Online job applications have become a norm over the years. This implies that casually clicking on websites or scrolling through your favorite social media platforms may present you with your dream job. It also means that there are hundreds of people who may have seen that ad and are as passionate about that job as you are. Thus, recruiters and hiring executives for most companies use software for tracking and shortlisting candidates for the next stage of the hiring process. This software is called an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), and it is responsible for saving resumes and discarding the ones that are not relevant to the job requirements. This is why many applications seem to have never reached the recruiter's desk.
How does the ATS do this, you might ask? The ATS does this by searching out for specific keywords that are relevant to the job. Any resume that lacks these keywords would be put aside. To prevent this from happening to you, you need to include these keywords in your resume. Even when recruiters finally get their hands on your resume, these keywords are what they would be looking out for in a candidate. So, here are surefire ways to help you find these keywords;
Review the job requirements
It is essential to look carefully at the requirements of a job. The reason is that your resume must target that specific job. For example, if the job requirements include excellent communication skills for a sales rep's role, you need to have that in your resume. Also, to be steps ahead of your counterparts, you could research similar job positions in other firms and their requirements. This way, you can include skills in your resume that the hirer may have overlooked. Doing this brings uniqueness to your resume, and it signals you to be the perfect candidate for the role.
Your keyword placement is vital
Experts have revealed that placing keywords under your resume's skills section does not check the keyword relevance box. Attempting to beat the bots by clustering keywords is a fruitless exercise. What you must do is to weave these keywords through every part of your resume carefully. However, do not lie about your skills. Keep in mind that hiring managers also carefully scan your resume, so try to keep it simple and on-point.
Identify powerful keywords
It is best to discover and carefully include powerful keywords that are relevant to your resume. The key to getting past the ATS and being a part of the frontline candidates that recruiters get to interview and give job offers is optimizing your resume. Resume optimization services such as Jobalytics, for example, can help you to scan your resume, compare it with similar roles, and identify the keywords that are missing. It goes on to then provide these keywords and help you incorporate them into your resume. All you need to do is add the plugin to your chrome browser. To get started, visit Jobalytics today.