Keywords Are Important When Using Online Job Application Tools
It is customary for organizations to require job candidates to apply for positions online. Unfortunately, after submitting your resume and job application to their site, time can suddenly stand still. It is discouraging to wait and wait for days and weeks with no response. Have you considered that your submitted information isn’t being recognized and matching up with the organization’s applicant tracking system?
Applicant tracking software assists companies with recruiting and hiring. It assists with organization and has a bonus of being EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) compliant.
This software collects, sifts and sorts through thousands of resumes. You can bet your resume is in this vast database! Clicking “send” throws your information into the mix of the applicant tracking system (ATS) algorithm. Here it is stored and in some cases the ATS ranks the information based on how well it fits or matches up with the job description.
According to Jobscan.com, “98% of Fortune 500 companies and a growing number of small and mid-sized businesses filter resumes through applicant tracking systems before someone takes a look…. if they ever do.” This doesn’t seem very fair considering that it can take sometimes more than an hour to complete one of these applications.
How can a candidate make their information more “attractive” to the ATS? It’s all about the keywords the software is attempting to recognize or match. The better the recognition or match, the higher the opportunity or rank the resume and application receives. The higher the rank, the better the chances of receiving that all important invitation to continue the process.
A keyword is a word or term related to the type of employment you are searching for. Using pertinent, job specific keywords assists job candidates in writing resumes or filling in online applications that are distinct to a particular job. This makes your information more appealing to the ATS potentially raising your rank.
There are many categories of keywords that employers use to select applications or resumes. Each category contains a multitude of individual words easily attainable through a simple search. Here is a small list of categories:
Required strengths
Responsibilities
Degrees or diplomas
Business functioning
Computer applications
Job titles
Keywords bring more specificity to your resume or application. For example, listing that you know how to use a specific software program is much stronger than stating that you have excellent computer skills. The use of distinct, defined qualifiers in the resume or application exhibits knowledge in the field you are applying for making you more interesting to prospective employers. Companies are searching for candidates that will be a fit for the organization and utilizing the appropriate keywords helps “tic” that box, hopefully increasing your ranking in the applicant tracking system.
If you are a new graduate or new to the idea of applying keywords to your resume or application it may take a bit of time and research to identify which words or phrases to use. If you know the type of company you want to work for, look up several similar companies and check out the listed job postings. The job postings are chocked full of keywords that each specific company values for certain positions.
Networking websites such as LinkedIn are very useful. Check out the profiles of users who have similar jobs to your desired job. Notice how they use the keywords in their profile statement or in the jobs they’ve held. It’s totally fine to pluck a few favorite keywords from their profile. They will probably be flattered by it!! (It is also very important to update your own LInkedIn profile because prospective employers will look at it!)
Industry job boards, blogs and websites along with professional or trade associations blogs/boards are filled with helpful information regarding jobs. These boards are filled with many job descriptions abundant with keywords to use.
Just as each company has its own internal “jargon”, each industry has descriptive words or phrases specific to it. Reading company or industry websites can clue you into the precise lingo needed to recognize your resume or application as a match by the tracking software.
As you prepare your resume and application to place online, sprinkle the appropriate keywords throughout it. Don’t forget to generously sprinkle them throughout your cover letter if you are also sending one. This provides a harmonious flow between your documents for the tracking software to hit on.
Note that a “sprinkling” of keywords is just that Don’t overload the resume or application with too many keywords. Some of the articles I researched recommend 10 - 12 per application or resume. Overkill on the keywords may distort your matching or recognition by the software. ( I don’t know how this occurs, as I’m not an algorithm or technology specialist!!) This is a general rule. There are many exceptions. Some industries have a cultural jargon where everyday speech is filled with keywords or phrases so candidates for those industries use an abundance of keywords on their resumes.
It is essential to understand that some ATS may classify the document into digital categories to make it uniform and searchable. At times, this can be a problem depending on the categorizing algorithm. If it is outdated or of poor quality, the resume or application information can be distorted or even lost! So your very important professional information is really at the mercy of the type and quality of the applicant tracking system the company is using.
There is really no way to “beat” the ATS. It is crucial to have your resume well-written. This may mean you have more than one resume. (It’s OK!!) Tailor your resumes for each job you apply for using appropriate keywords specific to the job description.
Simplicity is vital in how the resume should be formatted. Keep it consistent throughout the document. Some experts suggest using a .docx or .pdf file format. This may prevent the ATS recategorizing the data, thus preventing it from being distorted.
These applicant tracking systems are here to stay. Automated recruiting is being modernized all the time and will become even more technical with the dawning of artificial intelligence. Hopefully this software will become more simple and reliable providing the applicant more of an expectation as to when they will receive an answer whether a yes or no. It’s the waiting that’s so unfair to applicants.
Employing appropriate keywords is crucial to giving your resume and application the optimum opportunity to be recognized or matched by the software algorithm. A higher ranking is what you need to hopefully get the desired phone call. Your resume will get you in the door. The rest is up to you. If you need help with preparing for the upcoming interview, please contact me for a free consultation.
I offer a completely free 30 minute introductory job interview coaching session. Contact me today to prepare for your tomorrow!