How applicants can 'beat' applicant tracking systems
“An applicant tracking system (ATS) helps companies organize candidates for hiring and recruitment purposes”.
Kristen Hudson
What is an applicant
tracking system?
“An applicant tracking system is a type of
software that companies use to automate the hiring process. They accept job
applications, parse resumes and cover letters, and manage candidates” (Temple, 2022).
“An
applicant tracking system for recruiters simplifies the recruiting process by
using automated intelligence to screen for the best, most qualified candidates.
Since many open positions can attract hundreds or even thousands of candidates
without the necessary qualifications, this saves companies and recruiters time
that would otherwise be spent manually weeding out these candidates” (Hudson, 2021).
How do applicant
tracking systems work? (Hudson, 2021).
Candidates are searching for application
processes that are easy and user-friendly. The good applicant tracking systems
allow people to easily apply for a position via any device without needing to
log in. This implies that companies benefit from a larger pool of applicants,
which can then be ranked automatically based on skills and experience.
During the recruitment process, applicant
tracking systems permit users to submit feedback and notes about a candidate
easily. Some of these systems permit for collaboration from a mobile device,
making it easy for busy recruiters and hiring managers.
The best ATS software uses the newest
technology such as natural language processing and artificial
intelligence,
to screen and sort candidates’ resumes. These systems scan resumes, look for
keyword matches, and use other algorithms for information analysis. Lots of
applicant tracking systems also integrate with job boards, streamlining job
postings.
Benefits of applicant tracking systems (St-Jean & Thibodeau, 2022).
An ATS is intended to
organize and speed up the hiring process by providing the following
capabilities and benefits to organizations of all sizes.
1. It permits you to reuse
job descriptions for multiple positions, reducing the effort required to post a
job.
2. It will post and manage
job ads on the organizations internal and external career sites and across
multiple job sites, such as Indeed and Monster, and on social media sites like
as LinkedIn and Twitter.
3. It maintains an info of
recent candidates and people who may be prospects for future openings.
4. It aggregates
information about candidates, including any communications, and therefore the
jobs they've applied for in the past, to create a single view and profile of
each candidate.
5. It should also help sort
and rank candidates by, for example, conducting an initial scan of candidates
to select those who best meet job qualifications.
6. It should also be set up
to automate responses, send out interview reminders and alert people in the
database to new job openings. From this attitude, the ATS acts as a form of
customer relationship management.
Start using an ATS today
Recruiting new talent for your business
can be a significant challenge, and you want to be sure you end up with the
right choice. Having a web applicant tracking system can help simplify the
hiring method and save recruiters and hiring managers a huge amount of stress.
Applicant tracking systems will transform that method your business handles
recruiting and help you in your search for the perfect new additions for your
business.
An applicant tracking system (ATS) helps corporations
organize candidates for hiring and recruitment purposes. These systems permit
businesses to collect information, organize prospects based on experience and
skill set, and filter candidates.
How applicants can 'beat' applicant tracking systems (St-Jean
& Thibodeau, 2022).
Applicant tracking software package are
designed primarily to help the recruiting team streamline its processes. As a
result of this, a candidate's resume may never be seen by a human, and if it
is, it may only be for a few seconds.
In the past, applicants could candidates
may use tricks such as using colored paper to make their resumes stand out. Nowadays
there are new tricks to try to "beat" the system and increase the
likelihood of success in the application method.
Tailor your resume to the work
description. It takes long time than using one resume for every job you apply
to, but if the company is using an ATS that ranks resumes based on keywords,
you have a better chance of ranking high if the terminology in your resume
matches what the company needs.
Avoid stretching the reality and including keywords where you have no experience. Your resume would get to the highest of the pile, but the recruiter can quickly spot the embellishment.
Include each the acronym and long form
when using a phrase for the first time in a resume. Often, recruiters aren’t
specialists within the field and may not be well versed in the terminology of
your profession.
Avoid using pictures to share information
about yourself. If the organization is using a resume parser, the information
will not be read and can leave your ATS profile with missing data.
Ensure your resume is saved as legible
text. The best way to do this is to submit a Microsoft Word-compatible document
or PDF file.
Use standard section headers that a resume
parser can recognize. For instance, use "Education" as a header to
list the programs you've completed.
Use a simple font, like Arial or Times New
Roman, rather than one that looks artistic but the resume parser may not be
able to read properly.
Watch the junk mailbox in your email
software to confirm you don't miss an email, since the email correspondence can
often be automated and may look like junk mail.
Ensure your resume appearance professional
by correcting spelling and grammar, using headings and ensuring that sections
line up correctly.
Include a good summary at the top of the
resume, highlighting what you bring round the organization and not what you wish
from it. This may likely be the first thing a recruiter appearance as if they
open your resume.
If you are asked to answer queries when
submitting your resume, keep in mind that some of them may be used as knock-out
questions. This suggests that if you don't provide the answers they want, you can
automatically be rejected from the recruiting process. Keep in mind that they
can see your answers, and if you stretch the truth too much to pass the
questions, you may have to explain in an interview why you gave those answers.
The ATS can track all the jobs you've
applied to in the past. Therefore, it's higher to focus on the jobs you are
qualified to perform. As an example, if you are applying for both individual
contributor and director-level jobs, recruiters may find it difficult to gauge
your level of experience.
Apply online though if a friend has
offered to submit your resume on your behalf. Most recruiters need all the
resumes to be in the system so they're easier to track. Also, if you do not submit
it yourself, the recruiter could enter it on your behalf and skip over
information you'd like included.
Some organizations have positions that
they are always recruiting for, like as roles that tend to have big turnover.
These positions, referred to as evergreen, could always appear on the
organizations' websites, even when candidates have been hired.
Finally, keep in mind your username and
password so you can log in to update your resume or profile or apply for
another position.
In Real World "Most large
corporations utilize applicant tracking systems. Jobscan research found that
98% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS while a Kelly OCG survey estimated 66% of
large companies and 35% of small organizations rely on recruitment software”(Hu, 2021).
References
Hudson, K. (2021) What is an Applicant Tracking
System [Online] Available at:
https://www.jobvite.com/blog/recruiting-process/what-is-an-applicant-tracking-system/
[Accessed on 8th April, 2022]
Bika, N. (2022) The most common recruiting challenges
and how to overcome them [Online] Available at:
https://resources.workable.com/stories-and-insights/common-recruiting-challenges/
[Accessed on 8th April, 2022]
St-Jean, E. & Thibodeau,P. (2022) applicant
tracking system (ATS) [Online] Available at:
https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/applicant-tracking-system-ATS
[Accessed on 8th April, 2022]
Hu, J. (2021) 8 Things You Need To Know About
Applicant Tracking Systems [Online] Available at:
https://www.jobscan.co/blog/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-applicant-tracking-systems/
[Accessed on 8th April, 2022]
Oracle. (2022) What Is an Applicant Tracking System
[Online] Available at:
https://www.oracle.com/human-capital-management/recruiting/what-is-applicant-tracking-system/
[Accessed on 8th April, 2022]
Shrm. (2022) Your Guide to Applicant Tracking
Systems [Online] Available at:
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/ats-table.aspx
[Accessed on 8th April, 2022]
Rietsema, D (2022) How Does Applicant Tracking System Software Work. 11954 Narcoossee Rd., Suite 2-163 Orlando [Online] Available at: https://matchr.com/ats-software/how-applicant-tracking-systems-work/ [Accessed on 8th April, 2022]
Temple, B. (2022) How to beat the applicant tracking
system with an ATS-friendly resume [Online] Available at:
https://www.visualcv.com/blog/how-to-beat-the-applicant-tracking-system/
[Accessed on 9th April, 2022]
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