So use them carefully, and when
done scan your resume for formatting issues.
Of the companies that
did scan the resumes they received, 77 percent said their scanners would generally accept embellished typography.
-- Initially,
I do scan a resume looking for key «fit» variables including; experience level, education and / or credentials, geographic match, etc. — The candidate's current work experience is key.
Not exact matches
Don't forget that cover letters are often
scanned along with the CV or
resume.
These
resumes at best get a quick
scan by a prospective employer and don't succeed in telling the story about your character, attributes, business development skills, and other strengths.
While not all employer's use applicant tracking systems (ATS), enough of them
do that it's best to assume your
resume will be
scanned by an automated system looking for keywords.
Did you know 93 percent of all hiring managers use
resume -
scanning software to filter candidates?
Even for executive - level positions, hiring managers will typically
do a quick
scan of your
resume before getting into the details.
Even if your employer
does not use an automated scanner, plan on the hiring manager visually
scanning (not carefully reading) your
resume.
Not only
do complex
resume designs or unusual formats confuse most applicant tracking systems, but they also annoy recruiters who are accustomed to quickly
scanning a
resume for specific information they expect to find in particular areas within the document.
The format of the body of his
resume makes it hard to easily
scan through as most hiring managers
do.
If you don't use keywords that match the job listing, you run the risk of your submission being ignored by cover letter /
resume -
scanning software.
Scan your
resume to see if it really
does tell the story of your career.
If they don't find what they're looking for in a few seconds of
scanning, they will reject your
resume as irrelevant.
When
done properly, a C.A.R.
resume is easy and quick to
scan, but still paints a great picture of the candidate and what he or she truly brings to the table.
While these may make your
resume «look» nice,
scanning software on websites
does not like this type of formatting.
Employers don't need your complete «career obituary», they want to be compelled to hire you by
scanning a modern sales tool (succinct
resume).
Personal Branding & Your Job Search Tip # 3 — During the first review,
resumes are
scanned for mere seconds in a process that is meant to
do nothing more than filter out unqualified candidates.
Why
do companies still rely on HR to
scan resumes?
Employers and recruiters are busy people and don't always have a lot of time to
scan through your ten - page
resume.
How much time
do hiring manager need to
scan your
resume and decide whether you are the person, they would like to invite you for an interview?
«At some point in the growth of universal use of the internet for posting and finding work, enterprising companies developed software that enables companies to
scan and screen the
resumes they receive from potential candidates, ostensibly to weed out applicants who simply don't possess the necessary skills or experience to
do the job.
The ATS
scans for
resume keywords; if it can't read your file, it'll assume you can't
do anything right.
Once the recruiters are
done with
scanning hundreds of
resumes, they have to present the best candidates to hiring managers and provide solid reasons that these candidates are worth hiring.
So pay AT LEAST as much attention to getting your LinkedIn profile 95 - 100 % complete and keyword loaded as you
do to developing a branded executive
resume that can be visually
scanned in 6 seconds.
So how
do you decide what to list on a
resume that will get you more than a 6 - second
scan?
But if you're
scanning resumes in 20 seconds, how
does a cover letter factor into your review?
With employers receiving an average of 160
resumes for each job opening, your
resume doesn't get read... it gets
scanned for about 6 seconds.
Most of the big companies almost using software, which would
scan your
resume first, before hiring manager will
do.
When a recruiter is
scanning through
resumes, numbers
do stand out amongst all the text.
If you suspect that your
resume will be going through a program that will
do keyword
scanning, make sure it contains relevant keywords, which you will determine from the job description.
They will
scan each section of your
resume looking for specific bits of information and if they don't immediately see this information then they will simply move on to the next
resume and your application will have been overlooked even if you are perfectly qualified.
This has to be
done in many cases in just a few seconds as most recruiters will simply
scan the
resumes put in front of them looking for the key words and phrases that they want to see.
When
scanning resumes, IT hirers want to match skills and competencies, and they want to
do it fast.
As recruiters read
resumes, what things
do they
scan for?
Because an ATS doesn't necessarily
scan a
resume in the same order that a human would, the presence of columns can throw everything into disarray.
In fact, many will only spend a few seconds to
scan your
resume and if they
do not see precisely what they are looking for then they will simply move onto the next
resume in their stack.
I've also been told that using the MS Word header for your contact informtion is a mistake as the automated software used to
scan resumes does not read this area and causes a
resume to be sent to the stack that must be manually reviewed (but seldom is) in order to be entered into a recruiter's candidate data base.
Most companies will use software to filter the applications and eliminate those that
do not match their requirements and the remainder will then be reviewed by the recruiter who is only going to spend a few seconds
scanning your
resume for the specific skills that they are looking for.
They
do not need to
scan resumes one by one.
Some employers
do regularly
scan resume banks looking for the
resumes of current employees.»
Video
resumes are kind of cool, but they're still up and coming, and most companies prefer the standard
resume that they can
scan really quick instead of watching a several minute multimedia presentation — they don't have time for that.
Prior to reaching the decision maker,
did you know that many organizations will utilize electronic
scanning of
resumes in search of specific keywords to assist in the process of elimination?
90 % of recent college graduates don't utilize bullet points, keywords and bolding so the
resume, to someone quickly looking for a tidbit of information (i.e. technical and soft skills), is easily
scanned.
Recruiters don't like Functional
Resumes as they are hard to
scan for the main requirements that the particular position seeks.
If a job ad brings 200
resumes, a first
scan is
done to only keep the most relevant.
Incoming
resumes will be
scanned by a machine or a human in order to find the skills and experiences that you don't have just yet (if you
did, this wouldn't be a career change!).
The 30 Second
Scan - An Employer's Perspective What Accomplishments to Include and What to Leave Out
Resume Mistakes:
Do Not Let This Happen to You!
Doing so makes your
resume much harder for a human to «
scan» quickly, and is likely to cause your
resume to be thrown into the rejected pile.
The average person will spend mere seconds
scanning your
resume initially (if you are lucky enough to get it read by an actual person, which you should aim to
do!).