Need to beef up that resume?
Be sure to use words that will catch the attention of hiring managers and applicant tracking systems alike!
Tangible abilities are only one factor hiring managers evaluate to determine who gets the job.
Does your resume portray the hard AND soft skills you bring to the table?
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!
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)!
Use these tips to get your resume in the hands of a hiring manager or recruiter and past the tracking system! Many large organizations rely on what’s called applicant tracking systems (or ATS) to help pre-filter resumes. They simply have too many resumes to sort through and the ATS helps them speed up this process. However, MANY resumes fall through the cracks and are never even seen. Don't let yours be one of them!
1. Keep Formatting Simple Applicant tracking systems require simplicity. Make sure to delete any extra touches you’ve added to your resume such as logos, pictures, symbols, and shadings. Also, stick to standard resume formatting in a normal font like Arial, Courier, or Times New Roman. The ATS can’t read fancy fonts and will reject your resume out of confusion. Make sure to only include the usual sections of a resume: Qualifications, Professional Experience, Education, Skills, and the like. Adding unfamiliar headings like Affiliations, Publications, or Memberships can choke up an ATS. Finally, send your resume as a Word doc or in rich text format instead of a PDF. Though ATS software is becoming better at reading PDFs, it can still miss important things when trying to process them.
2. Nail the Correct Keywords ATS will be looking for key phrases and contextual information related to those qualifications. Include verb phrases and skills written in the job description on your resume. These are very likely to be the same keywords and phrases the hiring manager has programmed the ATS to pick up—“project manager,” or “social media marketing,” for example. Use both the acronym and the spelled-out form of any given title, certification, or organization, so you’re set regardless of which format the ATS is looking for. For example: Certified Public Accountant (CPA). An important thing is NOT to go overboard! In the past, people thought that they could exploit the system by overstuffing their resumes with keywords, thus ranking them higher in the eyes of the ATS. This is a very bad idea because the software is sophisticated enough to see this kind of keyword stuffing, but also if your resume does make it into human hands, no one will be impressed by a resume overly saturated in keywords. Aim for repeating important skill related keywords two or three times (and no more).
3. Remove the Career Objective Section Career objective sections are a bit of a space waster. Stating, “I am a hardworking person who wants to work in (blank) industry” can seem a bit obvious. Remember it’s not about how you want to apply your skills, it’s about how the company needs you to apply them. Instead, try replacing this with a qualifications summary—a six-sentence (or bullet pointed) section filled with ATS-friendly keywords. Even better, use those six sentences to concisely present the crème of the crop of your achievements, major skills, and important experiences.
4. Use Spell-check Spelling mistakes are bad, bad, BAD on your resume!! An ATS will disregard you immediately because it will simply have no idea what you’re talking about if something is misspelled. So double, triple, and quadruple check your resume before sending it in. Have someone else do the same and look over your resume carefully. Spelling mistakes can easily be avoided if you’re careful.
Good luck!!
I know that keyword matching increases the chances my resume will get through the online applicant tracking systems but I’m having hard time identifying what words are important.
how can i identify which keywords on the job description I should add to my resume to improve my application?