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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

Telus prioritizing ‘most important customers,’ avoiding ‘unprofitable’ offers: CFO

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Telus Corp. says it is avoiding offering “unprofitable” discounts as fierce competition in the Canadian telecommunications sector shows no sign of slowing down.

The company said Friday it had fewer net new customers during its third quarter compared with the same time last year, as it copes with increasingly “aggressive marketing and promotional pricing” that is prompting more customers to switch providers.

Telus said it added 347,000 net new customers, down around 14.5 per cent compared with last year. The figure includes 130,000 mobile phone subscribers and 34,000 internet customers, down 30,000 and 3,000, respectively, year-over-year.

The company reported its mobile phone churn rate — a metric measuring subscribers who cancelled their services — was 1.09 per cent in the third quarter, up from 1.03 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. That included a postpaid mobile phone churn rate of 0.90 per cent in its latest quarter.

Telus said its focus is on customer retention through its “industry-leading service and network quality, along with successful promotions and bundled offerings.”

“The customers we have are the most important customers we can get,” said chief financial officer Doug French in an interview.

“We’ve, again, just continued to focus on what matters most to our customers, from a product and customer service perspective, while not loading unprofitable customers.”

Meanwhile, Telus reported its net income attributable to common shares more than doubled during its third quarter.

The telecommunications company said it earned $280 million, up 105.9 per cent from the same three-month period in 2023. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 19 cents compared with nine cents a year earlier.

It reported adjusted net income was $413 million, up 10.7 per cent year-over-year from $373 million in the same quarter last year. Operating revenue and other income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 1.8 per cent from the previous year.

Mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.85 in the third quarter, a decrease of $2.09 or 3.4 per cent from a year ago. Telus said the drop was attributable to customers signing up for base rate plans with lower prices, along with a decline in overage and roaming revenues.

It said customers are increasingly adopting unlimited data and Canada-U.S. plans which provide higher and more stable ARPU on a monthly basis.

“In a tough operating environment and relative to peers, we view Q3 results that were in line to slightly better than forecast as the best of the bunch,” said RBC analyst Drew McReynolds in a note.

Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi added that “the telecom industry in Canada remains very challenging for all players, however, Telus has been able to face these pressures” and still deliver growth.

The Big 3 telecom providers — which also include Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. — have frequently stressed that the market has grown more competitive in recent years, especially after the closing of Quebecor Inc.’s purchase of Freedom Mobile in April 2023.

Hailed as a fourth national carrier, Quebecor has invested in enhancements to Freedom’s network while offering more affordable plans as part of a set of commitments it was mandated by Ottawa to agree to.

The cost of telephone services in September was down eight per cent compared with a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent inflation report last month.

“I think competition has been and continues to be, I’d say, quite intense in Canada, and we’ve obviously had to just manage our business the way we see fit,” said French.

Asked how long that environment could last, he said that’s out of Telus’ hands.

“What I can control, though, is how we go to market and how we lead with our products,” he said.

“I think the conditions within the market will have to adjust accordingly over time. We’ve continued to focus on digitization, continued to bring our cost structure down to compete, irrespective of the price and the current market conditions.”

Still, Canada’s telecom regulator continues to warn providers about customers facing more charges on their cellphone and internet bills.

On Tuesday, CRTC vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy Scott Hutton called on providers to ensure they clearly inform their customers of charges such as early cancellation fees.

That followed statements from the regulator in recent weeks cautioning against rising international roaming fees and “surprise” price increases being found on their bills.

Hutton said the CRTC plans to launch public consultations in the coming weeks that will focus “on ensuring that information is clear and consistent, making it easier to compare offers and switch services or providers.”

“The CRTC is concerned with recent trends, which suggest that Canadians may not be benefiting from the full protections of our codes,” he said.

“We will continue to monitor developments and will take further action if our codes are not being followed.”

French said any initiative to boost transparency is a step in the right direction.

“I can’t say we are perfect across the board, but what I can say is we are absolutely taking it under consideration and trying to be the best at communicating with our customers,” he said.

“I think everyone looking in the mirror would say there’s room for improvement.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:T)

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Business

TC Energy cuts cost estimate for Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico

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CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.

It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.

The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.

TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRP)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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BCE reports Q3 loss on asset impairment charge, cuts revenue guidance

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BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.

The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.

“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”

Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.

BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.

The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.

BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.

It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.

The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”

Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BCE)

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