ATS:
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What is “ATS”?
Air Traffic Services, Association of Theological Schools, Against The Spread (sports betting), Automatic Transfer Service (banking), Academic Technology Support (education), are Assistive Technology Support (accessibility) are some uses of the acronym. For some auto enthusiasts, they may even think of the Cadillac ATS. However, for the HR consultant and the job hunter “ATS” refers to the Applicant Tracking System.
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is an online software platform that processes resumes and applications electronically. It is not personal! It merely works with the information it has been given and the parameters that it has been programmed with.
Why ATS?
For the HR consultant, it can be an incredible time-saver and efficient use of energy. What if you were asked to go through hundreds of pages of materials for a meeting next week on top of your existing job? IN many circumstances, this is the plight of the HR professional or the manager who has to review resumes for an upcoming interview. They need to fill that role as soon as possible because work is getting backed up and they have to take time away from their other responsibilities to get a new employee. “An ATS also delivers a highly-organized accumulation of all data, so recruiters, hiring managers, and others can review the same information, communicate with each other, coordinate and schedule interviews, and keep the process flowing.” (Hire Right, 2017). ATS can be the tool that can help narrow down the pool of candidates to a manageable size to review.
“An ATS also delivers a highly-organized accumulation of all data, so recruiters, hiring managers, and others can review the same information, communicate with each other, coordinate and schedule interviews, and keep the process flowing.“
(Hire Right, 2017)
Is it working?
Yet many are feeling ignored by their prospective employer because of the ATS. Their resume is not making it through. Job seekers spend hours and hours working on the best version of their work experience, skills, education, and qualifications – only to be reviewed by a computer system. “While it is true that ATS can save recruiters time and effort in the hiring process, the reality is that these systems are far from perfect.” (Jobscan, May 25, 2023). Job hunters and career consultants both wish ATS could be avoided especially when the data shows that only 2% of online applications land an interview. Likely 99% of job seekers don’t feel that the ATS would accurately represent their skills, competencies, and potential.
” … the reality is that these systems are far from perfect.”
(Jobscan, May 25, 2023)
The temptation is to boycott the ATS! It’s not working. So, many are feeling it should be scrapped and there should be another way to approach it. Many will just ignore it and keep sending out more resumes – in blind faith hoping their resume might just beat the gambling odds the stats indicate. Perhaps there will be a shift away from ATS?
Will it go away?
With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, increased pressures to deal with the complexity of workplace changes, and the migration to more digital processes, ATS is here to stay.
It will increase in its use and will accompany many other forms of recruitment strategies. In our day of restructuring of processes, ATS will be integrated more and more. If a company’s website indicates your need to submit an application online, it is likely going through an ATS. Over 98.8% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS and if you’re applying to a large or medium sized organization, you’ll likely face an ATS. Even if the organization has posted on Indeed or LinkedIn there’s a built-in ATS. If there are additional recruitment firms or agencies involved their ATS might add a second ATS layer too.
What can you do?
Formatting your resume will have to consider strategies to make it easy for ATS software to read it. There’s no real trick or magic involved in beating the ATS at its game. However, there are some tips to consider (from Jobscan):
- Carefully tailor your resume to the job description every single time you apply. And if you need help doing this, see a career development practitioner , an employment specialist or your local career/employment service for help.
- Optimize for ATS search and ranking algorithms by matching your resume keywords to the job description.
- Use both the long-form and acronym version of keywords (e.g. “Master of Business Administration (MBA)” or “Search Engine Optimization (SEO)”) for maximum searchability.
- Use a chronological or hybrid resume format (avoid the functional resume format).
- Don’t use tables or columns as they often cause major parsing errors.
- Use a traditional resume font like Helvetica, Garamond, or Georgia.
- Don’t use headers or footers as the information might get lost or cause a parsing error.
- Use standard resume section headings like “Work Experience” rather than being cute or clever (“Where I’ve Been”).
- Save your file as a .docx if possible.
Own It and Utilize It.
In other words, with the famous saying, “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em”, this is the perspective job hunters and career coaches need to take. Use the ATS to your advantage. Understand the need to abbreviate, target the resume to the posting, match the company, avoid additional creativity (when using the ATS), and don’t rely on this being the only source of your job hunting success. Own the opportunity to use ATS to your advantage. Utilize it. It’s only business. And in the emotional energy you spend in your job searching, keep in mind that networking and accessing the hidden job market with a confident sense of your skills and competencies will still outweigh any digital success.
References:
The Truth About Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Mar 17, 2017. HireRight. The Truth About Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) | HireRight
17 Things You Need To Know About ATS (and how to get past it) | LinkedIn. (1) 17 Things You Need To Know About ATS (and how to get past it) | LinkedIn
What Is An ATS? 8 Things You Need to Know About Applicant Tracking Systems. May 25, 2023. Henderson, R.. Jobscan. https://www.jobscan.co/blog/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-applicant-tracking-systems/?fbclid=IwAR0209ruRZy1A2BF84IV2apaW449IVNkaz023ktRpgFdH5f6Q0BO8dqAnMk