The use of ATS software at the front end of hiring processes is becoming more and more prolific. It is also being used extensively by recruiting firms under contract to hiring companies to do candidate searching for them. Is your resume ATS-ready? If not, ATS parsing software just might toss your resume into the ‘bottomless pit’.
Applying to jobs online is like standing on the edge of a bottomless
pit. One false move and you and your resume are gone. At worst it can result in
no one knowing you were there, no one able to contact you or help you. At best
you might be one of the less than 2% of people who actually get called for an
interview. At worst you are an unknown MIA.
There are two solutions that go hand in hand. A more effective way of
spending your valuable job search time is to make your resume ATS-ready and
talk directly to the hiring manager before you apply for the job.
Consider the fact that all hiring companies are concerned with the costs
of doing business, including recruiting and hiring costs. Hiring costs have
gone through the roof because of the ease with which people can apply for jobs
whether they are qualified or not. Companies are willing to purchase an ATS
software license because they can offset the cost by eliminating people and the
associated salary and benefits they would have to have on board to handle the
volume.
For years companies have used referrals from employees as one source of
candidates. Companies have created Employee Referral Bonus plans (ERPs) wherein
bonuses of a few hundred to a thousand dollars are awarded to employees if the
person they refer is hired. ERP bonuses cost a lot less than the cost of a
recruiting firm or the costs of advertising on job boards, therefore many
companies prefer using ERP bonuses whenever they can. Recruiting firms can be
effective, but they are the most costly to the hiring company. Recruiting
typically costs between 25 to 35 percent of the candidate’s first year salary
and sometimes more!
Being referred to the hiring manager and talking directly to that person
before you submit your resume is the most effective job search tactic you can
use! If you make sure your resume is ATS-ready, it gets you past the ATS issue
and it costs the company far less than the alternatives. Trust me, if you don’t
do it, your competition will and you will remain just ‘one of the herd’.
And take it from an HR professional who writes about internal company
recruiters: “Nothing personal: Why recruiters don’t get back to you” by Suzanne
Lucas, March 25, 2013: http://ow.ly/juSR9
Karl has been reviewing resumes for people at no cost since 1999. He has been counseling job seekers since that time as well. If you would like his help, email him at kl@hoochresumes.com