It's a good idea to have two files of your resume. Actually it's
really wise to have 3 files.
When you apply for a position you are likely to need either a
Word document or a Plain Text document. These two, the beauty and the beast,
are essential job searching documents. A third file enhanced specifically for
handing out to people is valuable for interviewing and networking, but not good
for applying for a job.
The vast majority of companies today use Applicant Tracking
System (ATS) software to screen the resumes of job candidates and only sends those
that score highest to a human for further review. It is most likely ATS will
review your resume almost instantly when you apply, before a human ever sees
it. It will establish a score for your candidacy and pass only the highest scored
resumes on to HR for further action.
All ATS can read Word or Plain Text resumes. After creating and
saving your Word document, it should also be saved as a plain text file so that
all formatting is removed. This butt-ugly document is the safest to use for ATS
scrutiny and is actually preferred by ATS. The Word file is also quite acceptable
as long as issues that can cause problems for ATS are removed.
If application instructions ask specifically for a plain text
file, don't assume a Rich Text Format file will work. It is simply not the same.
Alternatively, instructions may say it's ok to apply with a PDF file. Then a
PDF file is safe to apply with, otherwise don't assume it is.
It's important to realize ATS may cause you to be rejected even
if you are well qualified. Ridiculous as that may seem there are over 40
reasons why it may happen.
One key reason is graphics. We can see graphics; ATS can only
read the binary code that represents what we see in a resume. Since it cannot perceive
beauty there is no reason to get fancy. ATS may become confused by graphics and
completely ignore associated text information.
Since PDF files are nothing more than graphical representations
of a document, is it any wonder some ATS software cannot handle PDF files
properly? Is it also any wonder that sometimes ATS cannot handle the typical templates
offered for writing resumes? Templates provide graphic boxes to enter information
into.
Word processing tools are another problem for ATS. We all use
word processing software to create documents. The tools make document creation easy
by providing simple ways to create the features we want. Boxes are used that
become invisible to the human eye, and make information located inside them potentially
lost to ATS.
If these issues were not enough, some ATS parsing software is
also particular about other matters that seem trivial to us, such as what
section titles information is located in, the order of information it is
looking for, nesting of sequential jobs under one company, and more.
The takeaway is this: The safest way to avoid rejection or
non-response to a job application is to assure the resume is compatible with
all ATS software.
Visit bit.ly/1TEqj93 and send your resume to kl@hoochresumes.com for a FREE analysis Today!
