Job hunting is an art. Resumes, cover letters, interviews, follow-ups…the process sometimes involves as much finesse as it does skill. Even after you’ve written a killer resume, getting past “resume robots” can be incredibly difficult – fortunately, it is far from impossible.
These resume robots, or automated resume review software, can scan and reject applications in seconds and are a favorite of larger companies that receive a lot of job applications for each posting. An applicant tracking system can help organizations review, organize and respond to your resume and application, and they are growing in popularity. Almost all Fortune 500 companies now employ such a system.
If you are getting too many “thank you for applying for our position, but…” notices for jobs that you know you are qualified for, the following tips can help get your resume past the robots to the qualified humans who can take a closer look:
Key in on your keywords. Every applicant tracking system is trained to scan for certain keywords or details to help it quickly weed out unqualified applicants. That’s why the right keywords can make all the difference in your job search. After the HR team determines the key qualifications it is seeking, recruiters can program software to search for them. These keywords can involve certain qualifications, college majors, types of experience, licensing or soft skills. Review the job description and then ensure you have ample keywords to match and that they are easy to find and identify. Even better, offer examples of those key skills in action to provide greater context for recruiters.
Don’t apply for jobs that you are not qualified for. While it might seem like a good idea to reach for the stars, if you continue to apply for jobs that you are under- or overqualified for, you will be wasting everyone’s time. Likewise, be wary of applying for too many positions at a single company as software can track that as well. Granted, if there are two positions at the same company that are similar and that you are a good candidate for – go for it. But don’t apply for an entry-level customer service position and a team lead at the same company, which can show lack of focus or self-awareness.
Make your resume easy to read and easy to scan. Whether a machine or human is reviewing your resume, it should be easy to follow and comprehend. Whether you use a chronological (scanners are reported to prefer this option) or functional resume, include the most recent information first and use bullets for easier reading and scanning. Ask someone who doesn’t know you well to review your resume and ensure it is well-organized.
Don’t get too fancy. First of all, don’t try to cheat the system by looking up ways to fool automatic scanning software; if you are overstuffing keywords in your resume and cover letter, for example, this will quickly be flagged. Then, don’t overdesign your resume – this can make it harder to review, no matter who is taking a look. Many scanning systems convert resumes to text-only files, so you will lose formatting; in addition, tables, images and text boxes can get messy pretty quickly. Stick with common fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman or Cambria. Bolding, italicizing and underlining are all ok.
Finally, stick with a .doc format for the easiest scanning experience and make sure you spellcheck everything before you send out your resume.
Once you take the time to appropriately update your resume to get past the robots, you will likely receive more “thank you for applying and we would like to talk with you further” responses to your job applications.