ATS is the nemesis of job applicants if their resume is not compatible with the limitations of ATS.
With the proliferation of resumes
submitted for every job opening, it’s no wonder companies need help in handling
the work of sorting out candidates. That’s where ATS steps in. It helps them
handle application volume and minimizes hiring costs by eliminating some of the
staff required to assess resumes.
But it often fails miserably
because it is easily tripped up by documentation attributes that are
unwittingly built into many resumes, things that have nothing to do with a candidate’s
qualifications.
The fact is, talking informally
with hiring managers before applying is the highest percentage way of getting
hired. It’s possible to find out exactly what their hot
buttons are, why they are hiring and what are their key requirements are. It is
the starting point for selling skills that match requirements. It establishes
rapport with the decision-maker. It provides a competitive advantage over those
who don’t do it. And it avoids ATS completely.
Fortunately,
there are many ways to identify hiring managers. They don’t always work
but the time spent trying them is better that the time spent applying blindly applying
online for a job only to face ATS before a human. Not that using job boards and
company websites is a bad thing. It’s a good way to gather needed job-hunting
information, just not a good way to apply.
One is to do a Google search using
search words such as the logical title of the hiring manager, the company name,
and perhaps a location. Search for the likely title by trying different ones. Sometimes
searching for the hiring manager’s boss enables working downward to the hiring
manager. Senior managers are often extremely helpful.
Another way is to do a similar
search on LinkedIn. This may take you directly to the hiring manager. Read
profiles. Try to learn something about them that you have in common, so it is
easier to write an appealing connection request. Do not use the standard
impersonal LinkedIn request, and never ask for a job. Those things rarely get
positive results.
Check out the Business Chronicle for a specific
city if the company location is near one. Very often there’s a wealth of
information about things companies are doing, expansion plans, new products,
etc., which provides the necessary leads.
Use Annual Reports and 10k’s to
find top officials of the company. Reach out to them. If successful, it makes
reaching out to the hiring manager by saying “So-and-so suggested I call you”.
Nobody risks offending a top manager.
These are four ways to get
started. They may not always work, but if you don’t try, they certainly will
not!
Try the approach and see for yourself.
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