What You Don’t Know About Resume Screening Software Could Be Sabotaging Your Job Search

Ten years ago, only large recruiting firms and big budget corporations could afford to use resume screening software as part of their talent acquisition process. Job seekers applying to small and medium-sized businesses were immune to the vagaries of these tools.

With the proliferation of the ‘software as a service’ delivery model, this is no longer the case. Even fairly small businesses can afford to adopt some form of resume extraction, selection, and management software, either directly or through a full-service recruiting solutions company like Staffback Inc. This means that job seekers They need to be much more tech-savvy if they want to make sure their resume gets noticed.

How Resume Evaluation Software Works

First, let’s get the ‘Optical Character Recognition’ issues off the table. There are only a few companies that still scan paper versions of resumes, so if you have concerns about using italics, underlining, bold, and colors in your resume, you can let them go.

Today’s resume management tools are substantially more sophisticated than previous versions of OCR and have the ability to seamlessly handle a wide range of text-based formats and content. They typically include a module that extracts data from resumes and a human resource or talent management system that uses the extracted data to assess and rank qualified candidates.

The resume extraction tool uses advanced algorithms to scan your resume, identify text information, and categorize it using standard resume formatting rules. Data such as your name, address, phone number, education, professional experience, years with each job, and keywords will be extracted and entered into a human resources database such as Oracle, PeopleSoft, or SAP, or a tracking system of candidates like Hire. Desk.

The talent management database is the critical tool for the candidate qualification and evaluation process, not your actual resume. Based on criteria identified by the recruiter or hiring manager, each candidate entered into the talent management database is ranked in terms of how closely they fit the parameters of the job. Factors that will go into this ranking include where the candidate lives, their years of experience, and most importantly, the occurrence of specific keywords – the more keywords, the better the ranking.

In previous versions of talent management and extraction tools, keyword matching had to be exact, and many candidates were inadvertently discarded due to spelling variations (AS400 vs. AS/400, for example). Also, the software was quite simplistic in its analysis capabilities: the keyword was present or not, there was no ability to judge the context in which the word was used. This meant that unqualified candidates could cheat the system by loading their resume with keywords. Today’s advanced tools, such as Talent Technology’s Resume Mirror and HireDesk, have the ability to analyze and interpret the meaning of entire sentences and phrases, allowing hiring managers to perform contextual and parametric searches for candidates.

Shortly after the job is posted and applications start coming in, the hiring manager will generate a report listing applicants who meet a minimum classification: the more applicants there are for a position, the more restrictive the hiring manager can be. recruitment by setting the threshold for qualification. The report may contain small excerpts, such as your original resume summary, but your actual resume may not be seen in its entirety unless you reach the top of the ranking group.

The Resumator, a new software suite released in early 2009, is cross-cutting in this regard. Designed to meet the hiring needs of small and medium-sized businesses, Resumator’s built-in logic mimics how resumes are read in real life, and the software has the ability to display the resume in its entirety. But it still uses data analysis and keyword recognition logic to identify qualified candidates.

What job seekers can do to maximize their success with resume evaluation software

Before I begin this section, I want to state that I am not a fan of trying to beat the system. If you’re applying for positions you’re obviously not qualified for, I think you’re doing a disservice to both your own job search strategy and the people managing the hiring process. In fact, companies of all sizes have been forced to turn to resume screening software largely because unqualified candidates continue to apply in high numbers.

Now, with that said, there are specific steps that qualified candidates need to take to ensure that their resume scans correctly and makes it to the top of the candidate pool.

How to Get Through the Resume Extraction Process

  1. Submit your resume in text format. A surprising number of candidates use graphics-based pdf files, which the scanning software sees as nothing more than pretty pictures. Ken Winters, CEO of Staffback Inc., goes one step further. He recommends sticking to MS Word, because its very universality means it’s less likely to cause reading and parsing problems for resume extraction software.
  2. don’t use graphics not at all on resumes that are submitted electronically. Extraction tools work on the basis of text recognition, so the graphics are white noise that not only don’t get scanned, but can mess up the process of parsing the surrounding text.
  3. don’t forget your address. Some candidates think that by excluding their address they won’t be geographically limited, but in reality the opposite is true. One of the first selection parameters hiring managers use is often zip code, and if it’s not present on your resume, it falls to the bottom of the candidate pool.
  4. Don’t use the Word header or footer options for key data such as contact information. These are outside of the scanned areas and will not be scanned.
  5. Use conventional format for things like your phone number, no spaces between the numbers, no fancy characters like separators.
  6. Stick to standard designs. While resume extraction software has improved a lot over the years in terms of its ability to recognize and parse a variety of formatting conventions, if you get too creative, the software may not parse your resume correctly. Unless the response to the advertised job has been low, the recruiter or hiring manager likely won’t take the time to correct mistakes, and you will be ruled out as a PITA candidate.
  7. Use reverse chronological formatting rather than functional: tends to parse with fewer extraction errors.

How to Stand Out in the Candidate Ranking Process

  1. Tailor each resume to the specific job – One size certainly does not fit all in today’s job market. Read the job posting carefully and look for keywords used to describe the job and qualifications. These are an indication of company thinking and will most likely be used to rank candidates. In fact, some candidate screening tools will do a direct comparison of the entire job posting with the candidate’s resume.
  2. Learn to read the grades section. Many companies currently in recruiting mode are looking for candidates who can cover multiple skill sets, almost to the point of being unrealistic in their expectations. When faced with a long list of qualifications, know that some of them are must-haves and many of them are nice to have. The higher up the qualifications list a keyword appears, the stronger it is weighted in importance in candidate rankings, and the more likely it is to be a must.
  3. Incorporate keywords directly into the body of your resume, so that a context is provided for the word. Keywords that cannot easily be used in this way can be listed in a separate table. However, be aware that some recruiters frown on the use of a long keyword table as an attempt by unqualified candidates to cheat the system. Keep your keyword list short (10-12 items), relevant to the job, and precise in terms of being a key strength you have to offer.
  4. Understanding the Principle of Resume Fatigue. Keep your resume easy to visually scan when it’s finally seen by a recruiter or hiring manager, and avoid the similar formatting you get from online and off-the-shelf resume templates. As one recruiter I spoke with noted, “I’ve received virtually identical resumes from multiple applicants for a single job. It’s not a good way to stand out and shows a distinct lack of initiative.”
  5. Get your resume early. In fact, the earlier you are in the filing process (provided you are qualified), the more likely you are to become the gold standard by which the qualification threshold is set for all subsequent applicants.

A Final Word on Job Search Strategy: Tips from Industry Experts

While knowledge of resume extraction and applicant management software can help, motivated job seekers shouldn’t rely solely on electronically submitting their resume to land their next big job. The hidden labor market laws still apply, and candidates must use a multi-pronged job search plan that includes direct applications, networking, cold calling, and relationship building.

Ken Winters advises candidates to use resources like LinkedIn to build a network of contacts and referrals. Use your network to ask for recommendations where appropriate, it’s a great way to establish credibility and let people know you’re available for new opportunities.

Don Charlton, founder and CEO of The Resumator, describes a great job search strategy as one that uses best practices in relationship building and solution selling. A good salesperson knows that there is a good balance between being aggressive and annoying and creating positive connections. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, to seek out the person who will make the final hiring decision. But be respectful of their time. You are offering a solution. Look, sound, and most of all, act like someone who has a solution mindset.

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