Are you worried about not getting a job interview? And are you suspicious that your resume hasn’t made it to the hiring manager? If yes, the reason might be your resume isn’t optimized enough to pass through the initial screening.
There are many reasons why your resume can get rejected by the screening robots or Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before it reaches the recruiters or employers. But fortunately, there are solutions to help optimize your resume for the system.
Here are some tips for your resume to successfully pass through the Applicant Tracking System and get to the hiring managers:
Use the right keywords in your resume: Before you write your resume, it is important that you carefully scrutinize the job description first and find out the potential keywords. Especially look out for the words that are being repeatedly used in the titles and headlines for they are going to be your priority keywords.
Also, use the keywords and key phrases pertaining to the competitor brand or company. Once you have the relevant keywords placed contextually in your resume, your resume is ready to pass the Applicant Tracking System and impress the recruiting managers.
Extract ideas from relevant people: If you are unsure of how to write a resume to get it through ATS and to the hiring manager, contacting him or her directly is another brilliant idea.
Don’t be afraid to ask for the sort of qualifications they are searching for. Connecting with people who are already doing the same job can be extremely helpful. LinkedIn is a great platform to make a connection with such people.
Emphasize your specific expertise: No company wants to hire a general candidate; they want someone who is an expert in the specific field. So why not use a separate space to highlight your specific and relevant expertise?
It is a common trend to use the first 1/3 of your resume to do that. For example, instead of mentioning a generic skill like communication, you can talk about more specific skills like public relationship management or negotiation. It will not only help to pass through ATS but impress the recruiters too.
Include all the important words related to the job: This is all about being more detailed while describing your previous experiences. So be specific enough to use all the job-related words, both the more relevant and the less relevant words, wherever it is suitable. Usually, it is a good idea to describe your previous job in bullets in the decreasing order of relevance.
Never put a photo on your resume: Never make the mistake of using a photo on your resume. The resume screening software or Applicant Tracking System only looks for the words and phrases relevant to the job. If you use an image or a picture, it can simply reject your resume as it cannot read the format.
Use bullets, not paragraphs: Bullets are not only convenient for humans to read, but also for the resume screening robots. Therefore, avoid using paragraphs at all as they are difficult to break down and read.
Besides following the tips mentioned above, also do remember to fulfill the basic requirements of your resume. Never forget to mention information like the length of experience and degrees of education as this will eventually help your resume make into the hands of a hiring manager and help you get selected for an interview.
If you were ever wondering what is stopping your resume from getting to the hiring manager, you have all the answers now. So go ahead and optimize your resume for ATS if you haven’t. Why don’t you consult a resume expert for help?