Robots and AI are making their way into every industry, so I'm sure you're not surprised when we tell you that if you can't get past the "robot" Application Tracking System (ATS), you won't be seen by a recruiter or HR professional to land that job you have your eye on.
So how do you get past that pesky ATS and prove your worth to a human -- someone who can relate to your experience, potentially volunteers for the same organization, or was in your fraternity?
The key is keywords.
Write For The Job Founder Sarah Sax sat down with Wells Fargo Recruiter Farrah Medrano to talk about how to identify the right keywords to integrate into your professional materials.
"The cheat sheet we always look for is the job qualities we have on our announcements," said Farrah. "So if it says you need three years of management experience and you don't write the word 'management' one time on your resume, we're not going to find you."
That means that the job description and qualifications is your best friend as you personalize your professional materials before pressing submit. Review the job description and highlight the qualifications that the company emphasizes. Take the primary skills that are needed for the job, and if you have them, make it known in your skills section (on both Linkedin and your resume) as well as woven throughout your experience descriptions.
As you may have gathered by now, keywords differ per job that you're applying to. The base of your resume will likely remain the same, but the verbage you use to describe your experience, leadership, and projects may change depending on the keywords that you are emphasizing. Integrating the right keywords throughout your professional materials will greater the chance of you landing that position.
Sarah Sax is the Founder of Write For The Job.