Your Resume's Formatting Can Cause ATSs To Block You From Job Interviews

If your resume isn't truly Applicant Tracking System (resume pre-screening database) friendly, your resume is getting screened out because of its formatting.

This means you could have the world's greatest resume, be the best fit for the job, and your resume would still be blocked by an ATS just due to something as meaningless as its format.

While your resume may get through a few ATSs, there are probably many it doesn't get past, instead being blocked because of format. There are hundreds of different Applicant Tracking Systems, with dozens of different versions - And each treats formatting differently in how they load and parse resume information into the employer's HR database.

What you can tell are some of the formatting reasons your resume is being blocked by ATSs - Here are a few things to watch out for:

• Images And Graphics:?Images and graphics can cause all sorts of errors when run through an ATS. These can include blocking important information (like your name, phone number, or email) or displaying meaningless random letters. Unless you're a graphic designer, images and graphics won't matter to employers, anyway.
• Backgrounds:?Resume backgrounds can cause strange results when being loaded and parsed into ATSs. Some information could be blocked or loaded into the wrong fields. Your visual layout could be changed, leaving it a mess for your reader.
• File Format:?The two file formats most resume writers use aren't natively readable by most ATSs. This requires additional translation to a different format that Applicant Tracking System recognizes, by running it through a separate translation utility. This can cause additional problems: Up to 2 weeks delay for your resume to be considered for the job you applied, and the translation can cause typos throughout the resume (typos that you'll never be aware of).

And this is just a sample of the many formatting reasons causing your resume to be blocked by ATSs. (As if searching for a job wasn't already frustrating enough, right?)

These are just some of the many ways your resume's format can cause it to be screened out by Applicant Tracking Systems. Even if you paid to have an "ATS compliant resume" prepared by a resume writer, career coach/author, or if it was done by an outplacement firm, these resources commonly include formatting errors that block your resume from being seen. In reality, they may be compliant for a few ATSs, but they're not compliant for most ... and you won't know which ATS/version an individual employer uses, nor how it will work with your resume's formatting.

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.

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