A Curriculum Vitae or CV is a well-forged document representing an individual’s skills, achievements, and experience. You may have realized during the process of landing the right job, finding the one that complements our expertise has become an arduous task. Well, there are several underlying reasons for it.
Firstly, the soaring competition among highly qualified applicants is evident. People fail to get jobs because their competitors have superior skillsets and experience that ultimately give them an edge.
The second reason is the challenge that comes with applicant tracking system (ATS) that most top organizations use to filter out candidates. The ATS looks for some specifics such as format, keywords, headings, and more in a CV. If the required information is not present in the CV, the ATS discards it without a second look. Many highly qualified candidates fail to get past it simply because they’re unaware of how ATS software works.
While working on skills is solely in your hands, we can help you get past the ATS with the following tips.
- Choose the Right Format:
Before jotting down your plus points to mention in a CV, check if the CV format is according to ATS’s liking or not. Choosing the right CV format is very important. Your CV may look pleasing to the eye, but if it’s not according to the ATS format, all your attempts are futile.
Look up on the internet and you’ll find multiple ATS-friendly formats. You may find such formats simple and easy to understand. Mixing up things with tables, logos, headers, or footers will only confuse the ATS software. It may or may not scan that information and dent your chances of getting an interview call.
Also, there’s a long list of things that shouldn’t be included in a CV, but many people still add them, such as:
- Irrelevant Personal Information (Address, Martial Status, etc.)
- Reference of previous employers
- Hobbies
- Headshot
- Links to social media profiles
- Charts and Images
- Use the Right Keywords:
Above all, ATS looks for the right keywords in a CV. Scanning the CV, ATS compares it with the job posting and finds out if it’s a suitable match or not. Also, it implies that for different job posts, you may need to tailor the CV accordingly because the keywords for each job may be different.
There are two ways of tailoring your CV to include the right keywords:
- The first way is to do it manually. Read the job description and highlight the words that may seem important. Now, in the summary, prior experience, and education headers, all you have to do is to carefully analyze these sections and incorporate those keywords naturally.
- The second is to get help from generative AI tools like ChatGPT. You may still need to proofread it, but this way, the work will get done quickly. Also, make sure you have a speedy internet connection, one that doesn’t have frequent outages, just like Optimum. Simply because curating a perfect CV is already a hectic task. On top of that, frequent hiccups may only add to your troubles. Moreover, it’ll not only help in perfecting the CV but such a reliable connection will come in handy while applying for jobs and in interview preparation too. So, connect to Optimum servicio al cliente to sign up.
- Create Easy Headings:
Many people like to experiment with the headings and sections in a CV. They may want to create an eye-catching CV, hoping to impress the employers. However, all the flashy and unnecessary headings or sections may only be a nuisance for ATS.
Adding “My Story” instead of “Summary” may sound good. But it doesn’t look professional, surely not to ATS and it may fail to scan it altogether. If you want ATS to scan everything that is written on it, make sure to use the standard headings. Also, most ATS’ CV formats already have standard headings included. If you don’t find the headings, below are some important headings that should clear the ATS scan:
- Contact Information
- Summary
- Education
- Work Experience
- Skills
- Don’t Stuff Your CV:
Another mistake that job seeks make is adding so many irrelevant information to their CV that it becomes hard for ATS to determine your area of expertise. Adding the relevant information to the job is recommended.
Most people think that by adding a lot of information on their CVs, they can outsmart the ATS. Well, that isn’t the case since ATS too is backed by AI. It is smart enough to filter out the relevant information by scanning it.
Instead of stuffing your CV with a lot of words, stick to information that are important to the job. Also, don’t forget to add the right keywords when you’re putting in the information in your CV.
Gradually, ATS software has become an important part of the hiring process adopted by many top organizations. Even if you’re a perfect fit for the offered role, ATS may discard your CV if it doesn’t meet the criteria. With these tips mentioned above, you can brighten up your chances of landing an interview. After that, it’s solely in your hands. Good Luck!
