Why Proofreading is More Important Than Ever

Brittany Richter
Careerminds Consultant

The more we read about the way that different companies are recruiting and the more job applications we look at, the more we have been coming across applicant tracking systems. After talking with a few of our colleagues about the subject, we realized that many job seekers may not know about this trend in recruiting.

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) provide a central location and database of resumes and other applicant information to assist in the management of a company or organization’s recruitment efforts. Data is extracted from both internal applications – these are what you as job seekers fill out when a job board or LinkedIn refers you to the company’s website to fill out an application – and from job board profiles.

If you’re thinking… Yeah, so? Then listen up: this process involves a lot of data mining. Although this is not the only function of an ATS, it seems to be a primary one, and can lead to some problems for you. Data mining could refer to a list of actions, but in this case it is most relevant to define it as follows: data mining of applicant information by an ATS involves creating lists of good and bad words, counting the number of times each word appears in the applicant’s information. If you don’t have enough “good” words, or have too many “bad” words, you could be thrown out of the applicant pool.

How to avoid being thrown out of the pool:

• Avoid negative words or words with negative connotations at all costs.
• Make sure, as we have pointed out in the past, to look at the job description and incorporate many of the key words in to your resume and cover letter. The words in the descriptions may be synonyms for the words you chose, but this company’s ATS system could be looking for their words specifically, so switch to theirs.
• The content is more important than the layout of the resume when an ATS is involved. More than likely no one will even look at your original resume, instead relying on the report that is generated by the ATS. Spend more time perfecting the content than the design.
• Make sure that everything is spelled and punctuated correctly. For example, one of the most common mistakes I see on resumes of recent grads is “power point” in their “Skills” section. The ATS system will see this as “power” and point” because the software program is actually written “PowerPoint” and if searched for won’t return “power point” as a result.

 Moral of the Story: Proofreading is more important than ever. Make sure to follow the above steps and the ATS won't throw you out of the applicant pool.

______________________________________________________________________________

Careerminds provides scalable, strategic solutions to organizations seeking affordable, web-based outplacement services. Using a Web 2.0 e-learning platform that delivers affordable, online career transition services, Careerminds provides a high-tech and high-touch blend of on-demand career transition education supported by senior-level career consultants to help displaced workers reenter the workforce quickly.

Comments

[Patek Philippe Calatrava best men watches]

This blog features a Vintage Pick of the Day (VPOD), PLUS insights, tips and information for today’s current and future vintage fashionistas. She’ll also consider purchasing your vintage pieces.-Patek Philippe Calatrava best men watches