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How to be sure your job application will be seen by a real person
You’ve sent out various job applications and gotten few replies. For these jobs, you’re competing with dozens of other candidates and wondering, “Does a human even review my resume?” After all, it seems plausible for companies to use AI bots to filter out endless resumes for specific keywords.
Yes, bot filtering happens a lot, but there’s a way to get past it. With the right optimization, your resume can get past an applicant tracking system (ATS) to the next stage where it’s thoroughly reviewed by humans. Here’s your guide to optimizing your application for human scanning.
Optimizing for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Many companies get flooded with resumes, so they use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter them out. These systems scan resumes for specific keywords that match the job criteria.
For instance, a company hiring a software engineer configures the ATS to scan for specific skills, programming languages, and job titles.
Each resume will be scored based on how well its data matches the employer’s requirements, and then the best ones will be curated for further human review.
How do I pass ATS algorithms to ensure a human review?
Use a simple resume format
Your resume should have a simple format with a clear order: a header, a summary, work experience, education, and skills.
Use a single column to make the text easy to parse.
Avoid adding elements like tables, text boxes, footers, and graphics, as these can confuse the applicant tracking system’s algorithms. For instance, you shouldn’t put headshots or star ratings on a resume.
These may look good at a glance, but they can end up confusing ATS algorithms. Even if the resume proceeds for human review, headshots distract recruiters from your core experience and skills.
Use legible, commonly adopted fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, and Calibri.
The resume should be stored in PDF or DOCX format, which ATS tools are programmed to work with.
Include keywords
Carefully study the job requirements, then mirror key phrases and skills from the requirements into your resume.
For example, if a newspaper is hiring a sports journalist to cover college football tournaments, an applicant can highlight experience in covering previous college football tournaments in their resume.
Spell out acronyms when adding keywords, as ATS tools parse full meanings easier than abbreviations. For example, spell out “Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) specialist,” not just “SEO specialist,” when applying for an SEO-related role.
Use round or square bullet points to highlight your core skills and experiences, making them easier for ATS algorithms to parse.
Applicant tracking systems give higher ratings to resumes that reflect the employer’s requirements. This requires editing your resume for each job application, but the effort is worthwhile.
Yet, strike the right balance between keyword optimization and narrating your skills and experience. Your resume will be reviewed by someone, so don’t overoptimize for algorithms while ignoring the human aspect.
Select the right file type
Earlier, we mentioned using PDF or DOCX formats for your resume, but it’s worth knowing why these formats are preferred. PDFs preserve the look and feel of your resume and are the gold standard used by companies worldwide.
You can also use a Word document (DOCX), which preserves a resume’s design and arrangement, but some companies specify using PDF.
Applicant tracking systems are mostly designed to extract data from PDF or Word files, so stick to these two. Other file formats make it harder for the algorithms to extract data from a resume, so they should be avoided.
Messaging recruiters directly
Getting your resume to be reviewed by a real person isn’t just about making it through applicant tracking systems. Sometimes, the systems can be sidestepped, with your resume going directly to a recruiter. Though unconventional, it can work for you, particularly if you find a job that perfectly suits your skill set.
Many recruiters use LinkedIn to find job candidates, and they post available jobs for interested applicants. If your skill set matches a job post, you can message the recruiter directly.
State your interest in the job, why you qualify, and attach your resume. Your chances are higher when messaging recruiters who have already viewed your LinkedIn profile.
It helps to follow the right recruiters on LinkedIn. Narrow your desired companies, then follow recruiters at these companies. Curate your preferred job opportunities and follow recruiters in these niches.
You’d be surprised at the opportunity you may come across on a random day. Some successful careers began with a chance encounter.
Including personalized notes in job applications
For better results, include a personalized note or cover letter with your job application. They can seem hectic to write when applying for multiple jobs, but they boost your chances of getting in front of a recruiter.
This note introduces you, names the job you're applying for, and highlights your valuable skills. It should be brief; even a few sentences can help you stand out from many other applicants.
Some applicants use AI to write cover letters and full resumes, but we’ll not recommend that. Maybe you can use it to generate the rough work, but it should be thoroughly edited to sound human.
Why should your resume stand out?
Recruiters are complaining about job hunters flooding their inboxes with AI-generated CVs and cover letters, so standing out from other applicants is as important as ever.
Ironically, ATS tools now harness AI to parse multitudes of resumes to curate the best ones. The barriers to getting resumes in front of recruiters may have increased, but there are solutions.
We’ve outlined key steps to ensure your job application will be seen by a real person, whether getting through ATS platforms or skipping that process and getting directly to recruiters. Follow these steps and your chances of securing an interview becomes better.
