Posted on Jun 10, 2015
The Marine’s Guide to Negotiating Applicant Tracking Systems
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“Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.”
- Orison Swett Marden
Gone are the days you could swagger on into an establishment presenting your professional self and wrangle out an offer of employment from a Hiring Manager. How pretty you think you look in your dress blues, even with your fruit salad running into your chloroframs, won’t put you on top; maybe get you a phone number, though your social life is not why we’re here. Establishing a cohesive and efficient process to move you from unemployed to employment superstar is. Within the following we begin, first, with understanding the Applicant Tracking System, and how to avoid them.
Understand that the employment system is deliberately designed to keep your super star self, your NAMs, and your resume, away from the Hiring Manager; or at least until the Hiring Manger wants to speak with you. The first six months of 2014 I was scrambling for employment like everyone else. I submitted over 2,500 applications through interfacing primarily through employment search boards such as Indeed, Monster, and Career Builder. I know what you’re wondering, and I did. I presented my superstar self, complete kit-and-caboodle, within the lobbies of several large companies. The one question I received most was whose funeral I was attending. Not what I was aiming for!
Of those 2,500 applications, I netted a 2% response rate. 50 responses, I admit, is embarrassing for a Marine. Don’t worry though, it gets worse. Of those 50 responses, 80% were confirmations that the prospective employer had received my application. I did the math, I do have me MBA after all, despite being a Jarhead; and the six months of empirical data to back this up.
Applicant Tracking Systems DO NOT WORK FOR YOU! ATS systems barely work for the talent acquisition team trying to hire you! Furthermore, those articles that claim to know how to effectively interface with an ATS systems, cow dung, don’t waste your time. Here’s my backup, a CEO from Preptal, a company actually designing ATS systems for an employer near you:
“…These systems, which employers use [approximately 70% of employers in 2012] to manage job opening across their enterprises and screen incoming resumes from job seekers, kill 75% of candidates’ chances of landing an interview as soon as they submit their resumes (Levinson, M.).”
One more nail good measure. I applied to an opportunity recently which required submission of an application through the organizational ATS system. I had previously interfaced with an HR representative who had difficulty locating my information. She knew I applied, that my information was somewhere within the organizational database, and found that my information had been sent to another office. What if she had no knowledge I applied? Would she still be looking for my information?
For you leather pups just into your transitioning process, what exactly is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)? ATS is a software application enabling organizations to electronically manage internal recruitment needs. As a Marine, this will prove difficult to understand so standby, dust off your scribe skills. You will not find a land nav course directing you to the nearest ATS. You cannot see an applicant tracking system, they exist somewhere between your digital application and the organizational database.
There are three primary methods for networking with a prospective employer. The first, digitally interfacing through employment search boards such as Indeed, Monster, or Career Builder; or directly through the organizational website. Second, going through a headhunter, or independent agency hired by your desired company. Finally, digitally networking, which I cover in A Marine’s Guide to Negotiating Digital Networking.
ATS systems have a dual purpose; data collection and data mining. The data collection occurs when you identify an opportunity though Indeed, for example. You complete the application, attach your resume, and click submit. Excellent work Marine! You just put your information nowhere for anyone who isn’t looking to find!
You applied to a particular employment opportunity from one of the three sources previously mentioned. The HR ATS interface does the actual data mining by identifying key words from the job description and matching them with the millions of applications within the organizational database. Once the search is completed, profiles are assigned a rating system based upon the likeliness the applicant will satisfy the job requirements.
You’re ahead of your competition with the knowledge that your resume must have job specific key words, specifically from the provided job description in which you’re applying. HR not only designs the job description in which you applied to, they also use the key words from that job description to data mine potential candidates when starting the interview process. I have not found any evidence of an efficient selection process HR uses in choosing those key words.
The ATS system can’t read your resume, only the information you manually entered into the application. Although, your resume is submitted with your application the formatting may be lost, something may appear out of place. For example, your qualification summary might appear below your education and your work experience may be all caddywhompus. Regardless, your resume is your best foot forward, your chance for first impressions, and the ATS system will always muck it up.
Avoid ATS systems until after you speak to someone within your target company. So how do you interface with a company? Read my article A Marine’s Guide to Negotiating Digital Networking!
Hope this article helps Marines. Should you have questions, comments, suggestions, or complaints please email me at [login to see] . Semper Fidelis and Semper Keep Pushing.
Sources:
Levinson, M. 5 Insider Secrets to Beating Applicant Tracking Systems. http://www.cio.com/article/2398753/careers-staffing/5-insider-secrets-for-beating-applicant-tracking-systems.html
- Orison Swett Marden
Gone are the days you could swagger on into an establishment presenting your professional self and wrangle out an offer of employment from a Hiring Manager. How pretty you think you look in your dress blues, even with your fruit salad running into your chloroframs, won’t put you on top; maybe get you a phone number, though your social life is not why we’re here. Establishing a cohesive and efficient process to move you from unemployed to employment superstar is. Within the following we begin, first, with understanding the Applicant Tracking System, and how to avoid them.
Understand that the employment system is deliberately designed to keep your super star self, your NAMs, and your resume, away from the Hiring Manager; or at least until the Hiring Manger wants to speak with you. The first six months of 2014 I was scrambling for employment like everyone else. I submitted over 2,500 applications through interfacing primarily through employment search boards such as Indeed, Monster, and Career Builder. I know what you’re wondering, and I did. I presented my superstar self, complete kit-and-caboodle, within the lobbies of several large companies. The one question I received most was whose funeral I was attending. Not what I was aiming for!
Of those 2,500 applications, I netted a 2% response rate. 50 responses, I admit, is embarrassing for a Marine. Don’t worry though, it gets worse. Of those 50 responses, 80% were confirmations that the prospective employer had received my application. I did the math, I do have me MBA after all, despite being a Jarhead; and the six months of empirical data to back this up.
Applicant Tracking Systems DO NOT WORK FOR YOU! ATS systems barely work for the talent acquisition team trying to hire you! Furthermore, those articles that claim to know how to effectively interface with an ATS systems, cow dung, don’t waste your time. Here’s my backup, a CEO from Preptal, a company actually designing ATS systems for an employer near you:
“…These systems, which employers use [approximately 70% of employers in 2012] to manage job opening across their enterprises and screen incoming resumes from job seekers, kill 75% of candidates’ chances of landing an interview as soon as they submit their resumes (Levinson, M.).”
One more nail good measure. I applied to an opportunity recently which required submission of an application through the organizational ATS system. I had previously interfaced with an HR representative who had difficulty locating my information. She knew I applied, that my information was somewhere within the organizational database, and found that my information had been sent to another office. What if she had no knowledge I applied? Would she still be looking for my information?
For you leather pups just into your transitioning process, what exactly is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)? ATS is a software application enabling organizations to electronically manage internal recruitment needs. As a Marine, this will prove difficult to understand so standby, dust off your scribe skills. You will not find a land nav course directing you to the nearest ATS. You cannot see an applicant tracking system, they exist somewhere between your digital application and the organizational database.
There are three primary methods for networking with a prospective employer. The first, digitally interfacing through employment search boards such as Indeed, Monster, or Career Builder; or directly through the organizational website. Second, going through a headhunter, or independent agency hired by your desired company. Finally, digitally networking, which I cover in A Marine’s Guide to Negotiating Digital Networking.
ATS systems have a dual purpose; data collection and data mining. The data collection occurs when you identify an opportunity though Indeed, for example. You complete the application, attach your resume, and click submit. Excellent work Marine! You just put your information nowhere for anyone who isn’t looking to find!
You applied to a particular employment opportunity from one of the three sources previously mentioned. The HR ATS interface does the actual data mining by identifying key words from the job description and matching them with the millions of applications within the organizational database. Once the search is completed, profiles are assigned a rating system based upon the likeliness the applicant will satisfy the job requirements.
You’re ahead of your competition with the knowledge that your resume must have job specific key words, specifically from the provided job description in which you’re applying. HR not only designs the job description in which you applied to, they also use the key words from that job description to data mine potential candidates when starting the interview process. I have not found any evidence of an efficient selection process HR uses in choosing those key words.
The ATS system can’t read your resume, only the information you manually entered into the application. Although, your resume is submitted with your application the formatting may be lost, something may appear out of place. For example, your qualification summary might appear below your education and your work experience may be all caddywhompus. Regardless, your resume is your best foot forward, your chance for first impressions, and the ATS system will always muck it up.
Avoid ATS systems until after you speak to someone within your target company. So how do you interface with a company? Read my article A Marine’s Guide to Negotiating Digital Networking!
Hope this article helps Marines. Should you have questions, comments, suggestions, or complaints please email me at [login to see] . Semper Fidelis and Semper Keep Pushing.
Sources:
Levinson, M. 5 Insider Secrets to Beating Applicant Tracking Systems. http://www.cio.com/article/2398753/careers-staffing/5-insider-secrets-for-beating-applicant-tracking-systems.html
Employment
Networking
Marines
Posted 9 y ago
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