Two Ways Your Resume's Format Keeps It From Getting To Humans

It can be really frustrating when you aren't getting interviews for jobs when you're qualified.

While there's no way to guarantee that you'll get the interviews you want, there are ways to remove obstacles that cause your resume to be blocked by resume screening databases (ATSs), increasing your chances.

Some of those obstacles cause are caused by your resume's format. It's important to realize that there are hundreds of different Applicant Tracking Systems, each one with dozens of different versions, and each ATS/version works with formatting differently. This makes some common resume formatting choices unfriendly or even incompatible with many resume screening databases - You won't know which ATS/verison an individual employer uses or how it works or against the formatting of your resume.

That's why some of the most commonly used resume templates are unfriendly with many ATSs. And resumes you've paid to have written by professional resume writers, career coaches and the resumes your past employer paid to have an outplacement firm fail to getting to humans due to formatting (so the resume looks like a unique product, even if they are also incompatible with many ATSs).

It's critical to understand two ways your resume's format can prevent it from getting in front of humans:

1. File Format: Some of the most common file formats are incompatible with many Applicant Tracking Systems. If the file format of your resume isn't natively readable by an employer's ATS/version, your resume goes into a queue, awaiting translation (up to 2 weeks delay). This translation can inject formatting errors that make your resume look like a mess and can cause an ATS to fail to recognize exact criteria matches ... screening you out when you're qualified.
2. On-Page Formatting: The formatting choices you make on your resume can cause an ATS/version to put information in the wrong places of a resume database (the technical term is mis-parse). Some formatting choices can cause certain ATS/versions to insert blank fields where information like your email address, phone number, or other critical information should be. Most recruiters are managed to make resume database corrections after they've completed recommending a list of candidates to the hiring manager, keeping you from being on that list.

There are ways to solve each of these problems, to remove the obstacles of file and on-page formatting that can keep your resume from human review.

Want more details of how to avoid formatting obstacles that keep you from getting interviews when you're qualified? What about other ways to avoid being blocked by resume screening databases, common employer hiring processes, recruiters and hiring managers?

I help people solve the most difficult job search problems, including job search acceleration, getting past ATSs, ageism, remote positions, product/job function/career/industry/ geographic change, unemployment, "bouncy" recent career path, job search turnaround, seeking raise/promotion, industry in decline/consolidation, long term gaps, family leave, or other of the most challenging job search issues.

Join me for my next free Resume Webinar (enroll at https://x.resumewebinar.com/register for no charge) and learn how to accelerate your job search, so you can find your next job faster in 2023.

--

#jobs ?#resume ?#career