Why don't employers see your resume?

You’ve written your resume and have applied to several jobs. You know you’re qualified and yet, you don’t hear back from anyone. Why not?

Chances are, before a single human looks at your resume, it first needs to pass through a company’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS). ATS is the computer system that scans all resumes and helps employers determine which resumes are the best match for the job. It’s an imperfect system but they’re not going away anytime soon.

Why ATS doesn’t like your resume

Missing Keywords: One of the best ways to get your resume in the hands of a human is to make sure keywords are in your resume. Those keywords are often found in the job description. Check the descriptions of the jobs you’re most interested in and make sure you’ve used that same language and keywords.

“Creative” Formatting: There’s a push to creating a resume that’s more creatively designed than a plain word document. That formatting—the extra text boxes, the unusual characters—will cause problems with ATS. Stick to the plainly formatted resume to avoid these problems.

Even Better

Obviously, if you have a contact within a company and can avoid ATS, do it. If you’re haven’t already, build your profile on LinkedIn and network with past colleagues, classmates and friends.

Read: 10 Things You Can Do Today to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Better