Beat the bots in the hiring game and get closer to your dream career

Does your job search make you feel as if you are throwing resume after resume into a void? Then, your job applications are most likely getting rejected by the bots. Many employers in the US employ Applicant Tracking Systems to filter job applications. This is the reason why almost 75% of resumes are rejected without even being read by a hiring manager.

Here are a few tactics you can employ to beat the bots in the hiring process:

Apply for jobs that you are qualified for

ATSs are programmed to sort out only the most relevant job applications for the advertised role. If you keep getting rejected from multiple jobs, you might be applying for roles for which you are unqualified. Sending a completely irrelevant job application for a role will never get you noticed by the hiring manager. Ensure that you are truly qualified for the roles that you apply for. While you don’t need to check all the boxes, you must at least possess 80% of the core skills that the employer is demanding.

Don’t apply for diverse roles within the same company

Many employers will have multiple roles open at a time. However, this does not mean that you should apply for every open role. The ATS will allow the hiring manager to spot all the jobs for which you have applied. If you have applied for a technical role, an admin role, as well as a creative role within the same company, naturally, the hiring manager will be doubtful about your skills. If the employer has two very similar open roles, you should by all means apply for them both. However, avoid applying for roles that are too diverse.

Add the right keywords to your job application

Enrich your resume and cover letter with keywords from the job description. This will ensure that the bots notice you as a potential match for the role. Ensure that you mention a good percentage of all the keywords that the employer has included in the job description. Just like a hiring manager does, the ATS reads your entire resume, scanning for the right skills, experience, and achievements. You should mention keywords throughout your resume, paying more attention to the key skills section. In this section, you can highlight 10-15 of your best skills using a bulleted list.

Don’t try to trick the bots

There are many tricks job applicants use to trick the ATS such as pasting the whole job description on to the resume in white, adding keywords in white, and creating a separate keywords section on the resume to mention keywords from the job description. Avoid making these resume mistakes. Did you know that most ATSs display the text on your resume in the same color? Even if you manage to trick the ATS, the hiring manager will immediately notice what you have done. Showing a hiring manager that you are willing to cheat to get a job is the worst mistake you would ever want to commit.