How to Convince the Robot Recruiter (ATS) That Reads Your Resume?

In today's job market, almost all the job applications are sent either by mail directly to the company or on the job portals like (Drjobs.ae), so your application will be reviewed by a robot before it goes to human hands.

In other words, before your resume reaches the recruiter, it must pass the filtering algorithm of the "Applicant Tracking System (ATS)," so before perfecting your resume and cover letter to impress the recruiter you should first know how to create a resume that will influence the "robot" recruiter.

There is a study that Hiring managers spend only 6 seconds reviewing each resume they receive (if they receive it at all because the robot may discard it before it goes to his hand)?

Why does this happen? Because almost 90% of companies are using software called ATS or Applicant Tracking System to weed out the applications that they can't read or didn't match a certain standard to be read by a human.

How to Convince the Robot Recruiter (ATS) That Reads Your Resume?

What is an " Applicant Tracking System" (ATS)?

According to Wikipedia, " it is a software application that enables the electronic handling of recruitment and hiring needs." So, hiring managers can add their specific keywords, skills, years of experience, previous employers to ensure that the candidate meets the organization's requirements. The ATS filters all the information in the resume and rejects 75% of job applicants before the recruiters even look at them, according to Preptel (one type of ATS company). 

So, how can you delight the robot recruiter system scanning your job application?

While tailoring your CV, keep the ATS in mind. Be honest in mentioning your skills, experience, and credentials, but represent them in a way that will impress the robotic system. Here are some tips:

• Keywords are keys

Include keywords that are used in the job listing, as well as any related terms. For instance, if you are applying for a position as a "content writer," you should mention your job title as "content writer" as well as associated words like "creative writing" and "copywriting." Yet, never replace the job title in the job listing with other job titles. Also, try to avoid using a different tense or phrase. For example, if you wrote " managed content team" and the recruiter is searching for " content manager," the robot might reject your resume, even though it's the same job with equal responsibility.

• Don't try to trick the robot

Don't stuff the keywords by repeating the word too many times inappropriately (e.g., sales, sales, sale). Also, don't follow the "hidden" keyword technique by inserting the keywords in a white font because if the system passes it, the recruiter will see all these cheats when reviewing the resume. It will be proof that you are dishonest.

• Abbreviate and Explain

Don't use abbreviations only. Use the acronyms and full word for the essential terms like MBA and Master of Business Administration because the software might pick only one of them.

• Simplicity is always perfect

Don't exaggerate using graphics, fonts, pictures, charts, tables, and logos. Although all these decorations seem appealing to humans, ATS Bots can't translate them. Stick to standard resume formatting, use a regular font like Georgia, Ariel, or Times New Roman and try to maintain bot-friendly format in your resume.

On the other hand, you can use Bold, Italics, underline, colors, and bullets (use the standard circle or square-shaped ones).

• Send the right file type

ATS sometimes may not be able to comprehend the PDF file, so try to send your resume in rich text format such as a Word Doc or resave your Word File as a "text only" (.txt) file. However, if the hiring manager requires a specific file type, follow the instructions.  

• " Mirror" the job listing professionally

Incorporating requirements of the position is always functional because it shows that you care about the job you are applying to, and you've done your search to know more. Moreover, it increases your chance of getting past a robot's algorithm.

Make sure that your resume covers as much as aspects from the job description. For example, if the job description includes skills like budgeting and management, mention all these skills. But always remember that Honest is mandatory. Please don't add anything that you don't have experience in it. Moreover, if you have other skills that you see will boost your chance of getting the job. Don't hesitate to mention it.

• Headers and footers are not for important info and Titles are not important

Don't write critical details like your contact number, experience, qualifications in the header, and footer because not all ATS systems can screen them.

Besides, if you have a title like Ph.D., CEM, PE, don't use it beside your name because the ATS will read it as your last name.

• The ATS name increases your chance.

Although all ATS software programs have the same function to screen and filter the resumes to streamline work for humans, they do that differently. Hence, if the name of the ATS is visible to you as a candidate, try to take some seconds to Google it to find any information available to help you promote your resume to be ATS-friendly. For instance, you may find out that the ATS used by this company is ranking resumes according to the keywords, so you'll add all the keywords in the job listing naturally in your resume.

• Human touch still matters

Although we live now in the world of AI recruitment, the human touch is still essential and adds more value. Hence, you can send an email or a hand-written letter to the recruiter.  This could pop your name into his mind and encourage him to check your resume even if it didn't pass through the ATS test.

Quick Tips:

You have to make sure that:

• All your email address, portfolio link, Linkedin URL, and other links are not live because the ATS will read these live links as a potential virus.
• You put your job title, company name, and location in one line, followed by dates on the second line.
• Name the file with your name and job title you are applying for. Don't just name it " Resume."

In today's job market, having a perfect ATS matched resume is as important as having the required qualifications and experience to get the job. Once you have applied these tips on your resume, you will notice better results when sending your resume to the hiring managers.

Never forget! Although the recruiters use the ATS as a tool to hire the top candidates while saving time and money, it can also be your golden ticket to get the job you always dream of having.

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