Tag Archives: ATS

5 Quick Resume Fixes To Improve Your Job Search

If your resume is not winning you frequent interviews, then it is not doing its job. Here are some quick fixes to turn that around.

Quick Resume Fixes to Improve Your Job Search

I recently met a woman at one of my local LinkedIn workshops who was frustrated in her job search. She had applied to many, many jobs, but had not landed any interviews.

I quickly reviewed her resume and could tell in an instant why it was not impressing employers. I suggested a few improvements that she could quickly implement and share these with you here. (Her revised resume worked! She landed an interview the next week and is now working at a job she enjoys.)

1. Address the employer’s needs

Change the focus of your resume to address the employer’s needs not yours. How can you help them achieve their goals? Position yourself as the solution to their problem and highlight your differentiators.

2. Target a specific role

These days, companies are looking for specialists, not generalists. Focus your resume on a specific role, so the reader can quickly see where you’d fit within their organization. They won’t guess – if unsure, they will move on to the next resume and you just missed out on the opportunity.

3. Make sure your resume is age-neutral

Employers are concerned that as a seasoned worker, your skills may not be as sharp as they used to be or you are too set in your ways. Show them that is not true. Don’t include any work history prior to 2000 and play up your tech skills. And please, lose the AOL email address! That screams “Dinosaur!”. Continue reading →

Are Applicant Tracking Systems Rigged Against Jobseekers?

It’s a fact – if your resume does not make it through an employer’s Applicant Tracking System, it’s like you never even applied for the job.

Too often, Applicant Tracking Systems make life difficult for jobseekers. But once you know how they work, you can use them to your advantage and they will no longer be a barrier to your job search. Not sure what this is all about? They can be confusing and continually evolve, which is why I research, take frequent training and test out the systems myself.

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Quick Resume Tips for the 2016 Hiring Boom

Is your resume winning you interviews? If not, here are some quick resume tips to take advantage of the 2016 hiring boom. best 2016 resume tips

Resumes have evolved tremendously over the last few years, and outdated documents simply don’t win interviews. In today’s competitive job market, your resume must set you apart from the other candidates. A few key points:

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Frustrated by Online Job Applications?

I hear from job seekers all the time about how time consuming the online job application process is and how aggravating it can be to submit dozens of online job applications and never hear back. You wonder if your resume even made it through the Applicant Tracking System.

Because of the highly competitive job market, you need to sell yourself stronger than ever before to stand out from the other candidates. It is crucial that you answer every single question as well as possible, making sure your grammar and punctuation are perfect. This is difficult because the input fields you type into are so small that it can be hard to see what you are typing, and many of these online application systems do not even have a spell check feature. One typo and you are out of the running.

Many jobseekers skip over the salary question, because they do not want to be eliminated with a figure that is outside of the salary range – but you can’t do this. Make sure you answer every question, as many companies use incomplete applications as a way to weed out candidates. Continue reading →

How Does Your Resume Rate Against The Competition’s?

September is International Update Your Resume Month and the perfect time to update your resume as many companies renew their hiring efforts for 4^th quarter deliverables. As the kids head back to school, you can refocus your time on your career development.

How old is your resume? If it has not been updated in the last year or two, odds are it is outdated and not winning you interviews. A fresh resume can be just what you need to jump-start a stalled job search. As you read job postings, capture key words and phrases to add to your resume keep the language of your resume current. Most importantly, make sure your resume is compatible with the Applicant Tracking Systems many employers use today, to avoid the “resume black hole”. Otherwise, no human being will ever read your resume.

Even if you are not currently conducting a job search, you should treat your resume as a living document, Continue reading →

Beating The Applicant Tracking System – Your Formatting Is Crucial

Last week I shared tips on using the proper keywords on your resume to get through the Applicant Tracking System. Today, I will discuss proper resume formatting, to avoid the dreaded “Resume Black Hole”!

Applicant Tracking Systems are actually very simple systems. They read the information on your resume as data, categorize it and use it to populate the hiring company’s candidate database. It then rates how qualified each candidate is by matching their resume with the keywords from the job posting. Equally as important as keywords is the formatting you use for your resume. If your formatting is not compatible with the Applicant Tracking System, it literally cannot read the information on your resume!

You can be the most qualified person for the job, but if the automated recruiting software cannot read your resume, your resume is not flagged for review. No human being will ever read it. And if the hiring manager never sees your resume, you would lose out on the opportunity.

Here are some specifics on ATS-friendly formatting. Continue reading →

Beating the Applicant Tracking System: Identifying the Keywords to Include on Your Resume

By now, you probably know that most employers use Applicant Tracking Systems to weed through the onslaught of incoming resumes, and use keyword matching to identify the most qualified candidates. I am frequently asked by jobseekers how to identify the keywords to include in their resume.

It is not some deep, dark secret. It is actually quite easy to figure out which keywords to include on your resume. For starters, carefully review the job posting. If it is a well-written job posting, you should be able to easily identify the keywords. They are the specific experience, skills and education required of the ideal candidate. Highlight all these keywords and work them into your resume in context. Continue reading →