October 24, 2016 Leave a Comment

Ask Our Employment Specialist: How to win at the online application screening game

Dear Employment Specialist,

I keep applying for teller/customer service positions at the banks. As recommended, I register on their website, post my resume and cover letter and apply for job opportunities as they come up. I have never received a phone call for an interview.

What am I doing wrong?

Signed: Online

Dear Online,

Did you know that many of the larger companies like the banks use an online software that is automated for screening of online applications? It is known as the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). To help figure out what needs to be done so that your resume and cover letter will be flagged for the recruiter or hiring manager on the ATS, I spoke to Michelle Edmunds, Founder and Job Search Coach at Focus Industry Consulting as well as Employer Outreach and Placement Coordinator at Ryerson University’s Chang School. She advised the following:

1. Category matching.

Did you notice how job descriptions have become more creative, with many new job titles, departments and roles that haven’t been seen before? Functions and roles contain fewer tasks and there is a bigger focus on outcomes. Companies are looking for specialists, not generalists.

Create a separate section in the top third of your online resume that captures your relevant specific category of expertise. For example, Client Relationship Management, Communications and Financial Analysis.

2. Resume keyword matching.

Focus on the priority keywords within the job description. Use the exact words and language in the posting. Don’t copy and paste those words exactly as is — instead, write your matching or relevant work experience with detailed examples, while still ensuring that you are capturing the key terms that are important — for example, if you are applying for a “Customer Service Representative”, and phrases such as “relationship management”, “analytical skills” and a “bachelors degree”, appear in the job description, these are mandatory qualifications.

Keyword matching shows the system that you understand the job requirements and that you speak their language.

3. Include your accomplishments.

This is your strategy to market yourself in both the online application and interview. It’s how you can stand out from the crowd. Your accomplishments should be unique, valuable and strategic, and they should match the job posting’s job description first, and then the listed requirements. The phrases need to be personal and real. Using the keywords in the job description, prepare these statements, so that they are well-received by the outcome based job lists on the ATS.

Based on the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action and Result), you can prepare these statements for the resume as well as to respond to the behavioural questions in the interview.

4. Limit your online applications.

Don’t spend all your time on the ATS. Build your professional network, meet as many people as possible in your field, engage in information interviews, use social media to research and network. Despite the proliferation of online tools, most people continue to get jobs through people they know.

Good luck!

October 10, 2016 Leave a Comment

How to be noticed on online job application systems

Increasingly, employers are turning to electronic methods to standardize recruitment and make resume screening more efficient. You may have noticed that when you apply to a job online, you are often redirected to a website that requires you to sign up, create an online profile, answer a long series of questions and then upload a resume before you are able to apply for the job. The goal of the employer is to gather more information from you, to allow them to pre-screen candidates, using keyword searches and make more objective decisions about whom they will call to an interview.

The programs used by employers to gather the data and sort through it are called ATS programs – Applicant Tracking Systems. They are online sites where job seekers can create an profile and apply directly to all the suitable jobs with a particular company. Candidates can upload a resume and cover letter, as well as give employers access to other online information about themselves (such as LinkedIn, blogs) as well as additional documents (such as proof of professional registration) as required by employers.

The advantages of ATS for candidates is that it enables them to set up profiles with each of their employers of choice, get notifications (or ‘alerts’) when jobs are posted, and — once the profile is completely set up — apply easily. It also enables candidates to share more information than the conventional emailing of a resume and cover letter.

But as most job seekers would testify, online job application sites are frustratingly difficult to navigate and full of technical bugs. They also can take a lot of time to set up. Many job seekers also find that despite setting up a profile and applying to many jobs to which they seem perfectly suitable, they are still not getting called for interviews.

To make sure that you maximize the odds of getting being noticed on an ATS system, here are some tips for using it:

Prepare an ATS optimized resume

The ATS will extract the relevant data from your resume to compare to other candidates. So while some employers might print out your resume before the interview, many admit to never looking at the document itself, which makes resume writing for ATS difficult for job seekers.

While it’s still important to prepare a resume that looks readable visually, it is even more vital to ensure that it is coherent and targeted resume, in terms of:

Spelling – make sure that the resume is error free; remember: misspelled words will not be picked up by the system

Keywords – edit the resume to use the keywords that the employer uses in their posting

Layout – keep the resume simple and cleanly laid out:

no tables, columns or text boxes, or formatting such as underlining
no fancy text, tabs or fancy spacing between letters
no graphics or unusual symbols — you can use a simple bullet (●), dash (-) or line ( | ) to separate items
no abbreviations or unexplained acronyms
don’t use creatively worded headings, or rely on bold or underline– rather stick to the standard headings (in capital letters, if you want it to be obvious that they are headings) such as PROFILE, PROFESSIONAL HISTORY, EDUCATION, etc
don’t use headers or footers
no need to number pages or title them
unless otherwise instructed, create a resume in Word format, not PDF (which often cannot be read on ATS)

Save the resume under a name that identifies you and the job (e.g. KarinLewisEmploymentCounsellor.doc).

Complete the online profile in full detail

Don’t take any short cuts when completing the profile. Complete all fields in the profile, even those marked as optional. Include your cover letter, resume and any other relevant documentation. When asked to explain an item, do so in full detail. Write full, clear and suitably detailed replies to all questions. Use proper punctuation and capitalisation in your sentence. Don’t rush through it — make sure it is as good as you can make it.

Check the profile carefully before submitting it

Don’t just upload a resume and assume it will fill the right fields – often the system misreads the resume. Check your profile carefully to ensure that all the resume details are properly captured.

The bottom line is to keep in mind that ATS is an increasingly commonly used method of prescreening candidates. Take some time and make sure you prepare your profile in such a way that you increase your chances of being noticed and contacted for an interview.

FINAL TIP: Don’t rely only on ATS to secure your next position. While it is true that many companies require applicants to apply online, that does not mean that candidates won’t benefit from networking with potential employers online on LinkedIn and in person. Do both — create a strong ATS profile and find ways to reach out to potential employers as well. Ideally, your target employers should be aware of your candidacy before they even set out to post a job, or call candidates for an interview.

Karin Lewis is the Blog Editor and a contributing writer. A senior Employment Counsellor at JVS Toronto, she presently balances the roles of Case Manager, Consultant to Toronto’s Jewish Family and Child, as well as Communications and Marketing (Social Media) Specialist.

August 15, 2016 Leave a Comment

What is the personal trait most valued by employers? (It’s not what you think)

When job seekers prepare to face employers in a final interview, the question always comes up about what they can say that would make the most impactful impression on the employer – what can they share that would make them stand out from others. By the time candidates reach the last stage of the job search process, they often have been screened for their hard skills and experience – employers usually don’t invite you to a final interview unless you have been pre-screened for those basic requirements that were listed in the original job posting. So what are employers hoping to learn about you in that final interview?
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August 8, 2016 Leave a Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: How to handle having been fired at your next job interview

Dear Joanna,

I worked as a marketing assistant for about a year and have evidence that I exceeded my targets each month. Suddenly, out of the blue, I was fired by my supervisor without any explanation or feedback. My termination paper stated that I had “poor performance”.

I’m shocked, upset and worried about what to say about this at the job interview, especially when I will be asked “what happened at my last job?”.

Signed: Fired and Fearful

Dear FF,

I am so sorry to hear this. For what it’s worth, almost everyone I know (including myself) have been fired, without any clue why until much after the fact. You’re in good company — including Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. [Read more…]

August 1, 2016 Leave a Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: What to do when nothing is working

Dear Joanna,

Nothing is working with my job search. I’m not getting any interviews, my networking doesn’t lead to any jobs and needless to say, I’m stuck and feel like giving up. I’m doing everything in my powers to look for work including meeting the employment support staff, participating in the workshops and attending job fairs.

What is wrong with me?

Signed: Stuck in the Search (SS)

Dear SS,

One of the most painful experiences of being a job developer/job coach is working with job seekers who are seriously engaged in their job search but for whom none of the available employment support services seem to work. Consider reflecting on the excellent insights offered by blogger Louise Fletcher, where she presents advice on how most people “get the job search process all wrong” and make mistakes. You can explore her solutions on this site as well.
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