Getting your player ready...
Dear J.T. & Dale: I’ve been looking for work
for seven months and recently learned about
applicant tracking systems that companies use
to automatically screen candidates. I’m guessing
this is why I have applied to nearly 100
jobs but have yet to
get even one phone
call. Is there a way to
revamp my resume
and applications to
game the system?
– Aaron DALE: Let’s start
with your premise
that your problem
is automated
screening. I doubt
it. More likely, the
problem lies in where and how you’re applying.
Companies use ATS because they get thousands
of applications, which means that any
one applicant is a very long shot. If you’d ever
sat and watched a human applicant screener at
work, spending just seconds on each application,
you’d understand the bigger issue: People
apply because they think, “I could do that job”;
however, the screener is asking more exact
questions, like “Has this person actually done
this job?” and, if so, “Does he or she meet all
the other specific preferences/requirements of
the hiring managers?” Then, once the screening
is done – whether it’s done by a person or
a computer seeking to emulate the decisionmaking
process of a person – the result probably
is going to be too many applicants to
contact and interview. Thus, even if you’re
qualified, you still might get left out, often
depending on the quirks of the hiring manager,
not the ATS. J.T.: The solution is to stop applying online.
Instead, when you see a job that suits you,
network like crazy till you find someone at the
company to speak to, and ask him or her to
pass your resume directly to the hiring manager. You will drastically increase your chances.
Meanwhile, if you must apply online, here are
two tips: (1) Do not skip questions – the ATS
will consider any blanks to be missing information
and will score that against you. (2) Try
to use key words from the job description to
describe yourself in the online resume and
any other questions you’re asked during the
application process – the ATS uses key words
to scan your information for matches. Even
so, remember this: If you take your job search
offline and network instead, you’ll find the
process of meeting fellow professionals more
interesting and more productive. Dear J.T. & Dale: My new manager makes
this disgusting noise where he hawks up big
chunks of mucus and spits them into his trashcan!
I am pretty good at tuning out noise all
around me while I work, but I just can’t seem
to tune this out. It makes me sick to my stomach.
Everybody knows he has this nasty habit
– his supervisor, his director and the main boss
– but no one will say anything to him. Please
help me! It’s driving me crazy! – Julia DALE: This is another of those situations
where questions are the answer. The secret
to approaching a manager almost always is to
frame the issue as questions. J.T.: Yes, since he hasn’t said anything about
it, I think you could find a way to gently
inquire. You could close the door for privacy
and say: “As a colleague I really respect, I worry
about you. I’ve noticed you’ve been congested
and coughing – is everything OK?” That simple
act of concern might help him realize that his
habit is very noticeable. It also will send the
message that his actions make him appear like
he might be ill and (hopefully) get him to stop. DALE: Brilliant. You’ve transformed criticism
into concern.
J.T.: Even so, you run the risk of him reacting
negatively. But at this point, do you have
anything to lose? Well, maybe your job. So, I
think you have to be very careful. DALE: You might risk losing your job, but
you certainly don’t risk losing a good job. Any
boss who’d fire you for inquiring about his
health is a boss who’d pound down your spirits
and potential, and that makes him one you’d be
better off replacing.
for seven months and recently learned about
applicant tracking systems that companies use
to automatically screen candidates. I’m guessing
this is why I have applied to nearly 100
jobs but have yet to
get even one phone
call. Is there a way to
revamp my resume
and applications to
game the system?
– Aaron DALE: Let’s start
with your premise
that your problem
is automated
screening. I doubt
it. More likely, the
problem lies in where and how you’re applying.
Companies use ATS because they get thousands
of applications, which means that any
one applicant is a very long shot. If you’d ever
sat and watched a human applicant screener at
work, spending just seconds on each application,
you’d understand the bigger issue: People
apply because they think, “I could do that job”;
however, the screener is asking more exact
questions, like “Has this person actually done
this job?” and, if so, “Does he or she meet all
the other specific preferences/requirements of
the hiring managers?” Then, once the screening
is done – whether it’s done by a person or
a computer seeking to emulate the decisionmaking
process of a person – the result probably
is going to be too many applicants to
contact and interview. Thus, even if you’re
qualified, you still might get left out, often
depending on the quirks of the hiring manager,
not the ATS. J.T.: The solution is to stop applying online.
Instead, when you see a job that suits you,
network like crazy till you find someone at the
company to speak to, and ask him or her to
pass your resume directly to the hiring manager. You will drastically increase your chances.
Meanwhile, if you must apply online, here are
two tips: (1) Do not skip questions – the ATS
will consider any blanks to be missing information
and will score that against you. (2) Try
to use key words from the job description to
describe yourself in the online resume and
any other questions you’re asked during the
application process – the ATS uses key words
to scan your information for matches. Even
so, remember this: If you take your job search
offline and network instead, you’ll find the
process of meeting fellow professionals more
interesting and more productive. Dear J.T. & Dale: My new manager makes
this disgusting noise where he hawks up big
chunks of mucus and spits them into his trashcan!
I am pretty good at tuning out noise all
around me while I work, but I just can’t seem
to tune this out. It makes me sick to my stomach.
Everybody knows he has this nasty habit
– his supervisor, his director and the main boss
– but no one will say anything to him. Please
help me! It’s driving me crazy! – Julia DALE: This is another of those situations
where questions are the answer. The secret
to approaching a manager almost always is to
frame the issue as questions. J.T.: Yes, since he hasn’t said anything about
it, I think you could find a way to gently
inquire. You could close the door for privacy
and say: “As a colleague I really respect, I worry
about you. I’ve noticed you’ve been congested
and coughing – is everything OK?” That simple
act of concern might help him realize that his
habit is very noticeable. It also will send the
message that his actions make him appear like
he might be ill and (hopefully) get him to stop. DALE: Brilliant. You’ve transformed criticism
into concern.
negatively. But at this point, do you have
anything to lose? Well, maybe your job. So, I
think you have to be very careful. DALE: You might risk losing your job, but
you certainly don’t risk losing a good job. Any
boss who’d fire you for inquiring about his
health is a boss who’d pound down your spirits
and potential, and that makes him one you’d be
better off replacing.
