the role (in the eyes of the recruiter) you can include it. If not, leave it out.

If you want to make a great impression on your CV, forget “trends” and stick to classic CV formatting.

Winning CVs are ones that demonstrate achievements and the value of the candidate as an employee, so don’t be afraid to brag about your professional success. Keep your design simple, keep your work experience recent, and when it comes to your skills, remember to show, not tell.

Forbes.com – April 14, 2021 = Andrew Fennell