The ATS is Like the USA

What do you think of when you think of the USA? Some picture the country as a single nation, undivided. Others might think of an individual place or perhaps a region as a representation of the nation. The fact is the USA is complex and there are many parts to it when you consider its national, state, county and community borders. The ATS is like the USA. How? I will explain in further detail but first examine the GIF here, as it’ll help you to illustrate my point and make picking up the details a bit easier.

In the GIF I have broken out 4 parts, the national border, state borders, county lines and added an overlay with cities, just to illustrate the complexity that can be involved in something many try to oversimplify. As every line on the layered map affects people in different ways, so to do the layers that make up what we might refer to as the ATS.

1)     The ATS is like the Country as a whole, a sum of a lot of parts.

2)     Individual ATS Programs are like States and all Unique

3)     Each company that uses the ATS can customize to their needs (within the confine of the program) like county rules govern differently inside each State.

4)     Individual job listings are like the cities inside a county and are asking for specific things for their residents, the job seekers who apply to follow.

The ATS is Like the USA as a whole

First like the United States of America is one nation, made up by the sum of the States inside it. The Applicant Tracking System similarly is a type of program, that has a large variety of programs from software developers around the world. The function and the cost vary greatly.

Individual ATS Programs are like States and all Unique

Second, because there is no singular ATS program, but thousands of programs make up the entire category of the ATS, many are confused about what the ATS is and how it works. The ATS programs vary from program to program like states vary amongst themselves. California for example is different in size, scope and operational rules/laws from every other state, so too are all individual ATS programs. In fact, because of copy right and trademark rules, the ATS programs have to be different.

Each company that uses the ATS can Customize to Their Needs

Third, like states differ from each other, counties inside a state are different, like the difference between San Francisco and Los Angeles counties or even Riverside and Santa Cruz. The state and the county affect the people and businesses in them, and the individual ATS program can be affected by the way each individual company configures and runs them.

Individual job listings are Like the Cities inside States and Counties

Fourth, each company lists individual job listings and they vary too, like cities that vary inside the State and County that house them. How? Some may ask for a cover letter, some might ask for a PDF, some may use knockout questions, others might require a portfolio or have you take an exam of some sort. The variations are almost endless with all the individual variables, differing governmental regulations and personal preferences of those making the individual hiring decisions.

If you have yet to do so, please read my article: https://projecthelpyougrow.com/ats-screening-strategy-how-to-earn-the-interview/ as it will help you with the most universal of ATS truths, to help you increase your odds of landing an interview. Some fonts, some ATS compliant guidelines are becoming more universally accepted and I reference them all in the article.

Here’s a few tips to help you get started:

·        Key Word Match: job seekers need to customize their resume each time before they submit the resume for consideration. Key words are critical in your pre-interview ranking and can make the difference in getting the interview or not.

·        Artistic Style Can Hurt You: The goal is to communicate your experience, not showcase your design talent. Stick to basic fonts, only use black ink and don’t add any shading, back ground images or borders.

·        Columns: Don’t use any columns.

·        Font Size: never use anything below a 10-point font. 

·        Font type: Arial, Georgia, Tahoma, Trebuchet, Verdana and New Times Roman. 

·        Standard Sections: Summary, Work Experience, and Education.

·        Graphics: Do not put any images in your resume. 

I hope this article has helped you understand more about the ATS and how it works. The fact is there are many programs and variables inside each program that can affect each job seeker as they try to land a job. Knowing what will knock you out of contention and what will help you get through the ATS gate can make all the difference, if you put it to good use. I know many have job seeker fatigue with the current hiring process. I recommend you follow me on LinkedIn for more daily tips and advice as things in the hiring process change over time. Stay up to date, make the recommended changes. Don’t let your frustration stop you from succeeding.