When sending your resume for a job posting, it is essential to understand that you will not be the only one fighting for the slot. Sometimes, the applicants can run into hundreds making the hiring process quite a chore for employers.
Many employers are turning to technology to filter out resumes that don’t align with the qualities they are looking for. And this could be the reason why your inbox is still empty despite your efforts in sending out resumes.
Read on to understand what it takes to get past automated resume filters.
Getting Around Automated Resume Filters
Leverage Custom Made Samples
Having your resume filtered out by a bot doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t qualify for a job. It could be that your resume failed to impress the bots.
One way of going around the bots is hiring an expert resume writer who can be costly, considering you may need to send many resumes. Also, you may not be guaranteed that the person you hire will write a resume well enough to make it past the filters.
That’s why you need to leverage customized templates available online to create a resume that can beat the bots and better your chances of getting a job. If you are unsure of where to start, these resume format examples by Beamjobs will help you understand what it takes to write a winning resume.
Always Include Keywords
Every job posting will have qualification requirements, such as years of experience, ability to work with minimum supervision, skill level, etc. These are the primary identifiers of an applicant’s suitability for the job.
In other words, the bots will try to filter out any resumes that do not have specific terms or phrases that align with the qualities the employer is looking for.
Besides your qualifications, you may also want to include some verbs such as “outperformed, “led,” or “delivered” while ensuring that you do not overdo it. However, keep in mind that while keyword stuffing may succeed in misleading the bots, it may not fool the hiring manager.
Keep It Simple
Beautiful templates, charts, and custom cover letters may wow the human eye, but not so much a bot. In fact, it might produce a negative effect. Therefore, you will need to ensure that you go for simplicity rather than fancy to make it easier for the bot to scan your resume.
Keeping it simple also means submitting your resume in the format suggested in the job posting. A Microsoft word document is the default format if no directions are given. Using the wrong format will see the resume filtered out by the bots even when its content could be impressive.
Be Specific
There can never be a one fits all resume. This means you have to customize your resume to match the specific position you are applying for.
You do not need to overhaul your resume for each job you apply for. After all, some parts of it, such as academic qualifications, age, contact information, and experience, may stay relatively the same.
However, you may need to fine-tune it to highlight relevant qualifications based on specific job requirements.
Maintain a Balance
Resume filtering bots are becoming popular by the day. As a result, many people tend to build resumes designed to get past the bots and forget that a human eye will be going through the resumes after the bot.
Therefore, besides ensuring that your resume beats the bots, it must also appeal to the hiring manager, who will have the final word on who best qualifies for the job.
In other words, focus on creating a visually appealing document by including a catchy but not complicated letterhead or footer, easily readable fonts, and adding some color. However, be careful with color to avoid sending the wrong signal.
Get Your Resume Scanned Before Sending It In
After you finish writing, it would be best to verify if your resume can pass a filter test using a free online scanner tool that mimics applicant tracking systems (ATS).
While passing an online scan may not guarantee that your resume will pass your prospective employer’s bots, it can help ensure that your resume is filter-friendly based on its performance in the test. Additionally, some scanners may offer tips on improvements to make your resume better.
