Not many job seekers know that 72 per cent of
resumes are never seen by human eyes. A myriad of employers are now
using a recent technology called applicant tracking system
(ATS).
To get your resume to the next round, you need to win
over this system, which has its own complex rules.
ATS will assign the job seeker a score based on how
well he matches the job that the employer is trying to fill. Then
the sophisticated machine will rank and sort all the
candidates.
Only the applicants with the highest scores are
reviewed by a human.
This is why it is important to format your resume to be
more data-extraction friendly.
The program can analyse a document and extract elements
of what the writer means to say.
A curriculum vitae's elements usually consists of basic
information - the applicant's skills, experience and education.
Unfortunately, the way job seekers write their resume
is infinitely varied, and that will confuse the system.
ATS has to capture all these different ways of writing
through complex rules and statistical algorithms.
Do you want your abilities to be recognised by the
system?
It is vital for you to consider your
long-term future while pursuing your career
Here are several tricks on how to format a data
extraction- friendly resume:
As much as you want your resume to be of eye-candy
quality, the ATS will not be able to read or understand an
image.
So forget the images and graphics. Be wordy
instead.
Use only standard fonts, such as arial, tahoma and
trebuchet.
Also, use standard characters such as bullets. Other
characters, such as arrows, can cause problems for the ATS.
And avoid fancy borders and shading. Make sure your
resume is easy to read.
Read the job description carefully to determine the
skills required by the employer.
Then, put the buzzwords the employer is using into your
resume.
Spell out your skills and include industry-specific
abbreviations or acronyms that the employer may also search for
when finding candidates with the right experience.
The ATS will be looking for these keywords. A resume
that is filled with the keywords will obviously get a better
score.
If you have other skills or irrelevant information that
aren't required, consider leaving them out. Only mention the past
positions and skills that are relevant.
Any misspelt words will be ignored by the ATS. It is
important to re-read your resume and spell check.
Even better, ask for help from a friend to run through
your resume.
Don't forget to include your basic information at the
top of your resume. The phone number and e-mail address are
significant for further communications. The ATS is able to send you
an e-mail with additional instructions after you've applied for the
position.
You will read different job descriptions from different
companies. It means their ATS has different keywords and
phrases
Be thoughtful for each resume. You must tailor your
skills and experience according to the employer's requirements.
Article contributed by TBC HR
Consulting (www.tbchr.com)
via TNP