Five ways jobseekers can pass crucial application tracking system round

ATS is a software used by HR teams to screen applications using predefined job role requirements such as experience, skills and certification.

A study by job search firm Preptel showed that 75 percent of all resumes are never seen by a human being because they don’t get past the initial but crucial application tracking system (ATS) round.

ATS is a software used by HR teams to screen applications using predefined job role requirements such as experience, skills and certification. Getting a resume/CV past this stage becomes extremely critical because many companies now use this software. Over 98 percent of Fortune 500 companies use an ATS, as per Jobscan.

While a candidate’s talent is a prerequisite for getting hired, experts list a few tips to present a profile to recruiters in the right way.

Relevant keywords

The most important thing to include in CVs/resumes for ATS tests is appropriate keywords in the right context.

According to Sagar Pandey, head of human relations at Swastika Investmart, hiring managers will select keywords that are relevant to the job such as skills, qualifications, or experience. However, choosing the right keywords is only half the job done – putting them in context is a major task.

Many times, candidates just copy what is mentioned in the JD (job descriptions) that everyone uses.

“JDs are there to make a candidate understand the key requirements of a role. They are not inclusive but exclusive,” Pandey said.

He advised candidates to use a separate tab for explaining skills and core competencies and how they helped the person accomplish tasks. For example, decision-making could be a major skill, but how illustrating how it helped in gaining achievements will make any candidate stand out.

If a company in the service sector is looking for a company secretary, the keywords for skills should be terms such as company law, drafting, legal, compliance management, litigation, and SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India).

Candidates should explain their achievements and the skills they used such as types of agreements, documents and policies drafted or liaising with entities such as such as the Reserve Bank of India, SEBI, and the Registrar of Companies.

Projects handled

Another major point to include in a CV/resume is a synopsis of projects that candidates have led or handled recently.

Sayali Bhakurlekar, manager for talent acquisition at tech company Fynd, advised candidates to describe details of the project in two or three sentences, including designation, title and work duration.

“It provides more details to see if the candidate’s level of expertise matches what the job requires,” she added.

Bhakurlekar observed that a well-written project description in the resume conveys a focused direction and holistic understanding of a candidate’s capabilities. For tech (engineering) profiles, mentioning tech stacks one has used on a project gives a very accurate picture of the candidate’s calibre.

“This will also help the candidate during his/her first round of discussions after being shortlisted as interviewers initially tend to stick to these pointers mentioned in the CV,” she added.

Handling responsibilities

Sumit Sabharwal, CEO of TeamLease HRTech, said candidates should include new-age competencies they have such as IT skills, data analytics, RPA (robotic process automation), cybersecurity, digital marketing or sales, which are relevant to the delivery of their responsibilities in disruptive times.

The major differentiator is the ability to learn new tech skills and flexibility, which will count towards an applicant’s compatibility. Through this process, TeamLease HRTech witnessed candidate-job role matches of up to 75-85 percent.

This not only improves the chances of getting shortlisted, candidates will also be more successful in their job because they will have more clarity on their key responsibility areas (KRA) and key performance indicators (KPIs) as per recruiter expectations.

“Companies will be able to hire the right candidates for the right seats,” Sabharwal said.

Video CVs

Often in a resume, the recruiter is not able to assess the authenticity of a candidate’s experience. This is where a video resume helps, according to Swati Topno, HR director at KnowledgeHut upGrad.

“A written resume might not capture the experience,” Topno said.

Further, candidates should stay abreast of what recruiters are looking for through ATS – flexibility to market changes, what an organisation values, their ability to mould themselves to what is required of them, and demonstrate how they can drive value for the organisation, she advised.

Customise CVs

An applicant should take time to go through a company’s website, information available on the internet, and press releases to understand its plans and its culture.

CVs can then be customised to highlight areas/skill sets that the company is looking for. Thus, a candidate should never use the same CV while applying for multiple roles, said Meenu Bhatia, cofounder of mentorship firm VMentor.ai.

For instance, a company is looking at hiring a talent acquisition manager and the job description mentions that the position requires working with various stakeholders and helping them to expand their teams with the right skill sets and cultural fitment.

Bhatia explained that an applicant with talent acquisition experience can highlight specific skills such as stakeholder management, consultative approach, and talent acquisition analytics and metrics in the skills section.

“In all likelihood, with that ask from the recruiter, they should be looking for these skill matches,” she said. An applicant can give examples of these skills in the description section.

Candidates should also use as basic English as possible without any jargon because the ATS may not always understand complex words to convey talent acquisition competencies.