It's true: Employers
and hiring managers are turning more than ever to resume screening software,
thanks to the overwhelming number of job applications they get. It pays to know
how these systems (called Applicant Tracking Systems or Automated Resume
Screeners) work so you can make your resume more relevant to the job you're
applying for. Here's a brief overview of how the software analyzes your resume
and what you can do about it.
Automated Resume Screeners Score Resumes on Relevancy to Keywords and Experience
The following process from resume webapp Resunate illustrates the
basic process (see graphic after the jump below):
· Your resume is run through a parser, which removes the styling
from the resume and breaks the text down into recognized words or phrases.
· The parser then sorts that content into different categories:
Education, contact info, skills, and work experience.
· The employer's desired skills or keywords are matched against the
results from above.
· Your resume is scored on relevancy—using semantic matching against
the employer's search terms and
your years of experience.
So, clearly, it's vital to include relevant text in your
resume—but rather than just dump all the keywords from the job description in,
for best results you'll need to employ a strategy. (Most savvy job applicants
are likely using the same keywords in their resumes.)
How to "Hack" the Automated Resume Screeners
First, don't just focus on the keywords that are in
the job description. Sophisticated resume screeners have gone beyond just keywords to look
for semantic matches—related terms (e.g., not just CPA, but also accounting,
audits, SEC, financial statements, etc.). Resunate co-founder Mona Abdel-Halim
told me that this is how sites like Monster.com and others use technology to
help employers find the best candidates.
Prioritize the words in your resume.
The Resume Help blog recommends auditing the job
description to build a list of priority and secondary words to include:
· Priority resume keywords: words used in the
company's listed job title, used in the description headlines, used more than
twice, called out as success criteria
· Secondary resume keywords: mention of competitor
companies or brand name experience, keyword phrases (phrases surrounding
priority keywords), notable industry qualifications (training, associations)
Consult an insider for help finding relevant words.
It never hurts to get friendly with an HR manager or
employer in your field—you can go straight to the source and ask them if they
could either look over your resume or suggest what kinds of experience/skills
they look for in a candidate. Another possible contact to make is a person in a
position similar to the one you'd like to have. LinkedIn, which is can be a
great resource for job hunters, might be the best place to make these
connections, especially in the industry groups forums.
Pepper all the job-related words across your
resume.
Since the screeners also factor in the depth of your
skills (i.e., analyzing your length of experience), it's also important to
place those important words, where appropriate, throughout your resume, in all
job positions if possible. Order your bullets in descending order of relevancy
to the job description, Abdel-Halim advised.
Create a relevant category expertise section.
Make sure your resume matches the special categories for
the job you're applying for. Resume Help gives these examples:
· Companies are looking for specialists, not industry
generalists, so identifying a category match is a critical first step. One way
to do this is by creating a separate section in the top 1/3 of your online
resume that captures the relevant category expertise.
· Examples of generic category expertise: Management,
Operations, Communications, Marketing
· Examples of specific, relevant category expertise:
Client Relationship Management, Revenue Growth, Risk Management, Negotiation,
CRM Program Development
Don't use photos on your resume.
Background images and photos might trip up the system,
making your resume unreadable.
Use bulleted lists, not paragraphs, to describe
your work.
Resume screeners may have a harder time separating long
paragraphs. (Bulleted lists are also easier on human eyes.)
Use social networks to enhance your resume.
Some resume screeners add other features to check up on
you. Reppify, for example, checks your social network posts and how you use
sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. So make sure what you post on those
networks vibes with what you say on your resume.
Finally, don't forget the basics: Make sure your
resume includes all the job requirements.
Your resume should address all the listed job
requirements, such as years of experience and education.
Don't forget, of course, that the ultimate goal will be to
get your resume in the hands of a real human. Luckily these tips should also
help your resume's chance of getting past human
screeners and hopefully land you an interview.
So while there are a lot of ways to get a job, if you're
concerned that your resume may never actually end up in anyone's hands, these
suggestions are a good starting point. Good luck!
