The Top 3 Ways to Get Your Resume Noticed in an Applicant Tracking System

In today’s competitive marketplace, applying for a job can be an exercise in frustration.  The endless resume submission process can feel like a black hole when you don’t receive a response. What can you do to get your resume past the gatekeeper and increase your chances of getting an interview?

As more and more recruiters are leveraging technology in their recruitment processes, here are 3 noteworthy tips to help get your resume reviewed faster!

1. Tweak Your Resume

In the old days, that gatekeeper was often a secretary or maybe an HR hiring manager. However, many companies are now using applicant tracking systems (ATS) to find the best candidates and eliminate manual processes like sorting through a pile of resumes. Before your application reaches someone in HR, it will first be reviewed through this ATS software.

Luckily, once you understand a few key elements of applicant tracking software, it’s not as daunting as it might sound. The truth is, if you include all of your accomplishments and relevant past experience in your resume, the applicant tracking system can pick up on your skills and show you as an excellent fit for the position.

2. Show Your Results

Every resume is stronger when it is results based.  Showing that you raised your department’s sales by 12% over your tenure shows sales and marketing skill—important for a sales and marketing position, which the ATS software will likely notice.  If you are applying for an entry level position and may not have past results to include, perhaps mention results from a significant club event you organized.

3. Make Sure You Fit the Requirements

If the position calls for someone with 5-7 years of experience and you have 3, the software will pass you over.  For that matter, so will the HR manager; therefore, make sure you fit the requirements as closely as possible and remain realistic in your job hunt.

The use of applicant tracking systems to help with the hiring process is continuing to grow in today’s corporate world. ATS software is designed to help both the recruiter/hiring manager and the candidate by streamlining the hiring process to allow for open positions to be filled more quickly. By applying a few of the key tactics outlined above to your resume before you hit the “submit” button, you’ll help ensure that your application will make it past the initial screening process and onto the desk of a hiring manager.

This guest post comes from iCIMS, which offers web-based applicant tracking system (ATS) solutions  for business of all sizes. iCIMS provides employee onboarding software to help streamline the hiring process in order to save time and reduce cost-per-hire. iCIMS’ talent management system can be tailored to fit your HR or recruiting needs. To learn more, visit their website or follow iCIMS on Twitter @iCIMS.

We talk often about having the right people in the right seats. However, the step that is commonly skipped in that metaphor is what to do with the incumbent workforce. In this guest post for my buddy Glenn at the Young CXO blog, I talk about the three options for making talent fit a priority. Check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Today we have a guest post from Kevin Eikenberry, all-around brilliant guy and author of the new book From Bud to Boss. Let’s roll!

Most people value and admire consistency. From Cal Ripken, Jr’.s consecutive game streak in baseball, to business longevity, to celebrating anniversaries and even birthdays; humans look for consistency, for plans and for stability. Most people see those traits as good things.

Compounding the interest and desire for consistency is the favor found in traditions. The meal you always have on a specific holiday, the things you do each Spring, fireworks on the Fourth of July in America, the list could go on and on…

There obviously are virtues to consistent performance, reliable processes and unchanging traditions. Yet, as with most everything in life, there is a flip side to these virtues too – the vices of these hallowed traditions and consistent actions.

You might be thinking… what could possibly be wrong with apple pie on my birthday or subscribing to the same magazine for 25 years or that popular annual Customer promotion?

While there might not be anything “wrong” with it; I’m curious, have you considered that you might like another flavor of pie (or a cheesecake!) better? Or that maybe there is another magazine that better addresses your specific interests (which likely have drifted over 25 years), or that an entirely different promotion might do even better?

When you are blindly tied to consistency and tradition these vices can keep you from thinking, put you at risk of being out of step, expose you to settling for just good when something better exists, and preclude you from asking questions (the kinds of questions that could change everything for the better).

If you buy my idea that there are two sides to the consistency coin, then let’s talk about what leaders can do to most effectively deal with – and take advantage of – both sides of that coin.

Balancing the Virtues and Vices

Human inclination is to “keep the tradition alive;” so, the advice that follows is more about opening your mind to the possibility that you could change that tradition. Having said that, realize these steps may leave you with the decision that the tradition should remain and continue to be cherished for what it is.

That’s perfectly fine and is all part of the balance itself. You must be willing to look critically at everything, and then determine what can change and what must remain.

Five steps to consider

Identify the “sacred cows”. What are the things you don’t ever look at? What are the things you never question, that you always do, or are considered politically “untouchable” in your organization? When you make this list you have taken the first step towards finding a greater balance – and possibly finding a tremendous opportunity for improvement.

Respect, but inspect. Each of those time honored procedures or traditions has value – or did at one time. As a leader, recognize the emotional connection or affiliation people may have towards these processes or approaches. Even if you expect to find change needed, respecting these practices is the best first step. This respect should be shown and felt as you inspect these processes and events for possible changes.

Do a relevancy check. Does the event, process or tradition support the current goals of your organization? Goals often (and should) change over time, and so it is appropriate to consciously take time to align all activities to the goals of the organization. If the tradition or process in question doesn’t support your current organizational goals, why does it remain?

Rededicate your efforts. Your analysis may not produce a black and white answer (like this is good and should be kept, or this needs to be eliminated). Regardless of the complexity, the goal is to decide and act. Perhaps the tradition needs to stay; perhaps it needs to be adjusted; or perhaps it is time to recreate, re-fashion or more drastically change it. Whatever the decision, rededicate your efforts to making the process or tradition highly valuable and valued.

And, if your analysis determines that some change is required, remember to . . .

Recognize deeper challenges. If you are making changes to a long-held tradition, recognize that the resistance to change will be significant – it will perhaps even surprise you. In this case remember to be patient, to be respectful and to talk about the ‘whys’ of the change early and often.

I love traditions as much as, if not more than, most. AND, I love change and the opportunities it brings. As a leader you must find this balance for yourself and your organizations.

Potential Pointer: Consistency and traditions can be of great value. They also can be a challenge when they obscure or work against your overall goals. As a leader it is your responsibility and opportunity to find the balance between change and consistency – choosing each at the appropriate time.

Kevin Eikenberry is the author of From Bud to Boss, a book for leaders transitioning into their new roles. If you are a new leader or know one, grab a copy of the book today!

I have a fun post up on TLNT today called “Everything I Know About Business I Learned from Jerry Maguire.” They are running a fun series over there because there’s some special celebrity movie awards ceremony coming up. I don’t pay attention to that stuff but it’s worth checking out the other great posts!

Click here to check it out!

Let’s face it, most job postings suck. Typically, job postings are MBA-speak nightmares that give little insight into the day-to-day goings on of a given role. Here are a few tips for creating engaging job posts that actually do their job of attracting great talent and weeding out those that are a poor fit.

Create Obstacles

Is it strange to begin a discussion on bringing people in with advice creating obstacles? Influence expert Robert Cialdini confirms a truth that savvy daters have leveraged since time immemorial, “playing hard to get works.” The simple truth is, people want what they can’t (easily) have and as Groucho Marx put it, the teams we most want to be a part of would scarcely have us as members. So what does all of this mean for job postings? Creating reasonable barriers to entry has two important benefits, it weeds out the unmotivated and ill-fitting, and it increases the perceived cache of the role.

There are a number of ways to create barriers to entry that inform the hiring process. Request a cover letter addressing specific competencies, require a questionnaire comprised of questions that measure cultural fit, and vet potential hires using an organizational psychologist (ahem!!!), to name but a few ideas. Only candidates that pass these initial screenings will move on to in-person interviews, and you can bet that they will arrive with a sense of accomplishment and honor at being considered for employment. What’s more, this process allows you to measure motivation, communication skills, and cultural fit, all while increasing the perceived value of your organization.

Advertise Culture

The preponderance of job postings follow the same boring formula: ambiguous job title, bland description of duties, and a vague recounting of qualifications. Ideally, a candidate should be able to look at a job posting and work backwards to make inferences about organizational culture. Further, this culture should appeal greatly to some applicants and cause others to run for the hills, thereby saving you the time of interviewing those who are not well-positioned to succeed.

Appleton Learning, a client of mine, has recently taken to including a “Meet an Employee” section on all of their employment ads. These short vignettes provide a window into the personal and professional life of an Appleton team member, and all team members are given the opportunity to enjoy their 15 minutes of fame on a job posting. This change gives the posting an added dimension of personality and warmth that reflects Appleton’s corporate values of personal development and almost familial support. It also sends the message that applicants will be appreciated holistically and allowed to shine once coming aboard. This specific approach is not indicated for all businesses and is likely too saccharine for some grizzled pragmatists. But inasmuch as grizzled pragmatists are a poor fit for this education startup, mission accomplished.

Get Behavioral

Raise your hand if you have poor attention to detail, don’t “play well with others”, and lack initiative. Stupid questions, right? Your applicants think so too. That being the case, why are we including vague aspirational qualities with “Sunday School answers” that do not improve the predictive power of our selection process? Everything you hope to determine lives behaviorally in your applicants in a way that is measurable.  It is your job to determine what it looks like in the professional lives of those you recruit.

Take initiative for example;  no job applicant in their right mind is going to admit to lacking drive. So, what does drive look like for your purposes? Is drive a history of organizational ascension? Is drive a track record of measurable innovation? Determine the specific, measurable evidences of the attributes you seek and exclude those who do not stack up. Do not ask about things that are better experienced! Talking about drive does not measure drive, it measures ability to talk. As you look for ways to construct job postings that are measurable behaviorally, you will improve your ability to avoid slick con-(wo)men who talk a good game but have little actual substance.

Today’s guest post is by my new buddy and all-around great guy Dr. Daniel Crosby (@crosbypsych on Twitter). He has his own unkempt blog (good stuff in the archives!) at Doctor Daniel Crosby. Feel free to check out his business where he combines performance consulting with therapeutic services.

Today’s guest post comes from Benjamin McCall. He runs ReThinkHR.org (subscribe to the RSS) and specializes in OD, T&D and business strategy. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenjaminMcCall. He’s a fantastic guy with a lot of great ideas. He also contributed a piece to the HR Ninja series a while back, and I’m glad he decided to let me share this post!

‘The’ toughest interview question… Is the one you have not prepared for or have never answered!

I could also say that the toughest interview question would be all of them. Continue Reading »

In honor of Father’s Day, I was invited by a friend to write a short tribute to my dad, Brian Eubanks. Please head over to check it out along with a few others who share about their own experiences. You’ll also see where my rugged good looks come from.

By the way, this isn’t the first time I’ve written about my parents, either.

To all the dads out there, I hope you have a great one. I’m going to be a dad very soon as well, so I’ve paid attention more this year than any in the past.