Feeling frustrated because you applied to a TON of jobs and you still aren’t hearing back???

The problem could be that your resume is missing some important information!

If a company uses what’s called a [applicant tracking system] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l61IGZLXRkY) or ATS, your resume will go through a screening process. If it’s missing certain elements it will be pushed aside and not viewed by that particular company.

So, let’s look at some tips on how to use keywords to update your resume and beat the ATS!

Keywords are words that relate to the skills, abilities, credentials, and qualities that a hiring manager looks for in a candidate. When recruiters search for keywords in the ATS, they are looking to match certain concrete skills in your resume to their current needs. Come check out to see how yours match up and a list of keywords [here] (https://www.jobscan.co/blog/top-resume-keywords-boost-resume/ )!

Say for example you are applying for a job as the manager of a hotel restaurant. A recruiter may search for phrases such as “restaurant manager,” “hotel restaurant,” or even for the word “hospitality.” Recruiters will not likely look for words and phrases such as “outgoing," "hard worker,” "team player," etc.

It’s very important to remember that keywords highlight your skills and NOT your traits. Be sure to take some time to make an updated list of your keywords and add them to the work experience section of your resume!

For more tips please make sure to watch [this short clip] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l61IGZLXRkY) as Lenin Pina teaches you how to beat the ATS and turn your resume into an interview!

Need help? Have questions? Please ask!

I've applied for just about every job on every single job search website that remotely fits my resume. Some I've sought out, others I've gotten in job alert emails. I even get calls from recruiters offering me jobs that I am very clearly under-qualified for but they ask me for details and information to pursue and set something up for anyway (and I figure, why not?).

Some of the ones I'm applying for I feel like I match what they're looking for perfectly and yet haven't heard a thing from any of them, except one outright rejection which was no big deal, there's still the other 30 jobs I'd applied for. If a job posted THAT DAY and I apply within the first 48 hours, should I expect to wait longer than a week or two to even hear about the possibility for a first or a phone interview? I'm just wondering if this is normal or.. should I apply again to the same jobs with a resume I edited? I had gotten one of those resume reviews that suggested I change it up, so I did, and now I'm wondering if my old resume is better and it's a lot to think about! Thanks.

Resumes That Appeal To Robot Recruiters

Your resume will not be seen by humans eyes first. And when it does reach a human for review, recruiters spend only six seconds on each one (if they read it at all). But the majority of resumes will never reach a human because the robot recruiter will reject a large number of them.

The robot recruiter is better known as an application tracking system (ATS). With the filtering algorithms of an ATS deciding whether you will ever get a call back for that first interview, it's important for job-seekers to know how to write a resume that will have robotic appeal.

Lets examine what is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)? Most Employers who deal with high volume applicants rely on the ATS to sort through the hundreds or even thousands of resumes that they may receive for just one job posting. This process allows hiring managers to enter a command in the ATS to find candidates that have the qualifications, skill-sets, education and other critical elements required for success with a posted position that should be considered for the next step in the hiring process. The machine keeps all the important information for each applicant that it receives from the submitted resumes. From this large amount of submissions, 75 percent of job applicant's resumes are rejected before a hiring manager ever looks at them.

Finding Approval of a Robot Recruiter

Your resume should be written with the ATS in mind. Be honest when stating your experience and credentials, but there are ways to represent your background that will appeal to a robot recruiter. Here are six things to remember:

1.) Keywords Are Key

Something as simple as using a different tense or phrase could eliminate your CV from the review. For example, if you wrote, “Managed project from design to implementation,” and the hiring manager searched for, “project manager,” you might not come up in the search results even though you are describing the same responsibility. To try to increase the chances of your resume getting in front of the recruiter or hiring manager, be sure to use the exact phrases and keywords that were used in the job posting. And, don’t try to fool the system. Keywords should be included in your resume very naturally. If you try to cheat the system by stuffing keywords or including “invisible” keywords by changing the text to white, the hiring manager will see through these tactics on the other end of the system (even if you bypassed the algorithm).

2.) Research To Improve Your Odds If You Know The ATS System

All the ATS may have the same objective, screen applicants to streamline work for humans, they may do it in different ways. If the name of the ATS is available to you as a candidate, do a quick Google search to see if there is any information available to help you adjust your resume to better suit the system you are applying to. For example, if you find out that the system used by the employer you are applying is known to rank resumes with the keyword multiple times, try to include that keyword naturally, multiple times in your resume.

3.) Match Your Resume To The Posted Job Description

In addition to including keywords, be sure your resume matches as many aspects of the job description as possible. If the job posting includes responsibilities for leadership, project management and budgeting ensure your resume also includes these areas if they pertain to your own experience. Again, honesty is imperative so you shouldn’t include an example of budgeting if that hasn’t been a part of your work experience. However, if you have any sort of experience that you would be comfortable using in an interview to explain why you are the right candidate for this position, align your resume with the job responsibilities. Also, if you had a job title for a previous employer that was creative but could be misunderstood by a bot, such as Director of Getting Things Done, switch it to something more easily understood such as Project Manager.

4.) Carefully, Choose File Type And Formatting

Unfortunately, PDFs are not always bot friendly, so while a PDF would maintain the formatting of your resume, it might not pass through the ATS. Follow the instructions for file format if they are given in the job posting; if not, play it safe and submit a resume as a Word document. While charts, images, and logos are appealing to a human reviewer, bots have a hard time translating them. Clean and straightforward formatting is preferred such as solid circles for bullet points.

5.) Don't Put Critical Info In Headers And Footers

Some systems aren’t able to extract info from headers and footers. Make all crucial information about your background and experience is included in the main body of your resume to provide easy access to the robots.

6.) Human Touches Are Still Important

An email or a handwritten note sent, could bring your name to the attention of the hiring manager. You might pique their interest enough to have them do a little more digging for your credentials if you weren’t part of the ATS’ search results. A little human touch might mean the difference in a competitive and critical process.

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Taking the lead spot thinking my manager would actually help me change the mess the off shifts were in. He gave me no power to get them to work and would do nothing about the fact they wouldn't do there job. He told me to just handle it so I just ended up doing all the work while they did nothing.

The company gave me nothing to love but a job and decent pay but not worth how bad the leadership and coworkers attitudes and work ethics were.

Found 10k plus in credits owed because of Telecom billing errors.

Resumes are important, right? No doubt you’ve worked hard on yours, but what happens if NO one is actually looking at it and you aren't landing any interviews? Yikes! Don’t worry, it’s not you, it’s them. Well sort of.

If a company uses what’s called a [applicant tracking system] (https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-an-applicant-tracking-systems-ats-2061926) your resume could be slipping through the cracks. The ATS is a program that companies use to sort through 1,000’s of resumes to find the best possible ones. If it doesn’t recognize what it needs, your resume will be cast aside and likely NEVER be seen by an actual person at that company. Here is what to do to help avoid that!

Utilize keywords When recruiters search for keywords in applicant tracking systems, they are looking for certain concrete skills in your resume that match up with their needs.

Say for example are applying for a job as the manager of a hotel restaurant, a recruiter may search for phrases such as “restaurant manager” and “hotel restaurant” or search for the word “hospitality.” Recruiters will not likely look for words and phrases such as “outgoing” and “hard worker.” This is because keywords highlight your skills not your traits. Take some time to make a list of yours and add them to the work experience section of your profile so your resume is noticed.

Wishing you the best of luck!

For more tips check out [this post] (https://www.jobcase.com/conversations/596c18f2-664b-5584-816e-ef1860520181?from=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.jobcase.com%252Fcommunity)!

He's a very pleasant employer to work for I have enjoyed every moment working for him delivering Freight to the convention centers for customers of the convention

I was putting out some feelers this morning and saw a couple of jobs I might like to explore in making a move from my current situation for advancement. I do not have a lot of time to sit there and tinker on the internet like I did a few years ago after a layoff when I was unemployed. I just remember spending 8-10 hours a day filling out hundreds of forms in ATS systems and no interviews. Every interview I landed, was through a personal connection - even my current position. Has anyone had success jumping through all these crazy ATS hoops?