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What is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?
Put simply, the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), is recruitment software used for candidate management. For this article, we are going to focus on how it affects you as an applicant applying for a job.
An ATS serves to streamline the selection process and weed out weak and undesirable candidates by using user-defined keywords and phrases. It’s an automated process that compares each application with employers desired requirements and rates their degree of compliance.
Those CV / Resume rated highly transition to the next stage of the recruitment process. Then your CV / Resume may be seen by an actual person.
Who is using ATS?
Technological advancement continues and using ATS screening software is no longer reserved for your large corporations. Even small companies now have access to these systems and are vetting applications accordingly.
ATS screening software is so widely used and relied on today that most of the job and CV boards out there like LinkedIn.com, Monster.com, CareerBuilder, and even Indeed.com, have forged partnerships with ATS software providers to streamline data migration and allow service providers to offer better service delivery with recruiting.
Today it is estimated that more than 68% of small/medium businesses are using ATS software.
One of the leading ATS providers in New Zealand serves businesses ranging from the retail to banking and finance sectors. Some of these employers include:
How Does ATS Screening Software Work?
By creating a filter, an Employer can substantially limit the number of successful applicants. Advancements in technology mean that ATS software is becoming more accurate and efficient, which tells us the selection process is becoming even more selective.
ATS software, labels blocks of information on the document. This process is called Statistical Natural Language Processing (SNLP) and forms a significant part of how your CV is read. Understanding the correct formula is crucial. Otherwise, you could confuse the screening software, generate a misreading, or get your CV ignored completely.
We know that up to 75% of candidates are stopped by ATS software before they even land an interview.
There are a few ways to prepare your CV and make it ATS compliant, and we’ve selected six to discuss below.
Six Strategies for Making Your CV ATS Friendly
1. Keywords & Phrases
Look at the position advertised and scrutinise the job description. Focus specifically on the key requirements, core 
skills and phrasing. These and the contextual information are essential in your CV. Repeat critical skills-related keywords no more than three times.
2. Corporate Identity
Take it a step further and visit the employer’s website. Consider their corporate identity and value system. The Company may include some of these words in the user defined list, so it makes sense to reflect some of the company’s ethos in your CV and cover letter.
3. Formatting
Streamline the formatting and keep it as simple as you can. Write your CV and focus on content, rather than design. We have developed a number of templates that are ATS friendly. They may not be easy to the eye, but they are far more likely to get seen by the Hiring Manager. Where you feel you must use extra formatting – keep it minimal. The idea here is for the software to scan your CV for keywords and phrases quickly and so you want to make it as easy as possible.
4. Qualifications & Titles
When it comes to qualifications, make sure that you list the name of your qualification(s), year graduated or completed, and the school attended, accurately and clearly. Do not deviate from this as degrees are almost universal. The exception being diplomas and certificates that are country and institution-specific. It makes sense that if an employer is searching for a specific type of qualification in a candidate, that said candidate ensures the software can identify their qualifications without any hassles.
5. Font
The appropriate font is another factor you need to consider. Sans-serif fonts like Verdana or Tahoma are preferable over serif fonts like Times New Roman or Cambria. Why? According to Business Insider, some screening software reject certain fonts. So, avoid script fonts and pay attention to the size of your font and make sure you don’t use anything smaller than 10-point.
6. Don’t Exaggerate or Lie
Don’t lie, fabricate, or exaggerate in an attempt to fool the ATS selection process. One of the things candidates try is typing their qualifications in white font so that it is picked up by the software but missed by the human eye. It has been tried too many times, and employers are well aware of this tactic. ATS software makes provision for this deviation, and if caught, you’d never be able to apply to that company again.
Concluding Remarks
More and more employers rely on ATS software to help them streamline their recruitment process.
ATS software is here to stay. It’s not going anywhere. In fact, it’s evident more employers are using it than ever before mainly because it makes the recruitment workflow so much more comfortable and cheaper. For this reason, it is vital that candidates write and prepare their CV knowing that it will be fed to an ATS screening process.
Did you know you can send us a copy of your CV for a free review?
Sources:
http://www.CVhacking.com/ready-for-automated-CV-screening
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/formatting-rules-to-get-your-CV-through-the-scanning-software-2013-2?r=US&IR=T
https://www.jobscan.co/blog/how-to-write-a-cv-for-CV-scanners-and-applicant-tracking-systems-ats/
http://www.cdanz.org.nz/files/Ezine%2018%201%20Autumn%202014/CDANZ%20Ezine%2018%201%20Article%20Making%20ATS%20work%20Young%20Feb%202014.pdf
https://www.cio.com/article/2398753/careers-staffing/careers-staffing-5-insider-secrets-for-beating-applicant-tracking-systems.html
http://www.vault.com/blog/CVs-cover-letters/why-sneaky-CV-tactics-may-no-longer-aid-job-hunters
https://www.ere.net/got-a-minute-if-so-spend-it-looking-at-CVs/
https://premium.linkedin.com/jobsearch/articles/the-easy-how-to-guide-for-formatting-CVs-for-applicant-tracking-systems