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The Devastating Truth, Edition 4 (2022) Why YOUR Resume is not Getting you Interviews and HOW you must fix it now! - C. Bird, CEO - Resume Resort
So why would I tell you guys how to do this on your own when this is how I feed my own family? Because I cannot handle hearing one more story where you literally are losing everything, simply because you are not aware of these facts.
We do what we can, helping where we are able, no strings attached. We use our knowledge, power, and influence to make the lives of those around us better.
Simple. This is what we do.
We are living in desperate times, and this is where we stop thinking about just our own interests and bottom dollar and we start operating like a family.
I would be lying to say there are enough jobs for everyone … but I want to tell you that the majority of people coming to me who have been looking for work for a year or more are not finding work for a very different reason than they thought… the lack of jobs is not the only issue…
The biggest factor is HOW they have been applying for the jobs. I am disheartened beyond words when on the phone with a client and they inform me that for a year or more they have been exclusively sending out PDF file resumes to jobs… they have not received one interview – and now they are literally on the verge of homelessness… especially when I know the solution is very simple and that they literally just lost EVERYTHING because they did not know the 5 things below that I am going to share with you. Many of these individuals just had their resume done by a "professional" resume writer that claimed to be proficient in ATS resumes.
The lack of jobs is only a very SMALL part of the problem when an individual is looking for work for an extended period of time.
ATS (Applicant Tracking Software) is the real problem.
ATS's are these evil, non-discerning programs that tell a company that you exist, that you have applied for their job and that you REALLY want it! But guess what? If you don’t speak its "language" – to that software you do not exist… and if to the ATS you are a “nobody”, to the company… you are a “nobody” too….
So here is what you need to know right now to make sure when you hit that ,“apply now”, button and you submit your resume, it will be received and ranked appropriately by the ATS, so you can get back to work!
TOP 5 ATS Rules to Live By!
1. ATS Compatibility!
ONLY submit the text file into online job applications if you are not certain that the MS Word file has been designed ATS compatible. NEVER EVER email your resume or attach it to a job application in any other file format other than .txt or a .docx. The .doc can ONLY be used if it literally has all formatting cleared and follows all of the other compatibility rules.
2. Say, “NO!” to PDF!
Ignore what your "professional" resume writer told you and listen to this! You must know what the various file formats are for! For example, a PDF is basically a photograph of information, it is NOT the information itself… so you would never send this into an ATS, as they are designed to read information, not photos of information. PDF is great for printing and presentation purposes only. (Every day I talk to clients that were sending out their PDF file to literally hundreds of jobs and they never heard back from one – this is why. To that company you had not actually completed your application, as the ATS reads MS Word files, not PDF files properly.)
3. Avoid the Header and Footer!
When creating your resume, know that ATS software is not designed to read any content placed in the Header or Footer area of the resume. Sadly, I speak with a handful of you every single day who have strategically placed your name and all of your contact info ONLY in the header or footer area. This means that in their ATS, you are a lovely professional candidate, but the ATS has no name or contact info for you… So once again, your application is incomplete and on to the next candidate they go. All info must be in the BODY of the document only.
4. Know Your Skills, and Sell ALL of them!
You MUST know your top core competencies and every single keyword that the ATS could be programmed to search for that describes it. With that info you MUST have core competency sections that cover EVERY key area of your skill-sets (technical and soft skills).
For example, let’s say you are a Sales Manager, well, your top core competencies are going to be: Staff Management, Inventory Management, Talent Management, Materials & Equipment Management, etc. Each of those must be HEADINGS to a section that lists at least 5 – 10 bullets with complete sentences (explaining your proficiency in that one area).
Each bullet should have several of the top keywords that the ATS will be looking for within that competency area. Make sense? Your resume ideally should have a professional presentation of literally 200 – 2000 industry related keywords to describe who you are and what you bring to the table (never copy and paste the job description into the resume or use white text to manipulate the software or you risk being HR blacklisted!).
5. Forget Textboxes!
NEVER send a resume in a file format that would allow your information to be hidden in a textbox, table or header/footer area of any sort. You can use textboxes when it comes to the file you use for printing purposes – but NO textboxes for the one you use in online applications. Anything inside that textbox is not read by the ATS.
So that is what you need to know to be ATS compliant in 2022.
To get working with me today you can check out our professional resume writing services and online order page here: https://www.resumeresort.com.
Be blessed and care for one another.
Carol Bird
CEO
Resume Resort / RigBoyz Employment Network
text: 306.270.3511
*Carol Bird is the CEO for the Resume Resort and its subsidiary, RigBoyz Employment Network (a leading recruitment, international resume writing and employment consulting firm that specializes in oilfield recruitment, online job search strategies, LinkedIn writing and career coaching services).
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