Speaker 1: Are you tired of applying to jobs and getting no response? Say you've applied for so many positions and messaged tons of employers and still you've heard nothing but crickets. I'm Sinead and I'm here to tell you that no matter how frustrated you may feel applying to jobs and getting zero feedback, do not, I repeat, do not question your abilities. Instead, let's evaluate how recruiters determine which candidates, or resumes rather, get chosen and which do not and why. Enter the Applicant Tracking System or the ATS. Coming up in this video, we'll tell you what exactly an Applicant Tracking System is, how it works, and give you tips to ensure that your resume is optimized for an ATS. Like a lot of things in today's world, the recruitment process can be automated. Recruiters have to look through hundreds of resumes. So in order to speed up the process of finding those who best fit the job requirements, an Applicant Tracking System pulls specific data and skills that the recruiter is looking for. For example, if Sally from Coffee Mugs Incorporated is looking for a Java developer, including skills like object-oriented programming or Python could increase her interest in your resume, thus increases your chances of being seen. And while not every company uses an ATS, it is so important to know how they work and how to beat them, especially considering that 99% of Fortune 500 companies use them and small to medium businesses are quickly following suit. Within the hiring process, an ATS comes between candidate supply and applicants are screened. See, once you submit your resume, the ATS scans and interprets your information and then categorizes your experience into buckets like education, skills, and experience. And then once your information is sorted, it's instantly compared to the job description. The ATS scans for keywords like areas of experience, skills, and other qualifications like certifications and degrees. It then ranks your resume based on how well your information matches the job description. And the higher your resume is ranked, the more prioritization your resume will get. Now, if you want to be sure that your resume is exactly where it needs to be in order to ensure that you're getting the best job opportunities, you can get an instant scan of your resume right up here. Okay, so there are two main areas where you can optimize your resume for an ATS, format and content. In regards to format, applicant tracking systems are programmed to scan and parse text, which means that any elements of your resume that are heavily formatted can actually cause readability issues. I'm talking images, icons, tables, and columns, which are all considered to be heavily formatted. Using these elements can cause all kinds of readability issues like covering or shifting your content or preventing an ATS from parsing sections of your resume. And that's why complex formatting is not recommended. And that being said, perhaps the reason that you did not get called in for an interview was due to your resume format and not your qualifications at all. And because 75% of qualified job seekers are rejected by an ATS due to readability issues, take our advice. Use a simple format. Now, in addition to simplifying your format, be sure you also have dedicated labeled sections for your experience, skills, and education, since this is how an ATS categorizes your content. All right, so here's an example of a resume that is not ATS friendly. And here's an example of a resume that has the same content but is optimized to pass ATS. Do you see the difference? Now, if you want to show off your creative side through your resume, you can do that with a physical copy that you take into your interview. You can also include a link to your creative portfolio or personal website in your heading. But for the purpose of applying for jobs online, a simplified version is going to be your best bet. And as far as file types, stick to a Word doc or a PDF. Any files created with programs like InDesign Pages or Photoshop should definitely be converted. Since the purpose of your resume is to land you an interview, of course, simplifying your format can get you one step closer. So for more advice on how to format your resume, be sure to check out this video right up here. And once you've simplified your format, it's time to focus on content. Since an ATS scans for keywords that are coming from the job description, you'll definitely want to take the time to tailor your content so that it aligns with the job that you're applying for. In this example job description, we can see a list of responsibilities and a few desired qualifications. As you're going through a job description, take note of any keywords that stand out. While skills are the best examples of keywords, you can also find them in the responsibilities, education, and certifications sections. For example, we can see that for this position, Selenium and Python are listed on the job description. If these qualifications match yours, you'll want to add them to your resume. Skills and experience can be added throughout, like in your professional summary, your skills section, and your work experience. For skills that you find in the job description, not only do you want to add them to your skills list, but you also want to explain how you use those skills in your experience. Recruiters will verify your qualifications during your interview, so be sure to only add qualifications and experience that you have and never misrepresent yourself. Even if you land the job, you might find that working in an ill-fitting role might leave you feeling less fulfilled and success might be harder to achieve. So when it comes to your job search, think quality over quantity and remember that the ATS is scanning resumes to find qualified applicants based on keywords from the job description. Use a simplified resume format and tailor your content to the role that you're applying for so that you can ensure that you qualify and also that an ATS and recruiters can see it too. Alright, now if you found this video helpful, be sure to give us a like down below, subscribe to our channel right over here, and of course hit that notification bell to keep up with our weekly videos. And for even more tips on resumes, definitely check out this playlist right here. And for a list of resume mistakes to avoid, you definitely want to check out this video right up here. I'm Sinead, thank you all so much for watching, and I'll see you next time.