We have already written about how using keywords may or may not help you get through to an interview stage. This article is not meant to go over those things again. Our company deals with tons of resumes and cover letters and we try to meet the expectations of our clients by creating documents that will help them get the job. Because each case is individual we never write resumes or CVs from a sample. In other words, our writers always work from scratch. Today we would like to help our readers cope with the situations when they know that the company they send their application to uses ATS (Applicant Tracking Software).
How to Get Past Applicant Tracking Software?
Before submitting a resume or CV for a job opening one has to find out as much as he/she can about the company. This is what we call doing your homework. It is only after you get to know more about the company and job requirements you will be able to develop an effective resume and successfully pass an interview. One of the things you would want to know is whether a potential employer is using an Applicant Tracking Software for selecting candidates for an interview (it is definitely not the most important thing to find out, but could be very helpful).
If the company does use such technology you should keep that in mind while polishing up your resume. If that is the case, first of all, you have to make sure your document is saved in the right format. Most ATS can read MS Word and PDF documents, however, it will be the best to save it in the older version of Word (.doc format). If you can avoid using tables and advanced graphic elements. By following the aforementioned recommendations you will make sure ATS will be able to read your resume and CV. However, you are not done yet so don't think it is all you have to do to get past ATS. The whole purpose of that system is to identify present in document keywords and categorize a document into sections. Therefore, we recommend starting your CV with something like Overview of Qualifications (Summary, Professional Highlights) section. This piece of information should contain the most relevant keywords.
Please, don't try to just jam as many keywords as you possibly can into a resume, this will not help you get the job. Instead, try to inject those throughout the document. And one last thing, the more structured resume you will have, the more chances you will get on getting past ATS.
