Have you ever applied for a job online that you felt you were extremely qualified for and then wondered why you never heard back from the company or organization? Although you might be one of the best candidates for the position, your resume may not have passed their automated screening test.

Passing this “test” involves two things: your resume successfully scanning into the prospective employer’s database; and your resume containing the keywords needed for it to pull up when the employer searches its database for suitable candidates.

Both of these situations are easily resolved once you understand what really happens when you submit your resume in an electronic format.

Artificial Intelligence

Once job-seekers had the ability to send their resumes electronically, the dynamic changed dramatically in terms of the number of resumes organizations could receive from prospective candidates.

It’s a time-consuming process to review resumes manually, so it’s no wonder that someone created a system to help employers streamline the process. Called an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) or a Talent Management System (TMS), this software scans and then “reads” resumes, determining if qualifications match the position.


Resume as Internet Search

The way an applicant tracking system works is similar to the process used when you search on the Internet; it uses keywords or phrases that match with the job description and the qualifications the employer is seeking.

The more keywords and phrases that appear in your resume, the more likely it is for your resume to surface near the top of the candidate pool. These systems can also reject resumes if there aren’t enough keywords that match with the job requirements.

Some ATS’s rank resumes based on the number of matching keywords or the proximity of keywords. Example: A company is looking for someone with experience managing technical training meetings. An individual’s resume will rank higher if it reads “responsible for managing a wide range of meetings, including sales, technical training and user conferences” instead of simply “manage meetings and events.”

Here’s are some keywords to consider: “conferences,” “seminars,” “training meetings,” “product launches,” “multicity programs,” “trade shows,” and “incentive programs.”

Other applicant tracking systems employ searches based on phrases or a series of related words, such as “strategic player,” “return on investment,” “budget management and analysis,” “trade show coordination,” or “product launches.” Use nouns and phrases that describe technical and professional areas of expertise, such as “developed a program to track return on investment.”

Avoid using acronyms, because the applicant tracking system might not pick them up. This applies to terms such as BEO (write out “banquet event order” instead), industry designations such as CMP (Certified Meeting Professional), CMM (Certified Meeting Manager) or CTSM (Certified Trade Show Manager), and to professional affiliations.

Formatting Tips

Following are some formatting rules:

• Place all of your contact information at the top of the resume: ATS contains an artificial intelligence named Optical Character Recognition (OCR) that “reads” information in a specific format. Your name needs to appear on the top line, and then all other contact information needs to sit on separate lines.
  
  
• E-mail address: This is the way you’ll receive initial notifications from the prospective employer. Be sure it’s a personal e-mail address.
  
  
• Select basic font styles: Stick with fonts such as Arial, Times Roman, Helvetica, and Courier.
  
  
• Eliminate special formatting: When it comes to electronic resumes, keep it simple! Avoid special formatting such as italics or horizontal lines to divide sections of your resume, as well as parentheses around area codes for phone numbers; bold text can also be confusing to “read.”
  
  
• Smaller fonts are hard to “read”: OCR works best when text is either 11 point or 12 point font size. Anything smaller can cause the ATS to reject your resume.
  
  
• Avoid abbreviations and acronyms: Since most acronyms have applications in different fields, it’s best to spell out these terms. Example: BEO stands for banquet event order in the meetings industry; it also refers to “book entry only” in accounting.
  
  
• Read carefully which file format is accepted: Check if the company has specific instructions about the way it prefers resumes to be submitted. Some may only accept MS Word documents while others want resumes in a text-only format. Be careful about using pdf files. If you’re responding to an advertisement and the company asks you to e-mail your resume, it’s good to paste the resume into the body, because some companies won’t open attachments.
  
  
• Cover letters don’t always stay with resumes: Make certain that your resume highlights all of your accomplishments and capabilities; 50 percent of the time the hiring manager does not receive your cover letter.