I’ve been working a lot this week on customizing and configuring an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) for a client. To those not in the industry, this is the tool by which a company keeps track of all those that apply for jobs within their organization. I was working on customizing automated screening questions and setting up certain triggers that would either disqualify a candidate or mark a candidate as a “High Potential” or “Ace” candidate.

This got me thinking about the things that people do to “game the system”:
-tweaking resumes to plug in key words
-applying for multiple jobs within different functions
-changing the font of their resumes to better standout as a scanned document
-trying to limit their resumes to one page

In all honesty – I’m sure there are a lot more ways and tricks that people use, but the best defense is always a good offense. And what I mean by this is that people need to understand that 9 times out of 10 when they are submitting their resume to a company – it is going to some sort of applicant tracking system. With this understanding they then need to put the following practices in place

With that in mind – I’d like to give a couple of tips.

1) Make sure you fill in all the data *required.
Why? This will allow the system to better match you to the opportunities available and ensure that all the information needed to contact you is accessible.
2) Only apply for the positions you are qualified for within the ATS.
Why? Recruiters hate nothing more then a “Mass Applier”. You have to understand that recruiters are reviewing several requisitions at one time. If your name keeps popping up on requisitions you are not qualified for, you will lose credibility. Worse, with your credibility damaged – you will then be looked over when you do apply for a position that you are qualified for.
3) Check the size of your document that you are attaching. Most systems have document size limits. Learn how to use PDF and convert your resume into a pdf document. With Microsoft upgrading to a docx version – most companies are still on doc. and will not be able to open your resume.

I would like to give credit to the following article. I’ve taken some of the concepts that John has discussed and expanded upon them.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/applicant-tracking-systems-what-do-candidates-need-to-know.html