How does resume screening software work?
Most resumes are sent to the employer’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS) or resume parsing software when candidates apply through job portals or corporate websites. Companies use automated resume screening software to evaluate and sort resumes for the majority of openings in order to speed up the process. The days of recruiters sifting through resumes in search of the perfect fit are long gone. To select the top resumes, they use applicant tracking systems, employment websites, and even in-house firm software. According to the career services business Preptel, three-fourths of the resumes fail to pass the automated resume screening because they lack the skills that employers want to see.
By scanning resumes for the best and most efficient hiring, ATS and other technologies are made to simplify the jobs of recruiters and hiring managers. The vast volume of resumes received for most occupations results in numerous unqualified candidates based on the filters set up in the automated resume screening software. To save time and effort for both recruiters and hiring managers, this approach screens the resumes so they may concentrate only on qualified prospects.
How recruiters use automated resume screening
Recruiter recruiters use tools such as ATS or a specific resume screening tool to examine and sort the resumes. Employers can use this software to sort resumes according to the job description by adding keywords and other criteria. Here is how these programs are employed:
1. Keyword search and matching
Whenever hiring managers manually review resumes, they search for specific keywords. Recruiters enter these keywords within the software with automated resume screening, and the program ranks the resumes according to how closely they match the keywords. It enables them to compile data for their database and filter applications to locate the best applicant. The likelihood of being shortlisted increases when search results are filtered, sorted, and searched in accordance with critical components of a candidate’s experience or skill set. To make sorting and filtering simple and controllable, recruiters are most likely to employ specific qualifications like a bachelor’s degree and job-related talents like sales. The shortlisted individuals are then sorted according to the criteria. The hiring managers are then given the list by the recruiters along with the data so that the interviewing process can continue.
2. Obtaining Structured Data Using
Using tools for resume parsing, structured data such as job history, education, preferred location, skills, and degree can be extracted. Because of this, it is easier for recruiters to identify the top candidates. The process becomes more difficult as the number of applicants increases because different writing styles can be used to spell the same company or university names. A group-named entity organizes unstructured content into predetermined categories, such as names of specific people, associations with other names, locations, and so forth, based on context.
Guidelines To Ensure Your Resume Is Shortlisted
You must comprehend how automated resume screening software functions in order to pass the ATS. Although each piece of software is unique, they all have some traits in common.
Also, Read – How resume screening software is changing the game for recruiters
Do not be afraid of the detector! To ensure that your resume gets past the software used for resume screening without being rejected, you only need to adhere to a few suggestions and improve it:
1. Improve your keyword strategy
Specific keywords entered by recruiters into the system are used to search resumes. Resumes that lack these keywords are disregarded. The keywords in the job description are highlighted if you copy and paste them into a free word-processing program like Wordle. If a keyword, such as “search engine optimization,” which is sometimes abbreviated as “SEO,” occurs, you can use those highlighted keywords in your CV. In your resumes abilities section, education part, and experience section, use keywords frequently. Depending on how often the word “skill” is used in your resume, some software gauges its strength. Since the recruiting manager can spot it, you must be truthful and don’t list any skills that you don’t actually have. It’s inherently balanced. To be shortlisted and seen by the recruiter, your resume doesn’t have to contain every term there is. Just remember to include the right keywords. Although they won’t be used, problem-solving and communication skills might be quite influential during a resume evaluation.
2. Prevent Strange Formatting
The ATS does not respond well to creative resumes with various colors, graphs, tables, charts, photos, and animations, though they can draw human attention. When the software transforms the document into a text file to search for keywords, they will be eliminated. Provide a clear and straightforward description of your experiences. Instead of check marks, use regular bullet points. Because they are not formatted in a way that a system can read, certain programs are removed. To make your resume easier to read, keep it straightforward and avoid using too many images or colors.
3. Use of legible file format
Keep the file format in Microsoft Word or PDF; ATS systems prefer to receive resumes in these forms. Uploading your resume as an image file or page file type is definitely not recommended. The required file format is usually described on the application page. The most compatible file type that all ATS systems accept is a docx file.
4. Don’t Include Information in the Header or Footer
Some ATS systems are unable to understand text outside of the resume’s body. Do not include anything in the header or footer, such as your contact information. Make sure that your name and contact information are in the body rather than the header and footer. Because if the recruiter can’t find your name or email, they won’t be able to contact you for an interview.
5. Personalize your resume for each job you apply for
Use a different resume for each job that you apply for. Understanding the job description is the first step. Next, remove the keywords using a tool like Wordle and other necessary information. Use that term to make your resume more unique. In order for the ATS to choose your resume, the qualifications listed on it must match those that the employer is seeking.
6. Clearly describe your experience.
To make it simple for the automated algorithms to parse, be sure to break up the descriptions of your numerous points into individual paragraphs. Make sure the duration, location, name of the business, and job title are all specified precisely. This facilitates the parsing of this data by the ATS system and its display to recruiters.
Conclusion
If you’ve sent your resume across multiple job listings without receiving a response. Then you should consider updating your resume while keeping in mind the working of resume screening software. Keep it short, use keywords, and abstain from strange layouts. The above-mentioned advice will assist you in getting your resume shortlisted, which will result in a recruiter calling you for an interview. Nowadays video interviewing software has made it easier to take interviews remotely and is convenient for both recruiters and candidates.
Read More:- Benefits of video interviewing
