Is your resume job ready? Know the truth of ‘ATS’!
Are you one of those people who are constantly applying for jobs, but you are not getting any response from anywhere? Do you want to know what the problem is? This article will surely help you. One of the main reasons for not getting a job can be that your resume is not ATS (Applicant Tracking System) friendly.
What is ATS and why is it important?
ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is a software that is used by almost every company and organization nowadays to manage the recruitment process.
Do you know why? Because nowadays there are thousands of applications for a single post. It is nearly impossible for a hiring manager to manually scan and filter every resume. Therefore, companies have automated this process using technology.
What does ATS software do?
* The company feeds the required keywords, skills and qualifications into the software as per the Job Description (JD).
* ATS first scans the resume for these keywords. It instantly filters out (reject) all resumes that don’t have the required keywords, skills or qualifications.
Is your resume ATS friendly? If not, your resume will be rejected by a machine before it even reaches a human. You may be a great candidate for the job and have good experience. but if your resume is not ATS friendly, you will face rejection.
How to check ATS score of your resume?
First you need to find out what is the ATS score of your resume?
How to check it? You have to go to Google and type ‘resume score check’ or ‘ATS resume checker’. There are many websites available that provide this facility for free.
1. Using tools like Resume Worded
You can upload your resume by visiting any website of your choice. It will ask you about your experience level (eg: entry level, mid level, senior level).
When you upload your resume, the tool will give you a score (for example: 32 out of 100). Is your score too low? If so, this tool will tell you what areas you need to focus on and how you can improve your score.
What should be improved?
* Eliminate Unnecessary Sections: Some older resume formats had sections like “Career Objectives” or “Hobbies and Interests.” These are no longer necessary and should be removed.
* Quantify the results: Have you quantified the results of your work? For example, instead of just writing “I improved processes,”. You should write “I improved communication between 10 departments and reduced paperwork by 70%.” Have you used ‘hard numbers’ in your resume?
2. Use of tools like Job Scan
If you are checking your resume for a specific job, a tool like Job Scan is more effective.
Visit this website and upload your resume.
Copy and paste the Job Description (JD) of the job you are applying for.
The tool will tell you how suitable your resume is for that JD (for example: score 46 out of 100).
This will give you a clear report of what keywords, skills, or experience your resume is missing that is sought after in that JD.
Does your resume have all the ‘hard skills’ and ‘soft skills’ that are sought in JD? Even if you know those skills, if they aren’t clearly written on your resume, the ATS won’t catch them.
How to make your resume ATS friendly?
You don’t have to create just one resume and apply it everywhere. You have to customize your resume for every job.
Include keywords: Be sure to include key skills, qualifications and job titles in your resume. as given in the job description (JD).
Quantify Results: Associate each of your experiences or projects with numbers. Such as “Saved 50% time” or “Handled over 100 clients”. Do your achievements reflect direct results?
Reduce paragraph length: Avoid writing long paragraphs in your resume.
Add Web Presence: Be sure to add your LinkedIn URL or GitHub Profile (if applicable) to increase the credibility of your resume.
By following these basic steps, you can easily improve your resume’s ATS score.
Are you ready to find out where your resume stands on the ATS test? Use these tools and give your resume a chance to reach a human recruiter!
