“You do not want to get past the ATS, you want to STAY in the ATS” ~ Amy “Recruiting In Yoga Pants” Miller. This. THIS. Is everything. Stay in that digital filing cabinet!
Great advice. I feel like this video needs a sequel on "keyword stuffing" your resume and other "hacks" that won't score points. I've read a few articles about this topic, similar to SEO "keyword hacking" where you would stuff the site with hidden keywords to improve search result ranking.
i guess this is also why some applicants never get even a rejection email from companies because they're always there in the ATS and never get read. Saying these "filter-out" reasons like work sponsorship, location, etc.
I actually hate the ATS, but you really helped me so much understanding it better. Thanks to u!❤ But I still have one more topic I don't know if it's that viral in your area or not, but there's a specific company that we're all applying for here in my country and they're using the ATS to filter people who didn't respect the 6 months cooling period. But sometimes people can pass the filtration even though they're applying within the 6 months and others can't pass and they get caught!! so actually I still can't understand how that can happen and I find it really really not fair.🙃
I do have a video on cooling off periods! That is of course company specific but I tried to explain why some organizations use such a rule :) good luck!
most helpful video on youtube on the ATS! Had some questions: 1. What happens when X reapplies with updated resumes? Do you track the latest resume or all resumes? 2. What happens if there are inconsistencies in X's resume across multiple years? Say in year 2020 you said your algorithm saved Xoogle $20k a month but in year 2023 you say that algorithm saved Xoogle $40k a month. I.e. if there are apparent lies/inflations of contribution, does ATS track it? Does ATS auto reject applicants over stuff like this? 3. For how many years would an applicant be in the ATS? Because X might have applied in year 2020 and their resume/credentials might have changed a lot in year 2025. Would X still pop up for a job in year 2025? That seems outdated
Depending on the ATS - some will allow you to upload multiple. I've definitely seen applicants with more than 1 resume on their profile, and typically the most recent upload is the "default". That's usually the only one I look at I don't have time to do a deep dive into everything you ever sent in the last 10 years :)
I am glad to hear that recruiters search existing applicants' data from ATS. I thought that declined applicants' data just went to trash. Thanks for correcting me.
@@AmyMiller I also watched your another video about the ATS. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-U5K2F--rNe4.html It really helped me understand the actual stages of the ATS. Thanks for sharing!
This is just not true. You yourself might be doing this, but the majority of employers are not.. I have never been reconsidered for a position later on after applying for a job. Even on ones where I did receive a denial, I never hear from the company again. EVER. I was unemployed 2 years ago. I applied to over 300 positions. I never heard back from any of them later. Same thing right now. I have 133 applications since January. None of them have ever called me back. Ever.
@@AmyMiller You are an exception. You are not the norm when it comes to hiring recruiters. Most just post a new job listing and start from there. Again, I have hundreds of applications over 2 time periods and not one single call back.
4:50 But when the Recruiter is trying to decide whether the applicant meets the Basic Qualifications or not, which one below will be performed?: 1) Running a Boolean Search, and looking at every returned "Application form & Resume" 2) Looking at every "Application form & Resume"
Watch "Candidates vs Applicants" I personally review them differently. I look at all incoming applicants in the order received. Other recruiters may do it differently, but I use Boolean when I'm conducting a broad search of the entire database. Not when reviewing incoming applicants.
Amy, You should be under the united states legal protection because you are a world's treasure! I have spent a decent amount of time writing down advice about how to pass it. (E.g., Spell out Abbreviations, Echo/mirror words from Job description to avoid elimination) until I found this video to debunk all this tremendous but futile effort.
My resume may simply just suck, but I've never applied for a role, not gotten it, and then had a recruiter reach back out later for another job (or a new opening of the same job). Literally not once. All this time I've just figured the companies I've applied to just sold my information to advertising companies or something, because I can't imagine there's any value to holding onto my resume for seemingly no reason. Especially since in a lot of these cases it might have been a year or more since I last applied for a role there, so the resume is already out of date. I'm in software sales, not anything technical, for reference.
Great video amy! I have few questions though: Isn't this different from resumes coming for a role? Do recruiters use Boolean string for them as well? I thought resumes were ranked in someway using JD?
It depends :) MOST recruiters will look at resumes in the order they come in. We check daily, otherwise we can quickly get overwhelmed so it’s important to react fast when possible. I have used ATSs that provide a “ranking” I ignore it because they are usually meaningless. Too many false positives AND negatives. It’s possible that a recruiter might use a Boolean string to find “fit”. I have also used CTRL-F to find must haves - for exam I am recruiting for a battery engineer, and out of 47 resumes I reviewed (all at that time) only 10% made any reference to having ever worked on anything battery or batteries related. I used other words straight from the JD like “ion” and still, most simply didn’t meet the basic qualifications clearly laid out in the job post. It’s IMPERATIVE that your resume actually tells us you fit the job. We can only work with the information provided. I personally look at all the resumes until we make an offer.
@@AmyMiller you expect people to have words like "ion" in the resume to indicate they have experience relevant to batteries. You're completely contradicting what everyone already knows and says: HR is incompetent and you have to get past ATS via semi arbitrary keywords.
Hi Amy, Nice video! Quick question about string search: you mentioned an example for the string search for finding applicants. Say "algorithms". I'm curious about what happens when I don't have the string "algorithms" in my resume and instead have a specific algorithm name mentioned ? Thanks !
So basically people's fears are valid. If your resume doesn't contain words being searched for, you get excluded. Hence beating the ATS would mean having the right words in your resume.
No. Watch applicants vs candidates. I explain the difference in how we navigate profiles in the ATS. Your resume should make it clear you fit the requirements of the role. Keywords alone are absolutely meaningless. See also, the #1 thing hiring managers complain about. Also nobody "beats" the ATS. Ever. You might as well take a baseball bat to a filing cabinet you'll achieve the same thing.
Very funny and insightful video! Fitting the job description is the only way to get an interview. No alternative to that. Cursing the ATS is totally pointless.
Love it Amy:-) Love your picture:-) You are making me laugh. The ATS is just a searchable database. Once you are in you are in. I tell people who are following the myth that the recruiters cannot even delete it if they do not like you. The request to delete someone has to come from top management who will get the designated IT person in the company to delete your record. If you need your resume deleted you may need to send a formal request. You can even make a request to view your record under the Freedom of Info Act.
@@AmyMiller I know where it started. I have read the history of all this. There are persons who promote it to get business. Saying "You need to get me to write your resume because you need to get it through the ATS". Resume writing service is big business. SAD
Hi Amy, Great info on how the ATS is actually used by recruiters. One question for you: do you think using software systems like Jobscan to help match one's resume to a job description is useful or is it just a waste of time?
I've actually been chatting with the team at Jobscan about this! :) I think there CAN be value in showing the alignment between description and resume - yes. I used to teach a class about this when I worked for the state employment office - I'm not sure I'd PAY for a service like this, but of course understand Jobscan has to pay their bills :) I appreciate their team reaching out to me and I'm encouraged by the discussions so far. I'm looking forward to more so I can better understand exactly what it is they are offering, and then I'll be able to give you a more direct answer :) Even once the description is "matched" (you get the percentage or whatever) it's still important to make sure the CONTEXT is there - if you haven't seen it check out the video "The #1 Hiring Managers Complain About" I address exactly that topic!
@@AmyMiller Okay Amy, this is great to know, thanks for responding so quickly! I have viewed your video on the #1 thing hiring managers complain about and I've already edited my resume to best showcase my project management skills since this is the type of role(s) I'm seeking to obtain. Thanks again Amy and please keep the videos coming!
Hey Amy, First, thanks a ton for such great info you bring!! If I apply to an institution last year and again this year; does it replace my previous resume or adds another file to my folder in the cabinet? Same question goes for my application to two different roles of same institution.. Does it replace my resume or just adds one more file to my folder?
ATS is smart enough to find the duplicates. It keeps one profile forever and added to multiple jobs. Even one is got rejected, the profile can be still active in another job.
Thank you! I never had any issues creating and applying my resume until I heard of the ATS. It's been daunting which stalled my job search. This video is incredibly insightful [and entertaining:) ]. One thing I hear over and over again is the formatting. I typically use a creative format [ no colors or photos] and save it as a PDF. I have read over and over PDF don't work, columns don't work, etc etc. But when I apply for a job on a corporate company website I have seen "submit your resume in these formats" and PDF is listed. With that said, will the PDF stay in tack once it's uploaded into the ATS? Or will it get broken up into a broken-up mess?
I’ve been using some version of an ATS for many years and I’ve never seen this happen. There can be PARSING issues, which is when you have to re-enter your info into application fields, but the resume is still available to recruiters as a PDF attachment.
@@AmyMiller Thanks for your quick response. Yes, I always wondered if the recruiter/hiring manager would actually get/open the attachment in addition to the profile manually filled in. I just watched your other video "word vs pdf" after sending my previous comment. Another great video speaking to format! Thank you for the info and transparency, you've helped put my mind at ease!:)
Thank you for sharing this, but I just have one question; not all applicants are good in making resumes, so is it possible that using ATS can rule out some good ones?
Nope. The ATS can’t do anything without human intervention. It is ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE that the recruiter on the other side of the ATS can rule out good ones. We can only work with the information we are given! I have a resume playlist too - trying to help job seekers do better resumes. 😉 hope that helps!
@@AmyMiller I see, thanks. So it depends if you apply automation on ATS? Automation saves time yet over-reliance, when favoring candidates by programming the tech can miss out on amazing talents. I am a fresh recruiter and I haven't worked on with ATS.
@@AmyMiller I just read about the automation somewhere in the internet. Anyway, thanks for responding, Ms. Amy. I love your videos, they're insightful! Please also make video about struggles of being a recruiter.
Only you can decide what's better for you. I don't know what better means to you! It's highly subjective :) But - here's a 5 step list on how to land your next gig - www.recruitinginyogapants.com/2020/06/how-to-land-your-next-role-in-5-easy.html
@@mohamedabdelhamid4958 add any education, academic experience, projects, etc that makes you qualified for the roles you want. If you're soon to graduate focus on companies who hire new grads through internships, Student Programs, that kind of stuff.
@@AmyMiller the problem is that I study Business but I am learning web development ( shifting career) do you think can I focus companies hiring new grads too
Hi Amy, Thank you for this video. I do have a question. If the company maintains millions of resumes in their database and recruiters can filter new employees from this database why do recruiters reach out to candidates on different job platforms? I mean isn't it so much of extra effort for the recruiters?
I love this question and it’s related to a topic I think I’m going to tackle next week. Short answer is YES - but there’s a lot to unpack here. More to come on this very soon!
"You just need to wait for the right search string", this was really insightful. Thanks a lot :) Do you think being located in a "different state" (not country), lowers the odds for an interview? Just want an insight as to how much does the geological filter weigh.
well, COVID has changed everything about how we look at this LOL so I'll just say "it depends". For roles that are not explicitly calling out remote work or something, it's good to say "available to relocate" or targeting relocation to" a particular place, if you are.
Aren't you just describing 'beating the ATS' but in a reversed engineered way (from the recruiters perspective). Having the basic skills to make it to the BQ french fry holder or having the C# and other keywords so that you can be found by the recruiter >>> Isn't that what job seekers mean?
You'd have to ask the job seeker saying it but in my experience no that is not what they mean. It's a digital filing cabinet that stores information. "Beating" or "getting past" it is not a thing.
#sherman has sad face today, huh? HA! love the message. You're right, we don't ever want to hear it again, but the Bot Wars may continue, despite your "fiery" image of the ATS....
