Making Sure Your Resume Works in Applicant Tracking Software (ATS)

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Those of you venturing into the private sector for the first time should know that private sector resumes are much different than federal ones. One of the major differences is that virtually all private sector resumes are run through Applicant Tracking Software (ATS).

There is no industry standard for ATS. That being said, there are some commonalities across systems. Since you may be thinking about updating your private sector resume—or even creating your first private sector resume—in honor of International Update Your Resume Month, here are some things to know as you work on your private sector resume.

• Key words are king. Make sure that your resume reflects the key words for the position you are targeting, Not sure what the key words are? Try running the job announcement through a word cloud software.

• Do not put your name and contact information in the header or the footer. Not all ATS can read what you put in a header or a footer. Some ATS can but why take that chance?

• If you have a title such as PE, PhD, CEM or even Junior, you may want to leave it off your resume. You do not want the ATS to read your last name as PhD.

• Standardization is the way to go. Most ATS uses (and expects) standard section headers. This is not the time to get creative. Use headers such as Education, Work Experience, Certifications. Dates should be expressed as months and years. Many ATS calculate years of experience from dates and they need the months to do so accurately.

• Use Word and send your resume as a .doc if at all possible. Some ATS cannot read a PDF, JPG, or even .docx. If you are a Mac user, invest in Word for Mac (the real Word).

• Make sure that your email address, LinkedIn URL, and other links are not live. You do not want ATS to read your live link as a potential virus.

• For your experience headings, you should put Company, Location on one line and Job Title, Dates on a second line underneath the organization and location.

• Make sure the file name says more than “resume.” Instead, make your file name: Your Name, Job Title Applied For.

Take 5 min to Proofread Your Resume the Right Way

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Did you know September is International Update Your Resume Month? Likely not, but it’s a perfect time to proofread your resume. Proofreading is hard—and it’s especially difficult to proofread your own work. Despite the challenges, it is critical that your resume be perfect and, if you’re including a cover letter, that needs to be perfect too.

Asking someone else to proofread your document is a good strategy but make sure the person you ask has strong grammar, spelling, and editing skills. And of course, you want to proof your own documents.

Some tested strategies for proofreading include:
• Read your document slowly from beginning to end to check for typos and other errors.
• Run spell check (recognizing that spell check is far from perfect and will not pick up errors in word usage; for example, using manger when you meant manager.
• Read your document backwards, starting at the end and then reading right to left
• Read your document out loud
• Run your document through Grammarly.com or other similar software

Here are some other ideas to address common mistakes:

Check for Punctuation Issues:
• Put periods at the end of all full sentences
• Keep your punctuation consistent when using bullets
• Periods and commas belong within quotation marks
• One space after a period is the current standard (not two spaces, which is appropriate for typewriters—and you’re not using a typewriter for your resume, are you?

Check for Spelling Errors:
• Don’t rely on spell check—it will not catch homophones or wrong words that are spelled correctly
• Use a dictionary
• Put your resume away for a couple of days and then read it; some times a few days away will help you see errors that were invisible before

Check Capitalization:
• Capitalize the first word of every sentence and bullet point
• Capitalize names and other proper nouns. The names of cities, countries, companies, religions, and political parties are proper nouns, as are days, months, and holidays. Other proper nouns including nationalities, institutions, and languages
• Governmental matters should be capitalized (as an example, Congress but not congressional, US Constitution but not constitutional)
• Government agencies are capitalized but the words federal and state and not generally capitalized unless those words are part of an official title (like Federal Trade Commission but not federal regulations)
• Titles are capitalized when they are followed by a name unless the title is followed by a comma
• Titles are not capitalized if it is used after a name or instead of a name

Tense Tips:
• Former jobs should always be in past tense
• Accomplishments should always be in past tense

Typos and other errors can be the “kiss of death.” The above tips, while not all-inclusive, will help ensure that your resume, cover letter, and other career documents are error-free.

Easy Resume Updates

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In honor of International Update Your Resume Month, I am focusing this month on providing tips to update your resume. If you’re ready to spend an hour or two updating your resume, here are some things you can do:

• Remove positions that are more than 10 or so years old. Most resumes these days only go back 10 years since most employers want to know what you have done recently.

• Check the length; if you’re updating a private sector resume, make sure it does not exceed 2 pages; if you’re working on your federal resume, try to keep your resume to 4-7 pages.

• Make sure your resume is full of key words that reflect the kinds of positions you are targeting. And make sure your language is up-to-date. If you are in Information Technology, don’t call it Management Information Systems, as an example.

• Modernize your font. For federal resumes, think Times New Roman or Arial; for private sector resumes, think Calibri or another sans serif font. No one should be using Courier anymore—ever!

• Make sure you have white space to make your resume easy to read. And if your federal resume still uses only one long paragraph for every job, break it up into several smaller paragraphs. It will be more visually appealing, plus easier to read.

• Change all written numbers to numerals; use $ instead of dollars, % instead of percent, and M instead of million. This will make your resume more visually appealing, take up less room, and make those numbers stand out from all of your text.

• Update your training and technical skills. If you’re still showing Windows95, and training classes from the 1990’s and the early 2000’s, it’s time to move on. You do not need every single class ever taken or every single software or other technology you ever used.

• Remove your objective and references from your resume. These are both considered old fashioned. Employers are not interested in what you want; instead they want to know what you offer. And instead of including references on your resume, you should create a reference page and bring that with you to interviews (and leave it with your interviewers).

• Eliminate the term “responsible for” from your resume. Just because you’re responsible for something doesn’t mean you did it…it just means you should have done it! Start your sentences and bullet points with verbs. And don’t put “s” on the end of those verbs—keep your verbs strong and varied!

15 Possible Questions to Ask During Your Interview

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Most interviews include time for you, the applicant, to ask questions. Do not let this opportunity go by and never say that you don’t have any questions! This is a great opportunity to show that you are interested in the position and the organization and you have given both serious thought. Here are 15 questions you might want to consider asking (you want to actually ask only 3-5):

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Five Things To Do Following an Interview

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Your interview went well, now what? For one thing, it is not time to rest on your laurels. You need to keep the momentum moving forward.

Here are 5 things to do following your interview:

1. Send a thank you note. If your interview was with the government, email is appropriate since most “snail mail” goes through testing before it is actually delivered. If you are interviewing with a company or nonprofit organization, then a handwritten note is still best.

2. Keep applying for other positions, even while you wait. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Some jobs never get filled. For example, the budget for the new position might not be approved. Or the responsibilities of the job opening may be distributed to one or more existing employees. Or an internal candidate may have suddenly become available, and the position is offered to him or her. There are many reasons why the position may never be filled at all.

Sometimes you were the best candidate that they had interviewed so far, but then someone whose skills and experience were an even better fit came through the door. Even though the job interview went well, you might not be offered the job. That’s why it’s important to keep applying for other jobs.

3. Develop any specific skills or knowledge that were mentioned in the job interview but that you’re weak in. Specific software platforms might be one example; knowledge of a specific law or regulation is another. Not only will this give you something to do while you wait, but it’s also an opportunity for you to demonstrate your serious interest in the position, because you can mention what you’re doing to strengthen your skills in your follow up with the interviewer or during a second interview.

4. Reach out to your network. If someone you knew at the organization who put in a good word for you with the hiring manager, be sure to check in with him or her after the interview. Your contact may be able to provide you with insight about the number of candidates interviewed, how your candidacy was perceived, and other valuable information about the hiring process and the organization culture. You can also look for connections or possible connections on LinkedIn who could put in a good word…of course you should have done this before the interview but it’s never too late!

5. Touch base with your references. Let them know that you’ve interviewed for the position (give them the job title and organization) and that they may be contacted. Make sure they have an updated copy of your resume. Ask them to let you know if they hear from the hiring manager.
BONUS: start preparing for the second round of interviews! Do more research about the organization If you anticipate you’ll be asked about a specific project you worked on, put together a brag book or portfolio to use in the second interview. Google the organization and find out what they’re working on, and how this job might impact their future plans. Be prepared!!

Explaining Why You Left a Job

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Hiring new employees is expensive for a company. There’s the time and effort involved in attracting candidates, screening them, and conducting interviews. There’s staff time required to set the person up in the human resources and benefit system, plus the expense to onboard and train the new hire. These expenses can add up to hundreds — or even thousands — of dollars. As a result, hiring managers want to ensure the candidate will be a good fit. Questions asked in the interview process will help determine if a prospective employee is a good match for the company and role.

One question you’re likely to be asked in an interview is why you left your last job (or why you want to leave your current position). You need to be ready to answer this question.

The question may be asked in a variety of different ways:

  • Why are you looking for a new position?
  • Why did you leave your most recent position?
  • Why did you leave (a previous job)?
  • Your prospective employer wants to know that you’re going to be successful in your new role, if you’re offered the position. So having an understanding of why you are moving on can be critical. The interviewer is looking for insight into why you may — or may not — be a good fit at this company. Because past performance is often a good indicator of future performance, learning more about how you fit in at a previous job may give insight into your potential for success in this job.

For example:

  • Was there a good reason you left? If you were with your previous company for five years and you left when the company was sold, that’s understandable. However, if you say that your commute was too long, but you’re interviewing in the same area, your employer may wonder if you’re going to stick around for more than a few months as well! (Or they may wonder if there was another reason for your departure from your previous job.)
  • Did you quit, or were you fired? Sometimes, good employees are let go due to no fault of their own — such as when a company eliminates an entire division, or dismisses all employees with a certain job title. However, if that wasn’t the case, the interviewer will want to determine if there were performance or integrity issues that resulted in your departure. The circumstances of your separation from the company can help answer this question: Are you a loyal employee who values work?
  • Are you still on good terms with your previous employer? Employees who burn bridges when they quit may demonstrate their inability to handle conflict. But if you left a company while still maintaining a relationship with your previous boss, that’s a good sign for the prospective employer. If your previous supervisor allowed you to use him or her as a reference for this job, that’s a great sign. The interviewer wants to know if you can exit a situation while remaining on good terms with others.

There are some particular “red flags” that a hiring manager is looking for. These include personality conflicts, a negative attitude, or poor performance.

What Are Some Likely Reasons For Leaving a Job?

While there are many reasons why you might leave a job, here are some common ones:

  • Your position is being eliminated. Whether due to budget cuts, the elimination of a division, loss of a client, or working in a declining industry (such as retail), sometimes job cuts are not personal. Being laid off — particularly when it’s unrelated to performance — can happen to anyone.
  • The company you work for is being acquired. Duplication of positions is not uncommon when one company acquires another. Layoffs and job reductions can often result from a company’s purchase or sale.
  • You are seeking new challenges. If your current role doesn’t offer opportunities for advancement, and you’re looking for new challenges and/or more responsibilities in your next position, be prepared to highlight your accomplishments in your current job and be specific about what about the role you’re seeking meets your desire to take on greater responsibilities.
  • This is your dream job. Almost every jobseeker has a “dream job” in mind — and no matter how much you like your current job, if that position becomes available, you’d be crazy not to apply for it. Let the interviewer know this is that opportunity for you.
  • Expectations changed. Whether because of new management, budget cuts, a shift in company strategy, or something else, your current role may have changed enough to where either you — or the company — decide it’s no longer a fit. If you were let go because you failed to meet your manager’s expectations, make it known that you have learned from the experience (and make sure the questions you ask in the interview are geared towards finding what the expectations and outcomes of the current role would be).
  • You want to make a change. Whether you are seeking a career change — or a life change — make sure you are prepared to discuss why you want to make a change. Specifically, what will be different about your next job that wasn’t true about your previous position (or previous career)?
  • You were fired for cause. Be honest about the fact that you were fired, putting emphasis on why this was an isolated incident (if it was) and the lesson you learned.
  • It was an unplanned departure. Needing to take care of a family member, or having an unexpected health crisis can make it difficult to keep your job. In the interview, emphasize that the situation has resolved itself and what you did to stay current in your field during your absence (i.e., freelance work, volunteering, and/or ongoing training and education).

Should You List the Reason You Left a Job on Your Résumé?

Most of the time, you should not list the reason why you left your current job on your résumé. For previous positions, you may include the reason, if it helps tell the story of your career progression. For example, if your company was acquired or sold, you may include that description. (“Division was sold in 2016 to ABC Brands and position was eliminated.”) Or, if you were recruited away by a competitor, you could disclose that. “Recruited to lead newly-formed department, assembling a team that achieved 14 percent market penetration in first year.”

However, including that type of information on the résumé is not necessary. You may, however, include the reason for your departure — or your reason for pursuing the current role — in your cover letter. It’s not a requirement, however, and because it’s almost guaranteed to be brought up in the interview, you may not want to address it in the cover letter.

Four Tips for Answering The Tough Question About Why You Left a Job

  • Don’t lie. A quick phone call to your previous supervisor can verify — or disprove — the reason you provided. Better to be honest than get caught lying.
  • Never be negative about your previous employer when asked why you left the previous job. You can mention parts of the job that weren’t a good fit for your personality or experience — but only if you are sure those responsibilities are not a part of the new job too. Don’t criticize your previous supervisor or co-workers.
  • Don’t be defensive. Instead, focus on objective reasons for your departure. Avoid negativity or blame. Don’t position yourself as a victim. Stating that the position wasn’t what you expected it to be is a better way to describe the situation than “My boss didn’t give me clear expectations about how to do my job.”
  • Emphasize the positive. Why are you interested in this job? Position yourself as moving forward. If this is your ideal role or dream job, say so!