Will the Applicant Tracking System Love Your Resume

Will the Applicant Tracking System Love Your ResumeWill the Applicant Tracking System Love Your ResumeWill the Applicant Tracking System Love Your ResumeI recently posted about what happens to your resume once a hiring manager receives it. But applying online (directly from a job posting) is a bit different. In fruchtwein cases, resumes submitted online go into the employers Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before they reach a person. The ATS scans the resumes for job-related keywords. No keywords? No chance.An ATS is a database-type program that helps employers store, organize, screen, sort, track, and reply to all the resumes they receive. Small organizations dont use ATSs yet, but all of the really big employersand a growing number of mid-sized organizationsuse these ordnungsprinzips. For each job opening, the employerprograms specific, job-related words and phrases into the ATS. Roughly, what happens is your resume goes into the ATS, gets scanned, and if it doesnt contain enough o f those words and terms, the ATS smacks you with a generic rejection email and stores your resume in the dreaded future consideration bin. End of story.In other words, using keywords to target the employers hiring criteria is a good idea in general, but if youre applying online, its really, really important. How to Choose KeywordsThe job description (and other, similar job descriptions from other employers) is your best source for figuring out what to use for keywords. Look for the main criteria and terminology in the job description, and mimic those words and phrases in your resume.Susan P. Joyce has an excellent article about selecting keywords at job-hunt.org. Although shes talking about the use of resume keywords to help executive recruiters place you in an appropriate job, the same rules apply for ATS keywords. She defines keywords this wayKeywords are the nouns and noun phrases used by recruiters searching through applicant databases and Web job sites for resumes meeting the r equirements on job descriptions ... for example, Assistant and manager are nouns. Administrative assistant and marketing manager are noun phrases.You should read the whole article, but here are some of suggestions for the types of keywords you should include (not all will apply to everybody)Your job titles, past and present, and the title of the job you want.Names of tools (e.g., forklift), software (e.g., Microsoft Project), hardware (e.g., Mac), or techniques (e.g., forklift operation) youre qualified to use and that are specific to your job, profession, or industry.Relevant education and training, including degrees, diplomas, orapplicable majors, coursework, licenses, certifications, etc.Common terms that describe the work you do, the products or services youre involved with, or the people who do your job.Professional and technical acronyms.Professional committee or association memberships.Trade shows and conferences youve attended or where youve presented papers.The automated on line application process, with its form-letter rejections and lack of any thoughtful review of your resume, can feel like yet another obstacle to getting hired. But dont let it demoralize you. Yes, there are hundreds of resumes being submitted for each job opening, but relax... most of them are craptasticLearn to work the system (the Applicant Tracking System, that is) and it can work in your favor. Pepper your resume with appropriate keywords and phrases, and the ATS will flag it and send it on to a member of the species homo sapiens, who will be wowed by your outstanding qualifications and call you for an interview.