Applicant Tracking System Myths and Resume Scanning Software Truths
Kamala Toffolo
Some resume service providers don’t want me to make this video.
But job seekers should know the truth.
In this video, I’m going to debunk many of the myths you’ve heard about Applicant Tracking Systems, ATS, or bots (as they’re often called) and give you the truth about this resume scanning software.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation out there about Applicant Tracking Systems, which for the sake of time I will refer to as ATS.
I personally have had misunderstandings about ATS in the past, which impacted the advice I give and the way I approach my resume.
But there are also some resume service providers, or other types of professionals turned career consultants, who use ATS fear-mongering as their form of marketing.
For those of you who don’t know what ATS is, let me quickly explain.
When you apply for a job online, you usually go through an ATS, which is a piece of software used to manage your application at different stages and different touchpoints. It is frequently used by recruiters and talent acquisition professionals.
When you are asked to re-enter your information, even if it is on your resume. Yes. Amphetamine-type stimulants.
My concern about ATS misinformation and fear-mongering about ATS inspired my mission to understand ATS more fully.
I’ve spent countless hours researching and engaging with recruiters to understand how they actually use ATS on the job.
I want to share with you what I’ve learned by debunking several ATS myths and providing many truths.
You’ll want to stick around and watch the entire video because at the end, I’ll share a pro tip for checking how your resume stacks up against your ATS.
ATS Myth #1: The more keywords, the better!
This is not true. When it comes to keywords, quantity trumps quality.
Quality means, we’re aligning them with job postings…
We can and do support them with achievements.
The purpose of keywords is to be searchable. by humans.
When we focus on quantity, we fall into the trap of keyword congestion. You may have heard the advice to include a bunch of keywords in your resume using tiny white font?
This is one of the worst resume tips in the world. You won’t fool anyone with this tactic, and you’ll be saying goodbye to the possibility of an interview in no time.
ATS Myth#2: Hyperlinks can cause your resume to be rejected
Maybe you added an email address or a hyperlink to your LinkedIn profile in your resume to make it easier for recruiters to contact you.
That’s totally fine. ATS will not reject our resumes based on links.
You need to make sure that when using a hyperlink, you include the full text of the URL address. Recruiters also have the option to copy and paste the address into the browser if necessary.
ATS Myth #3: ATS doesn’t like fonts smaller than 11 points, or serif fonts like Times New Roman.
See, Times New Roman is a boring font. Fonts smaller than 11 may be difficult to read, but ATS doesn’t have any picky taste in fonts.
Font size and style should be considered for human readers. ATS didn’t give a shit.
ATS Myth #4: Never submit your resume as a PDF.
The old thinking was that ATS was so simple that even uploading a resume as a Word document was risky. It is recommended to use plain text.
Now, I can’t understand how something so simple can be considered to have font preferences.
A company’s careers page will usually define acceptable document types.
If the PDF is approved, you may submit your resume in PDF format.
If not, keep using Word.
ATS Myth #5: Your resume may be automatically rejected by an ATS without a human review.
Humans reject resumes. Not ATS.
You may have heard that 70% or 75% of resumes are never even seen.
This is almost never true.
The only time this is true is based on issues like can you legally work in the country.
Like, hello, if you can’t legally work in a country, you can’t expect an employer to interview you.
That said, in almost all cases, people will review your application and decide whether to take you to the next round or pass.
Even if you get a thank you email in the middle of the night with no thank you, even if you received it soon after submitting your application. One person noticed your application and decided not to proceed.
Now that we’ve debunked a bunch of myths, I’m going to present some ATS truths that will help you apply for jobs most effectively.
Truth #1: Only apply to jobs you’re qualified for
When you find yourself looking at job postings and thinking, “I could do this job,” that’s not enough.
You should think about it, I’ve done that work and my resume shows it.
When you reach this stage, you are eligible and can apply.
Applying when you’re not qualified will only make you frustrated when you don’t hear back, and lead to frustration on the part of recruiters because they’ll think you didn’t give your application much consideration.
Truth #2: Always submit your resume in chronological format, not functional format.
What exactly is a functional resume?
You can group your accomplishments together by category at the beginning of your resume and then list only your jobs.
A chronological resume assigns accomplishments to the jobs they performed.
Using a functional resume will not help you perform as an ATS. ATS is designed to read chronological resumes.
Truth #3: ATS cannot read text boxes, header or footer portions of a resume, or images.
Again, this does not mean the ATS will reject your resume.
Instead, what will happen is that any portion of your resume that uses text boxes, header and footer sections, or images will appear blank.
Avoid using these Word tools and structure your resume within the body of the document so that it takes up the full width of the page and reads from left to right.
Check out some different training videos on my channel that cover resume formatting.
Fact #4: Another formatting fact, columns are not desirable.
The only exception is if you are building a skills section into your column. That’s okay, I’ve linked to a video showing you how to do this.
What causes the problem is especially when you use what’s called a multi-panel resume, which is actually two huge columns.
Since ATS reads from left to right, just like humans, when you use multiple panels or columns, it gets confused and doesn’t send the information correctly.
besides Pro Tips What I want to share with you is:
If you want to know what an ATS will think of your resume, convert it to a plain text file and view the contents.
This shows you how the ATS will interpret it.
It will also tell you if any repairs are needed.
All in all, ATS is a tool used by recruiting professionals. It is not a tool with a mind of its own. It’s not a robot. This isn’t artificial intelligence taking over the planet. If so, why do people need to recruit?
This is the most important thing to remember when writing your resume. Always keep the human reader in mind.
this This article was named the Best Job Search Blog Article of 2020 by JobMob.co.il. The original article can be found here.
About Big Game Hunter Jeff Altman
Jeff Altman, Big Game Hunter is a coach who has been a recruiter for a hundred years. His work involves career coaching, as well as executive job coaching, job coaching, and interview coaching. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 job search podcast on iTunes with over 2,000 episodes, and is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council.
Are you interested in 1:1 coaching, interview coaching, advice on networking more effectively, how to negotiate job opportunities, or leadership coaching? Schedule a discovery call on my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
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