Applicant Tracking Systems | Robin's Resumes (r)

Technology, Resumes, and Job Searches

Nov 28 2021

Technology has begun to dominate job searches. An article in The New York Times in March of this year provided advice on writing resumes that successfully navigate applicant tracking systems and other technologies. The article covers hints we have shared in previous blogs, such as closely reading the job advertisement or posting for keywords to put in your resume and being specific when you write about your skills and accomplishments (“mentored 4 new hires to fast promotions” rather than “provided mentoring”).

However, here are two points from the Times article that we would like to emphasize:

Once the applicant tracking system narrows down the list of candidates, more and more companies are asking applicants to take skills tests and personality assessments and then go through a video interview. According to the article, those additional steps mean “there’s a bigger time commitment [by the applicant] required at an earlier stage for more roles.” Be aware, therefore, that passing through the applicant tracking system, while critical, is only one step among many. Make sure you are prepared for those additional tests, assessments, and interviews.
Unfortunately, applicant tracking systems (ATS) can contain bias. Companies are likely to develop an ATS profile for the ideal future employee that is based on the employees they already have. That tendency operates against diversity and inclusion. You may circumvent that tendency through networking: making personal connections that lead to referrals. As the article states, “The more technical things get, the more you can get noticed by going old school.”

At Robin’s Resumes®, we keep abreast of old school job searches and new school. We know how technology and resumes intersect and how to prepare resumes that help candidates achieve their career goals. Before you find yourself overwhelmed by your job search or frustrated with the results from your resume, please contact us.

Have Applicant Tracking Systems Made Recruiters Less “Resume Smart”?

Apr 14 2019

Resumes have undergone many changes over the years; most recently, Applicant Tracking Systems and social media have been game changers. With Applicant Tracking Systems zooming through resumes to pick out only the ones that match certain keywords and with social media providing a whole new set of insights into candidates, have hiring managers and recruiters become less “resume smart”—less interested or tuned in to what a resume says?

The short answer is: no. The long answer is that hiring managers and recruiters have sharper resume smarts than ever and will reject any candidate who makes the following resume errors:

Overstating accomplishments. You should describe your accomplishments on your resume, but there is a very clear line between honoring your successes and exaggerating them. When human resource managers were polled in a 2018 CareerBuilder study, 75% said they had caught a lie on a resume; in another survey, 57% said the most common lie is an exaggerated list or description of skills. So hiring managers and recruiters are definitely resume-smart when it comes to lying about skills, education, and accomplishments.
Ignoring social media or misusing it. Hiring managers and recruiters are searching social media for candidates—in fact, in one survey 73% of employers said that they had hired a candidate through social media. They are also checking social media to confirm or add to the information on a candidate’s resume. So if you have the bare minimum of a LinkedIn profile, if your online information contradicts your resume, or if you use Instagram to flaunt your latest drunken escapade, now is the time to rethink your use of social media.
Fudging your employment or industry experience. Hiring managers and recruiters still check the employment history on your resume. There are no federal and few state laws governing what an employer can say about you, as long as it is the truth. If you try to hide a layoff or gap in employment, the hiring manager or recruiter will find out. The same applies to industry experience. Many skills are transferrable, and a professional resume writer can help you frame your resume to make the most of those skills. But hiring managers and recruiters are resume-smart when it comes to tracking down the truth.

Given the resume smarts of hiring managers and recruiters, it simply makes sense to use a professional resume writer to make sure your resume is truthful and complete and to strengthen your social media presence and transferrable skills. If you want a professional resume writer with decades of experience and the latest information on the expectations of employers, please contact Robin’s Resumes® today.

Do You Still Need a Resume?

May 22 2016

Because so much information appears on social media and professional sites such as LinkedIn, and because many job applicants are creating their own websites, I am often asked if a resume is still needed.

My response is to ask: Where is the content coming from, for the social media, professional sites, and websites?

In every case, the job candidate is working from a job history, with associated accomplishments, education, and skills; in other words, from a resume. You may have the world’s most interesting personal website, but it will not help you get a job unless the right information is there to make you stand out against the competition.

Applicant tracking systems, hiring managers, and recruiters want to see information organized in a way that helps them compare candidates. Applicant tracking systems, in fact, require information in a precise order and with exact keywords: they require a resume. They are not yet sophisticated enough to search through a narrative from a website or Facebook page to extract the information they need, if it even exists in that format.

Hiring managers and recruiters will search professional and social sites online for candidates; but they are looking for a candidate who checks all their boxes. Your goal is hand them those boxes with the least effort on their part: contact information, job history, accomplishments, education, and skills.

Finally, the knowledge that you will someday need a resume helps to focus your attention on your accomplishments while they are happening. You may be happy in your current job with no plans to leave, but change overtakes all of us, and a shift in the economy, marketplace, or even your reporting structure may cause you to start looking. Now is the time to store the kudos you received during your annual review, to measure the amount of time your innovation saved, to track the year-over-year income from a client you helped bring into the company, and so on. If you are merely looking to jazz up your Facebook page, your attitude to those accomplishments will be fleeting and superficial; if you are concentrating on building the foundation of a strong resume, your motivation will be strong.

Bottom line: yes, you still need a resume and you can find help in writing a great one at Robin’s Resumes®.

A Professional Resume: What It Means and How to Create It

Sep 21 2014

A professional looking and sounding resume is as important as a professional wardrobe when you are looking for a job. What makes a resume professional?

First, the contact information is professional, with an email address that consists of your name, not some cute phrase or an address you share with your entire family (such as TheSmithFamily@yahoo.com).

Second, the content conforms to expectations for professional resumes. Work history is given in reverse chronological order; the first person singular (“I”) is not used; each bullet point starts with a verb; job descriptions stress achievements; and so on.

Third, a professional resume is proofread by a human being, not software. Running an online spell check or grammar check is not proofreading. The spell checker will not catch “manager” spelled as “manger” or “secret” spelled as “secrete” and online grammar checkers are, frankly, worthless.

Fourth, a professional resume is targeted for the job and the industry. Recruiters and hiring managers are quick to discern resumes that are “one size fits all,” including an absence of keywords and overload of information that is not relevant to the job.

Fifth, professional format consists of a familiar, clear type and a simple design that can be read by electronic Applicant Tracking Systems. An unprofessional format might have too much bolding, italics, and underlining; hard to read fonts; no balance between print and white space; inconsistent alignment (sometimes justified, sometimes ragged right); or inconsistent bullets (round, square, large, small).

As a professional resume writer, I have produced thousands of professional resumes for individuals at every stage of their careers. I look forward to helping you; contact me today.

The Hidden Messages in Your Resume

Nov 24 2013

Over and over, you have heard the same advice about writing your resume. But the reasoning behind that advice might not be as clear.

For example, you are told to proofread your resume carefully to catch mistakes. Yes, hiring managers want recruits who understand English grammar and spelling but the main reason for proofreading is to show that you are attentive to detail. You do not let mistakes creep in.

You are told to describe results in your resume, not just a list of skills. While impressive results are helpful, what hiring managers are looking for is confirmation that you will use your skills to benefit the company. Having skills is valuable; knowing how and when to apply those skills is priceless.

You are told that a resume is not your life story, but should focus on the skills, experience, accomplishments and education most important to the job you want. This focus ensures that hiring managers will consider you for the right jobs. But it also shows hiring managers that you know enough about the company and the position to write a resume targeted to both.

Finally, you are told that your resume should look professional; in fact, looking professional is more important than looking creative. Practical considerations for a professional resume include the use of Applicant Tracking Systems by many companies to weed out resumes. Those systems cannot handle creative resumes. However, the most important factor is that hiring managers have limited time to choose between resumes. They want to find the facts fast and not search for them in a maze of sidebars, colored charts, boxed quotes, etc. They want to know that you value their time and understand the company’s priorities.

Is your resume sending out the wrong messages? Contact Robin’s Resumes® and we will set it right.