qualifications

Many clients who come to me do so after they have tried to find a job on their own. They’ve applied for many jobs – sometimes hundreds!

But they aren’t receiving calls to be interviewed.

Sometimes they aren’t hearing back at all… and they realize they need help.

Their biggest problem is that they don’t know what they’re doing right and what they’re doing wrong, so they don’t know where to put their attention and make changes.

While the answers vary from client to client, the biggest thing I see them struggle with is this: Aligning their resume with Automatic Tracking Systems (ATS).

What are Automatic Tracking Systems (ATS)?

According to JobScan.co, 99% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS, a software that helps them manage the large volume of applications that they receive.

When you submit your application, you may (correctly) have the hiring manager in mind, but you also need to get through the gatekeeper: Their ATS system.

If you don’t get past ATS, the hiring manager will never see your resume and you’ll never receive an invitation to be interviewed.

To Increase the chances of (1) your resume landing on the hiring manager’s desk and (2) receiving an invitation to be interviewed, there are two things that you need to do:

1. Apply for jobs that you are qualified for.

Many people apply for jobs for which they are underqualified and overqualified. And I can see how that makes sense.

Job seekers apply for jobs where they are overqualified because they think that since they have more than the company wants, the employer will think they are getting a bargain.

But that’s incorrect. The employer does not need someone with more skills. In fact, they see someone who’s overqualified as potentially expensive and unlikely to stick around for long. Employers want someone who will stay around for a while and will grow into the roll.

Conversely, people applying for jobs they are underqualified for may think that they can just get training and they’ll get up to speed quickly. But companies don’t want to wait, and employers don’t want to take a chance on whether you’ll learn fast enough.

In both cases, job seekers seem to think that job descriptions aren’t serious or specific, and that they can be adjusted to fit the applicant. That’s not the case at all.

Job seekers who are applying for jobs that they are over- and underqualified for think they are keeping their options open and that it will make them more marketable, but it does not! Rather, it seriously decreases your chances of getting interviewed and hired.

The ATS system and the hiring manager are both going to be looking for closely matched skills, experience, and accomplishments. In other words, they’re looking for someone aligned with the job and qualified for it. If you are not appropriately qualified for the job, then you do not have what they are looking for. You will NOT receive a call to interview. When you are applying for jobs, the best thing you can do is to focus on what you are qualified to do in the job market.

2. Incorporate the keywords into your resume that ATS will be looking for.

If your resume does not have many of these key words, they won’t make it past the ATS! So, edit your resume to bring in as many keywords for the job as possible.

You need to use the exact words because ATS scans your resume to find those words in the job description.

After you’ve done your research and have brought in all of your keywords, I recommend using an excellent tool called JobScan, which mimics an ATS. I have all of my clients use this tool because it scans your resume against the job description to see how closely aligned you are for the role.

There are other ways to find a job.

I know that this sounds like a lot of work, but if you continue to use the advertised market to find your job and don’t do these steps I’ve outlined, your search will take much longer and be that much more difficult and frustrating.

The good news is there are other ways to find a job! The advertised market is just one path. If you want to bypass the ATS altogether, choose another path. Learn about the three paths jobseekers can use to find the right job.