ATS are Applicant Tracking Systems.  These are a type of software program that allows employers to electronically handle their recruiting and hiring processes.  They can save employers both money and time especially if they are recruiting for multiple open positions.  98% of Fortune 500 companies and at least 66% of large companies use them and an estimated 30% of small businesses also have ATS in use.  An applicant tracking system allows businesses to add screening questions to their application to ensure applicants meet basic qualifications like education level or years of experience. Some applicant tracking systems let businesses create scoring rules that weigh certain questions more heavily.  Unfortunately for job seekers, they also act as an electronic gatekeeper keeping even top applicants from being considered for positions which they are actually qualified for but are rejected.  Approximately 75% of resumes are disqualified due to applicant tracking systems.

Now that we know what they are how do we get our resume to be scored high, printed and read by an actual hiring manager?  Keywords!  ATS parses a resume’s content into categories and then scans it for specific keywords to determine if the job application should be passed along to the recruiter.  Your resume needs to be written in the correct language for your industry, occupation and the job you are seeking.  Making sure you have the correct keywords on your resume dramatically improves your chances of beating the ATS.  Don’t confuse keywords with buzzwords, those are fluff and space fillers.  Keywords are found in job descriptions, industry publications such as journals, professional organizations’ websites, articles etc.  These words include the skills necessary to be successful.  A quick tip is to gather 5 or 6 job descriptions similar to the job you are pursuing.  Put them through a text analyer like https://www.online-utility.org/text/analyzer.jsp or word cloud creater like http://www.tagcrowd.com to identify which terms are used most frequently.  Then, provided you possess these skills and qualifiactions, incorporate them into your resume.

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