Ten years ago, only large recruiting firms and big-budget corporations could afford to use resume curation software as part of their talent acquisition process. Job seekers applying to small and medium-sized businesses were immune to the whims of these tools.

With the proliferation of the ‘software as a service’ delivery model, this is no longer the case. Even fairly small companies can afford to adopt some form of resume extraction, assessment, and management software, either directly or through a full-service recruiting solutions company like Staffback Inc. This means that job seekers they need to be much more tech-savvy if they want to make sure their resume gets noticed.

How resume evaluation software works

First off, let’s take the ‘Optical Character Recognition’ issues off the table. There are only a few companies that still scan the paper versions of resumes, so if you have concerns about using italics, underlining, boldface, and colors on your resume, you can let them go.

Today’s resume management tools are substantially more sophisticated than previous versions of OCR and have the ability to seamlessly handle a wide range of text-based content and formats. They typically include a module that extracts data from resumes and a human resource or talent management system that uses the extracted data to evaluate and rank qualified candidates.

The resume extraction tool uses advanced algorithms to scan your resume, identify text information, and categorize it using standard resume format rules. Data such as your name, address, phone number, education, professional experience, years with each job, and keywords will be extracted and entered into a human resources database such as Oracle, PeopleSoft, or SAP, or into a tracking system of candidates like Hire. Desk.

The talent management database is the fundamental tool for the candidate qualification and evaluation process, not your actual resume. Based on criteria identified by the recruiter or hiring manager, each candidate entering the talent management database is ranked in terms of how closely they fit the parameters of the job. Factors that will go into this ranking include where the candidate lives, their years of experience, and most importantly, the occurrence of specific keywords – the more keywords, the better the ranking.

In previous versions of talent management and extraction tools, keyword matching had to be exact, and many candidates were inadvertently dropped due to spelling variations (AS400 vs. AS/400, for example). Also, the software was rather simplistic in its analysis capabilities: whether the keyword was present or not, there was no ability to judge the context in which the word was used. This meant that unqualified candidates could trick the system by uploading their resume with keywords. Today’s advanced tools, such as Talent Technology’s Resume Mirror and HireDesk, have the ability to analyze and interpret the meaning of whole sentences and phrases, allowing hiring managers to perform contextual and parametric candidate searches.

Shortly after the job is posted and applications begin to pour in, the hiring manager will generate a report listing applicants who meet a minimum ranking: the more applicants there are for a position, the more restrictive the hiring manager can be. hiring when setting the threshold for qualification. The report may contain small excerpts, such as your original resume summary, but your actual resume may not be visible in its entirety unless you make it to the top of the ranking pool.

The Resumator, a new software suite released in early 2009, cuts across the board in this regard. Designed to meet the hiring needs of small to medium-sized businesses, Resumator’s built-in logic mimics the way resumes are read in real life, and the software has the ability to display the entire resume. But it still uses data analysis and keyword recognition logic to identify qualified candidates.

What job seekers can do to maximize their success with resume review software

Before I begin this section, I want to state that I am not a fan of trying to beat the system. If you’re applying for positions that you’re clearly not qualified for, I think you’re doing a disservice to both your own job search strategy and the people who manage the hiring process. In fact, companies of all sizes have been forced to turn to resume assessment software largely because unqualified candidates continue to apply in large numbers.

Now, with that being said, there are specific steps qualified candidates should take to ensure their resume gets scanned correctly and rises to the top of the candidate pool.

How to Get Through the Resume Extraction Process

  1. Send your resume in text format. A surprising number of candidates use graphics-based pdf files, which are seen by scanning software as nothing more than pretty pictures. Ken Winters, CEO of Staffback Inc., goes a step further. He recommends that you stick to MS Word, because its very universality means it’s less likely to cause reading and parsing problems for resume extraction software.
  2. don’t use graphics not at all on resumes that are submitted electronically. Extraction tools work on the basis of text recognition, so graphics are white noise that not only don’t get scanned, but can mess up the surrounding text analysis process.
  3. Don’t forget your address. Some candidates think that by excluding their address they won’t be limited geographically, but in reality the opposite is true. One of the first selection parameters hiring managers use is often ZIP code, and if it’s not present on your resume, you fall to the bottom of the candidate pool.
  4. Don’t use Word’s header or footer options for key data such as contact information. These are outside the scanned areas and will not be analyzed.
  5. Use conventional format for things like your phone number, no spaces between the numbers, no fancy characters as separators.
  6. Stick to standard layouts. While resume extraction software has improved a lot over the years in terms of the ability to recognize and parse a variety of formatting conventions, if you get too creative, the software may not parse your resume correctly. Unless the response to the job advertised has been low, the recruiter or hiring manager will likely not take the time to correct the errors, and you will be ruled out as a PITA candidate.
  7. Use reverse chronological formatted rather than functional: tends to parse with fewer extraction errors.

How to Stand Out in the Candidate Ranking Process

  1. Tailor each resume to the specific job – One size certainly does not fit all in today’s job market. Please read the job posting carefully and look for keywords that are used to describe the job and qualifications. These are an indication of company thinking and are most likely used to rank candidates. In fact, some candidate ranking tools will do a direct comparison of the entire job ad against the candidate’s resume.
  2. Learn to read the ratings section. Many companies currently in recruiting mode are looking for candidates who can cover multiple skill sets, almost to the point of being unrealistic in their expectations. When faced with a long list of qualifications, know that some of them are must-haves and many of them are nice to have. The higher up the ratings list a keyword appears, the stronger it is weighted in importance in candidate rankings, and the more likely it is to be a must.
  3. Incorporate keywords directly into the body of your resume, so a context is provided for the word. Keywords that cannot be easily used in this way can be listed in a separate table. However, be aware that some recruiters frown on the use of a long keyword table as an attempt by unqualified candidates to cheat the system. Keep your keyword list short (10-12 items), relevant to the job, and accurate in terms of being a key strength you have to offer.
  4. Understanding the principle of resume fatigue. Keep your resume easy to visually scan when it is finally viewed by a recruiter or hiring manager, and avoid the similar formatting you get from online and off-the-shelf resume templates. As one recruiter I spoke with noted, “I’ve received virtually identical resumes from multiple applicants for a single job. It’s not a good way to stand out and shows a clear lack of initiative.”
  5. Get your resume early. In fact, the earlier you are in the submission process (as long as you are qualified), the more likely you are to become the gold standard by which the qualification threshold is set for all subsequent applicants.

A final word on job search strategy: advice from industry experts

While knowledge of resume extraction and applicant management software can help, motivated job seekers shouldn’t rely solely on electronic resume submission to land their next big job. Hidden job market laws still apply, and candidates must use a multi-pronged job search plan that includes direct applications, networking, cold calling, and relationship building.

Ken Winters advises candidates to use resources like LinkedIn to build a network of contacts and referrals. Use your network to ask for recommendations when appropriate, it’s a great way to establish credibility and let people know you’re available for new opportunities.

Don Charlton, founder and CEO of The Resumator, describes a great job search strategy as one that uses best practices in relationship building and solution selling. A good salesperson knows that there is a good balance between being pushy and annoying and creating positive connections. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, to seek out the person who will make the final hiring decision. But be respectful of his time. You are offering a solution. Look, sound, and most of all, act like someone who is solution minded.