Your Resume & The Applicant Tracking System

APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM

Written By Gala Jackson

75%*Source: CXO Media Inc

75%*Source: CXO Media Inc

OF JOB-SEEKERS’ CHANCESAT AN INTERVIEW AREKILLED INSTANTLY BY

APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEMS.

what is theAPPLICANTTRACKINGSYSTEM (ATS)?

When you apply for a job online, you are most likelyusing a system known as ATS. In an effort to track,review, and streamline all of the applications that

come into a company or organization, trackingsystems are used by Human Resources departments

to evaluate candidate résumés and cover letters.

?but what can I

do to avoidREJECTION?

avoid templatesThe layout and formatting

included with pre-populatedrésumé templates can cause

errors with the applicanttracking system. Avoid using stock résumé templates and create your own résumé asa regular Microsoft Word

document with simpleformatting.

{ }simple formatting

Use simple formatting in your résumé.Resist the temptation to add a border or shading the background of your résumé.

Create section headers such as “Summaryof Qualifications,” “Education,” “Related

Work Experience,” etc to signify where the information is located on your résumé.Incorporate bolded fonts to introduce a

section and/or add underlining.

use keywordsATS scores résumés based on keywords, which are as-signed a value when qualifications and skills in the job description are linked. Résumés that score the highest are passed along to a recruiter or hiring manager for further review.

and the right fontChoose a san serif font for your résumé for a crisp, clean, easy to read look. Some of the most popular san serif fonts include Calibri, Arial, and Tahoma.

the little things

Never place your contact information in the header or footer. Doing so will cause

an error in the ATS system! Plus thestandard for a college student or recent

college graduate seeking full-timeemployment is a one-page résumé.

Make sure you list the years or months; semesters can’t be read and only exist on college campuses. Make sure that

your dates are right justified.

NO charts.NO graphics.NO images.

AND HEY.

Let your experience andqualifications shine to

http://www.landthejob.comFIND MORE USEFUL TIPS AT:

Trying to land the job is a full-time job, from tweaking your résumé to

networking, career fairs and preparing for interviews. Through it all, you need

to develop and tell the story of you. How you share that story matters.

We’re here to help.

Gala Jackson, M.Ed. is a Millennial Expert & Career Management Consul-

tant with InterviewSnob, a career consulting boutique

for millennials. Connect with Gala @interviewsnob and check

out her website at www.interviewsnob.com