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ATS

Applicant Tracking Systems: Why They Are Used and How They Affect You

As I explained in the previous blog, an applicant tracking system (ATS) is a computer program that selects resumes based on how well they fit an open position. It’s important to note that your resume does not appear in the ATS the way you wrote it. The ATS pulls up only the information it considers to be relevant to the position.

Everyone knows that an ATS may miss those critical points that prove how right you are for a job. So why would a company use an ATS? A client of mine sought me out because he ran into exactly this problem. He had successfully handled a position as a temporary employee; yet, when the position became permanent and he re-applied, the ATS rejected his resume. When I rewrote his resume, he got the job because I made sure his resume was ATS compatible.

How did the Fortune 500 company explain this situation? They needed a hiring system that was Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) compliant. They decided to use the ATS system to be sure they selected candidates to interview fairly.

I believe we are reaching a time when applicants need two separate resumes (or more): one for networking and human eyes and one for ATS systems. Computers and people do not read or comprehend data in the same way.

Is you resume ATS-compatible? Ask Robin’s Resumes® and we’ll find out.

Applicant Tracking Systems: What Job Hunters Need to Know Now

When resumes come into many company, whether electronically or on paper, they are entered into an applicant tracking system (ATS), a software program that searches for keywords that apply to the open job position.

You might think in that case that you should simply submit of list of words to beat the ATS at its own game: “You want words, here are words.” That may have worked with the oldest ATS systems; the newer systems look for context. They look for the position of the keyword (in the far past of your career or recently) and may even examine the surrounding words for a hint that you are actually familiar with the subject.

I recently had a conversation with Jon Ciampi, President of Preptel Corporation. His company has a product that uses algorithms and software from ATS systems to parse resumes and then allow people to see how their resumes compare with the competition’s.

He emphasizes that you can put sections of your resume in any order (Summary, Experience, Education or Summary Education, Experience) but the way those sections are formatted can become a huge roadblock. With too much formatting or the wrong formatting, your resume content may be ignored by the ATS. That’s one reason why Robin’s Resumes® pays close attention to formatting.

Jon says, “PDF is error prone as data structure is not standardized. PDF saves data as an image and requires a converter to translate it into text. This process causes many issues and is inaccurate. While ATS systems can accept PDF files, Word or ASCII is still the best document type. Graphics, tables, images, and charts should all be avoided. These items are usually interpreted incorrectly and can cause the process to fail, discarding the entire resume.”

We’ll talk more about ATS systems next week. In the meantime, if you are concerned about your resume, please contact me.

The Right Resume Format to Get You Noticed

The purpose of a resume is to get you an interview. These days, companies screen candidates and resumes in two ways. The first is through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). All resumes (including those directly emailed to companies) are loaded into the computer, parsed and automatically searched for a match with keywords from job announcements (or keywords entered into the system by the recruiter/hiring manager). Only those resumes that have a good keyword match are selected for further review by the hiring manager. If a resume cannot be read by the Applicant Tracking Systems, it is rejected.

The second method recruiters and hiring managers use to find candidates is “sourcing” candidates by searching online resumes for possible matches using keywords. Again, if a resume cannot be read by search engines, it will not be selected.

Therefore, you should avoid using JPG and PDF files. Many Applicant Tracking Systems can reliably read only text or Word files without tables. Applicant Tracking Systems cannot read JPG files at all. If a resume is in JPG format, it will not even be seen by the hiring manager. In addition, many older Applicant Tracking Systems also cannot read PDF files, and if an applicant submits a PDF that is not readable, it will also be rejected. You may be the most qualified candidate, but that you will not be chosen for an interview unless the Applicant Tracking System can read your resume.

If you want a fancy online resume, using PDF as a format is far preferable to JPG, since PDF files can be searched for keywords by search engines. As noted above, you want hiring managers and recruiters to find your resume through online searches. If a search engine cannot read the resume, you will not be found.

I strongly recommend using simple Word formats for resumes, with standard fonts, no tables and margins of at least 0.6 inches. Resumes like that will print on all printers, will not be rearranged even by outdated versions of Word, can be read by Applicant Tracking Systems and can be searched online.

Online and Traditional Resumes

With so much job search activity taking place on the internet these days, it is sometimes difficult to remember that even the most tech-savvy companies still like to receive traditional resumes. And there are many companies who do not ever search for candidates online, even at business-oriented sites such as LinkedIn.

Companies like to receive traditional print or electronic applications and resumes that they can scan into their computerized Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Using an ATS, the recruiter, hiring manager or human resources personnel can quickly search through thousands of resumes for those job applicants who have the skills, experience, education and accomplishments the company is looking for.

This reliance on ATS systems is, at the moment, much stronger than any reliance on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media sites. If you were a recruiter, would you rather hunt through thousands of tweets for the one person you need or use an ATS system to evaluate the resumes sent to you?

Right now, I recommend that clients have a resume optimized for Applicant Tracking Systems.  They also need a “pretty” resume to mail or hand to an interviewer.  Job seekers who have a LinkedIn profile should make sure that it strongly and consistently reinforces their resume. Profiles may be needed on other social media sites.

If you are overwhelmed by the online, print, and electronic choices before you, give me a call. Together we will find the combination that will give you the best possible showing in the job market.

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