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There Is a Way to Beat an Employer’s ATS

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Every job seeker I meet frets over how to beat an employer’s applicant tracking system (ATS), the software practically every employer uses to collect, scan, and rank applications. Essentially, ATS is a digital filing cabinet.

Assume you are applying for a tax manager position.

Your resume summary reads:

“Highly driven tax manager with 5+ years of financial experience managing tax returns and affairs. Proven experience of success, employer satisfaction, and strong communication skills.” 

 

ATS reads:

 

  • “Tax manager”
  • “Financial experience”
  • “5+ years of experience”
  • “Tax returns”
  • “Strong communication skills”

 

The ATS then compares your summary and the rest of your resume against the requirements the employer has programmed.

 

  • CHECK: Tax manager
  • CHECK: 5+ years of experience
  • CHECK: Communication skills
  • NOT CHECKED: Analytical skills
  • NOT CHECKED: Microsoft Office.

 

At the risk of stating the obvious, an employer programs their ATS as per their requirement; hence, ATSs do not function alike.

Internet talking heads will tell you they possess the secret to creating an “ATS-friendly” resume that will beat an employer’s ATS and that the ATS is the boogie man. These claims are marketing fiction. While you can optimize your resume to be ATS-friendly, beating, or tricking, the ATS is impossible.

Job seekers should focus less on beating an employer’s ATS and more on getting their resume in front of hiring managers. In other words, consider circumventing an employer’s ATS rather than trying to beat it.

Years ago, I was job hunting after returning from India, where I had completed two lengthy call center management assignments. Although ATS existed, it was not as widely used as today. I came across a job posting on Monster.com, which fit me to a tee. I thought to myself, “This has my name on it.” I sent my resume, which I customized, along with what I thought was a well-written cover letter.

The job posting was blind; therefore, I had no idea who the company was. All I knew was that it was a travel company with an extensive global footprint searching for a call center manager to oversee their newly created inbound call center.

A week passed without a response, not even an acknowledgment of my resume having been received. I applied again. Again, crickets. In the meantime, thanks to my professional network, which I maintained throughout my time in India and informed of my return to Toronto, I had been conducting interviews and was close to receiving job offers. However, I wanted to learn more about the travel company’s call center management job before making a decision. I wanted to reach out to the company, but I had no clue who the company was.

As I had anticipated, a telco company I had been interviewing with made me a job offer. I discussed the job offer with my wife over dinner. I also mentioned having applied to the travel company and how surprised I was that I had not heard back from them, and since the job posting was blind, I could not reach out to them. That evening, the planets were aligned. My wife, who is well-connected and often “hears things,” had a gut feeling about who the company might be. My wife’s gut feeling led me to reach out to the president of the travel company that “may have” placed the blind job posting.

The next day, I received a call from the president. It turned out my wife was right. We talked, then met, followed by a meeting with the leadership team, ultimately resulting in a job offer and an eight-year run managing the company’s 85-agent call centre.

Just as you will never know why an employer’s ATS did not green-light your resume, I never found out why the HR Manager did not pass on my resume. Although I did not work around the company’s ATS, which they did not have at the time, I did work around its human equivalent—human resources.

Though my bypassing the HR manager (READ: going over her head) worked, it came at a cost, namely a strained relationship.

Another workaround story…

This past August, a close friend lost his job due to a merger and was job hunting for the first time in over 20 years. On LinkedIn, he saw a job posting, not blind, for a project manager position at a large consumer electronics company, which he was more than qualified for. Applicants were instructed to apply via the company’s website, which meant resumes would be vetted by their ATS. I advised my friend to ignore this instruction and to contact the hiring manager directly, which he did.

The hiring manager was unusually candid with my friend and said, “Thanks for saving me the time not having to go through resumes.” Understand (READ: empathize with) that the hiring manager still needs to review the resumes that have passed the ATS screening, which can still be overwhelming. Therefore, in a way, applying directly to the hiring manager can be thought of as doing them a favour.

Yes, my friend got the job.

Going head-to-head with an employer’s ATS is futile. However, if you feel you must beat the employer’s ATS, then adopt a workaround approach.

_________________________________________________________

 

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.

Business

Carry On Canadian Business. Carry On!

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business to start in Canada

Human Resources Officers must be very busy these days what with the general turnover of employees in our retail and business sectors. It is hard enough to find skilled people let alone potential employees willing to be trained. Then after the training, a few weeks go by then they come to you and ask for a raise. You refuse as there simply is no excess money in the budget and away they fly to wherever they come from, trained but not willing to put in the time to achieve that wanted raise.

I have had potentials come in and we give them a test to see if they do indeed know how to weld, polish or work with wood. 2-10 we hire, and one of those is gone in a week or two. Ask that they want overtime, and their laughter leaving the building is loud and unsettling. Housing starts are doing well but way behind because those trades needed to finish a project simply don’t come to the site, with delay after delay. Some people’s attitudes are just too funny. A recent graduate from a Ivy League university came in for an interview. The position was mid-management potential, but when we told them a three month period was needed and then they would make the big bucks they disappeared as fast as they arrived.

Government agencies are really no help, sending us people unsuited or unwilling to carry out the jobs we offer. Handing money over to staffing firms whose referrals are weak and ineffectual. Perhaps with the Fall and Winter upon us, these folks will have to find work and stop playing on the golf course or cottaging away. Tried to hire new arrivals in Canada but it is truly difficult to find someone who has a real identity card and is approved to live and work here. Who do we hire? Several years ago my father’s firm was rocking and rolling with all sorts of work. It was a summer day when the immigration officers arrived and 30+ employees hit the bricks almost immediately. The investigation that followed had threats of fines thrown at us by the officials. Good thing we kept excellent records, photos and digital copies. We had to prove the illegal documents given to us were as good as the real McCoy.

Restauranteurs, builders, manufacturers, finishers, trades-based firms, and warehousing are all suspect in hiring illegals, yet that becomes secondary as Toronto increases its minimum wage again bringing our payroll up another $120,000. Survival in Canada’s financial and business sectors is questionable for many. Good luck Chuck!. at least your carbon tax refund check should be arriving soon.

Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
skaszab@yahoo.ca

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Imperial to cut prices in NWT community after low river prevented resupply by barges

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NORMAN WELLS, N.W.T. – Imperial Oil says it will temporarily reduce its fuel prices in a Northwest Territories community that has seen costs skyrocket due to low water on the Mackenzie River forcing the cancellation of the summer barge resupply season.

Imperial says in a Facebook post it will cut the air transportation portion that’s included in its wholesale price in Norman Wells for diesel fuel, or heating oil, from $3.38 per litre to $1.69 per litre, starting Tuesday.

The air transportation increase, it further states, will be implemented over a longer period.

It says Imperial is closely monitoring how much fuel needs to be airlifted to the Norman Wells area to prevent runouts until the winter road season begins and supplies can be replenished.

Gasoline and heating fuel prices approached $5 a litre at the start of this month.

Norman Wells’ town council declared a local emergency on humanitarian grounds last week as some of its 700 residents said they were facing monthly fuel bills coming to more than $5,000.

“The wholesale price increase that Imperial has applied is strictly to cover the air transportation costs. There is no Imperial profit margin included on the wholesale price. Imperial does not set prices at the retail level,” Imperial’s statement on Monday said.

The statement further said Imperial is working closely with the Northwest Territories government on ways to help residents in the near term.

“Imperial Oil’s decision to lower the price of home heating fuel offers immediate relief to residents facing financial pressures. This step reflects a swift response by Imperial Oil to discussions with the GNWT and will help ease short-term financial burdens on residents,” Caroline Wawzonek, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance and Infrastructure, said in a news release Monday.

Wawzonek also noted the Territories government has supported the community with implementation of a fund supporting businesses and communities impacted by barge cancellations. She said there have also been increases to the Senior Home Heating Subsidy in Norman Wells, and continued support for heating costs for eligible Income Assistance recipients.

Additionally, she said the government has donated $150,000 to the Norman Wells food bank.

In its declaration of a state of emergency, the town said the mayor and council recognized the recent hike in fuel prices has strained household budgets, raised transportation costs, and affected local businesses.

It added that for the next three months, water and sewer service fees will be waived for all residents and businesses.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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U.S. vote has Canadian business leaders worried about protectionist policies: KPMG

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TORONTO – A new report says many Canadian business leaders are worried about economic uncertainties related to the looming U.S. election.

The survey by KPMG in Canada of 735 small- and medium-sized businesses says 87 per cent fear the Canadian economy could become “collateral damage” from American protectionist policies that lead to less favourable trade deals and increased tariffs

It says that due to those concerns, 85 per cent of business leaders in Canada polled are reviewing their business strategies to prepare for a change in leadership.

The concerns are primarily being felt by larger Canadian companies and sectors that are highly integrated with the U.S. economy, such as manufacturing, automotive, transportation and warehousing, energy and natural resources, as well as technology, media and telecommunications.

Shaira Nanji, a KPMG Law partner in its tax practice, says the prospect of further changes to economic and trade policies in the U.S. means some Canadian firms will need to look for ways to mitigate added costs and take advantage of potential trade relief provisions to remain competitive.

Both presidential candidates have campaigned on protectionist policies that could cause uncertainty for Canadian trade, and whoever takes the White House will be in charge during the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in 2026.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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