Category: Technology

Beat The Bot!

AlwaysTyping Always Typing, Applicant Tracking System, ATS, Career Counseling, core competencies, hard skills, Job Application, Job Search, professional summary, Resume Tips, soft skills, Technology , , , , , , , ,
Beat The Bot!

APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEMS ARE EVIL!

As sad as it is, this image is so true. Applicant Tracking System (ATS) scans are a job seeker’s #1 concern…as if putting together a resume isn’t already difficult enough.

Let’s use some numbers to demonstrate the “black hole” that is the ATS. You are on Indeed and finally find a job to which you’d like to apply. You aren’t the only one.

SOME NUMBERS

1000 people see that job, 100 people submit an application, only 25 of those 100 actually get past the ATS and into the hands of a human. Then of those 25, maybe 6 people actually get an interview and 1 person gets a job offer.

How in the world can you ensure that you’re among the 25 that end up in the hands of a human? How do you beat the ATS?

THE STEPS TO BEAT THE BOT

1. Make sure you actually qualify for the job.

2. Keywords in the job description must be on your resume and they must match your skills. I’ve previously posted a blog about mapping a job description to identify the keywords … USE THEM, THEY’RE IMPORTANT!

3. You know they say you have to write a new resume for each job. Incorporating the keywords for each job description into your resume is what they’re talking about. ATS scans heavily weigh keywords in your title, career summary and skills list. They also rank you by how much experience you have listed. A good resume contains about 10 years of experience.

4. Design your resume so that it is robot friendly. Computers and algorithms can’t read graphics or cutesy icons. I’ve seen some resumes with a telephone icon next to their telephone number. Don’t do that for the resume you submit online. Keep those on hand to give to the human who’ll be interviewing you.

5. Uh oh, I just told you to write another resume, didn’t I? YES! Cutesy resume for human, non-cutesy resume for online submission to get past ATS.

6. Stop throwing your resume against walls and hoping it’ll stick. If you’ve gone through these steps and are actually qualified…APPLY. The odds will be ever in your favor.

#ResumeWriter #Resume #ResumeTips#JobApplication #CareerCounselor #LinkedIn #LinkedInOptimization#InterviewPrep #AlwaysTyping

Artificial Intelligence and Your Interview

AlwaysTyping Always Typing, Applicant Tracking System, ATS, Interview Prep, Interview Questions, News, Technology , , , ,
Artificial Intelligence and Your Interview

ai interview.png

I’ve previously discussed the resume “black hole” and how companies rely heavily on the use of ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) to weed out applicants. Basically speaking, an applicant completes an application online. A computer analyzes that application for predefined keywords and “hopefully” passes the applicant onto the HR team for that company. Then, tradition takes over wherein an actual person reviews the application/resume to decide whether to pass that applicant onto the hiring manager.

We are now facing a bold, new, controversial world…the world of artificial intelligence. Many companies are using AI robots / chat bots to actually perform an initial interview. These programs have a set of algorithms and predefined characteristics it analyzes. Using everything from word strings to facial mapping to micro-expressions to “score” a candidate’s potential for success.

Another company is developing software that will basically crawl a candidate’s social media to determine whether that candidate has the correct personality for the job. So, now we move into a new environment where what you post really can affect your chances at employment. In the past, the main concern was whether the hiring manager would go onto your profile and physically see something they don’t like. Now, a computer will do the job for them. Is it legal? YES! Your social media profile is public information. The big question is centered around ethics. Even though the ethics question has not been answered, there are at least a couple of Fortune 500 companies using this technology, though no names have been mentioned, yet.

This video from the Wall Street Journal goes into more detail. It is a 10 minute video and very much worth your time to view.