How to Beat the Applicant Tracking System

You found the perfect job online, and applied to it.  But will your resume even be noticed?  Will your resume get through the applicant tracking system filters?!

How to Update Your Resume to Beat the Applicant Tracking System

First, what is an Applicant Tracking System?

If you’ve found the perfect job online, the truth is that many other applicants have found it too.  On top of that, large organizations could have literally hundreds of job openings on their website.  So, they need some way to sift through the thousands and thousands of applicants to identify who can actually be a good match for the job.  This is usually why it takes some good networking to get an interview.  However, that is not always an option.

So, the Applicant Tracking System scans ALL the resumes and looks for keywords that match the job description for their open positions.  This means that your resume will have to make it through this screening before a human being in HR ever sees it.

Ah, I see.  How can I get through the Applicant Tracking System filters?

Well, it all comes down to Keywords.  

The Applicant Tracking System scans every resume that was submitted and looks for keywords from your Experience and Education sections of your resume.  If the Applicant Tracking Systems finds all the keywords it’s looking for, then your resume makes it through.  

If it does not, you likely get an automatic email saying you were rejected…yes, before a human even had the chance to read about your amazing professional experiences.  I know this is harsh.  To be honest, many Applicant Tracking Systems don’t even send you an email saying you were rejected; you just never hear back.

Ok, I get it.  So, how can I use Keywords to beat the Applicant Tracking System???

So, this is pretty straightforward.  You need to first look at the job description and identify what are the required skills and experiences.  Then you need to use the EXACT SAME WORDS.

This is hard for some people.  They want to explain what they did in their own words.  Yes, you would prefer to say that you “managed 10 people” but the job description is looking for someone who has “supervised 10 or more people.”

So, what do you?  

If you want to beat the Applicant Tracking System, you need to use the word “supervise.”

Sure, these Applicant Tracking Systems are getting more advanced, and just like our Google, can probably identify adjacent words.  But do you want to take the chance????

Feel free to say whatever you want in the interview, but you need to get the interview first.  And, to do that, you need to get through the filters of the Applicant Tracking System, which means use the EXACT same words as the job description.

As if this isn’t already really frustrating, you should also know that this may require adapting your resume for each and every job you apply to.  I know, I’m sorry.  It’s frustrating!

 

Do you have any other tips for the Applicant Tracking System?

Well, yes!  The Applicant Tracking Systems also like nicely formatted and straightforward resumes.  To that end, here are some tips:

• Use a basic font; do not use anything fancy with curls and swirls as those may be hard to be picked up in the system
• Use round or square bullets; don’t use arrows or any other fancy types of bullets
• Eliminate photos or other images
• Bold keywords or other important areas
• Be sure your version is the preferred file type, which should be specified on the site.

If some of these changes are tough to handle, always remember that you can always bring your preferred version of your resume to the interview!

If you want to check out my FREE Resume Builder e-Guide, click here!

What about you?  What are your tips for beating the Applicant Tracking System??

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