As if the keen and scrutinizing eye of employers poring over your resume isn’t enough, potential candidates also have to worry about an ATS. An ATS, or applicant tracking system, is “a software application that enables the electronic handling of recruitment needs.
Employers utilize an ATS when there are too many applicants and not enough time to sift through each resume.
ATS’s definitely help employers save time and energy, but they can be dangerous for your resume. You could be the best fit for a position, but if your resume doesn’t convince the ATS, the job will go to someone else.
Sean Weinberg, the COO and co-founder of RezScore, (a free Web Application that reads, analyzes and grades resumes) provides some tips on what you can do to beat the ATS with your resume:
Choose Your Words Carefully:
“Your word choice is, by far, the most important key to beating the ATS. Just like a blog, keywords matter. Pick keywords that are in-demand in your industry along with ones that you find in the job posting.”
Count it out:
“Words are great, but numbers are even better…Numbers are solid, persuasive evidence of your qualifications. There’s no disputing when you sold XX% in X months. Most employers are about the bottom line, so numbers help make that connection.”
Make it Readable:
“One monkey wrench that comes with ATS is that the first reader of your resume is a computer. Technology is moving in leaps and bounds, but even today, your resume might not be readable…Selecting a universal font like Calibri, Arial, Verdana, Times New Roman, or Helvetica can help circumvent this obstacle.”
To polish up more on the resume process visit RezScore. It will grade the quality of your resume and provide tips on how to improve it.