As any job seeker looks to find job, he or she majorly find 2 ways to share his resume:
1. Through Application Tracking System
2. Through Recruiters
In both modes you need to take care few areas to make sure your resume get maximum attention.
In this article, We will share some of best strategies that can be applied to get maximum attention and increase chances for your resume shortlisting.
Through Application Tracking System
One way companies are streamlining the hiring process is through the use of Applicant Tracking Systems, or ATS. ATS are computer programs that scan job applications
for specific criteria so that only applications that meet certain parameters are passed on to the next stage.
While ATS programs were first employed by enterprise companies who received thousands upon thousands of applications for each role, the rise of SaaS apps has made ATS
more accessible. Combine that with a tough job market where job ads are receiving more applications than ever before, the ATS isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
The best way to optimize your resume for ATS is to focus on including relevant, specific information. ATS likes resume which are well written covering maximum
information in bullets and all information shown in small paragaphs.
How ATS works?
It breaks down your resume into small paragraphs and for every paragraph find occurrence of words as defined by recruiter. Then it checks the occurrence of same keyword
across multiple sections of your resume to make sure you have right skills for given job.
Example: Someone mentioned expert in Selenium under Introduction Section, than ATS System will look for Selenium keyword along with other keywords like Selenium based
Framework Development in Experience section as well and accordingly determine whether your resume holds skill set for Selenium or not.
Since the advent of ATS, it's become common for job seekers to try and stuff as many keywords into their resume as possible to increase their chances of getting past filters. This is a double-edged sword, however, as a resume optimized to pass an arbitrary computer test isn't necessarily going to be as well received once it hits the desk of a human hiring manager. A resume rammed with meaningless buzzwords rather than specific, concise information will fail to impress someone looking to get a better picture of you as a candidate.
So chances are you might pass the ATS System but get failed when screening gets done by Hiring Manager. So be careful while submitting your application to any ATS System.
All online job applications submitted directly at employer website falls under ATS Category.
Through Recruiters
Here are some of best practices for optimizing your resume for recruiters.
1. Use keywords – but don't use extensively
Recruiters use a variety of courses to find great candidates. The bulk of potential candidates, however, will be found either through LinkedIn or through job boards. Job boards such as Career Builder, Monster, Indeed and Dice that allow you to upload your resumes let professional recruiters search through job seeker profiles.
Usually, they'll search using specific keywords for any given requirement. Keywords help job seeker appear in search results and same time help recruiter to find right candidate matching skills of available requirement. This is why it's crucial to keep your resume updated and include relevant information.
2. Keep it bang on target
It's generally good advice to keep your resume short and impactful, whether you're optimizing for recruiters, or hiring managers directly.
Recruiters look at a lot of resumes every day, and unlike their ATS counterparts, they're not robots. If you want to get their interest, you need to make it as fast and as easy as possible for them to get the information they need. Try and keep your resume to a couple of pages; no unnecessarily large fonts, and no jumbling.
Some people would recommend you keep your resume to a single page, but if you're an IT professional with a lot of technically detailed experience, don't worry about it running to a few more say up to 5 Pages; provided the information is relevant to the type of position you're looking for.
Any other information that's nice but not essential—volunteer work, hobbies, internships—is what your LinkedIn profile is for.
3. Namedrop technologies and be specific
When you're working in tech, products and versions are important. Most recruiters will search by the technology area they're recruiting in before anything else, so be precise. It might seem contrary to keeping things brief, but recruiters need to know what technologies you have experience with so they can see if you fit the bill.
Example if you have worked on Selenium mention which versions of Selenium you have actually worked.
4. Don't abbreviate yourself out of searches
Again, you want your resume to be found in searches, so don't lose out on any opportunities when naming technologies. If you're a wizard with Quick Test Professional, type the Quick Test Professional and not just QTP.
Tech-savvy recruiters will no doubt know what QTP means, but they might not necessarily search using the abbreviation.
5. Format for readability
Use clear headings to lay out your resume: layout is important. A resume should be well formatted with clear sections, such as Key Skills, Technologies, Work History/Project Experience, Education/Qualifications, Personal Interests.
6. Who are you?
You might think we wouldn't have to say this, but having used job boards ourselves, it bears repeating. Don't forget to include your name and your contact details. In this day and age, no one needs your full address at the job-seeking stage, but be sure to include your zip code, an accurate phone number, and a current email address.
7. Spellcheck
Recruiters will immediately be less inclined to contact a candidate if their work history is unclear, or if there are obvious spelling mistakes, especially for technologies and languages the candidate purports to know well.
Like we said above, having the right keywords in your resume is crucial, so don't write off their worth with poor spelling. Recruiters will be armed and ready with the old CTRL+F trick, so make it as easy as possible for them to pinpoint what they're looking for.
In short, the key to creating an optimized, searchable resume is to offer pertinent, specific information that shows off your value.
Building better QA for tomorrow
Comments