Monday, April 27, 2020

Knockout for ATS!

Question:

Good afternoon.

What does optimisation of my resume entails? 

Just wanted to know the whole value I should be looking for.

Answer:

Good day,

I seldom check my email these days...

We talked for minutes and you never mentioned this. Anyway... 

Let me see if I can keep this simple and short.

ATS (applicant tracking system) is used to check CV/resume before human eyes vet it. This is used to knock off 75-85% of applications to make the job of HR Recruiter easier. 

The only time I EVER took the time to optimise my CV, I got called for a UN job and made it to the top three. It is labourious because you cannot use the same CV for different roles but you can have a generic one that would have key words to optimise (i.e. prime, improve, make efficient) and position it to be selected as “best fit” by the system.

To do this you need to know how the ATS work so you can make your CV friendlier and more likely to be picked as “best fit”. Links below would help.

What is in an ATS CV
topresume.com/career-advice/what-is-an-ats-resume

Optimise Marketing Resume
wordstream.com/blog/ws/2018/03/02/how-to-optimize-a-marketing-resume

I really can’t help you with yours because I dislike lengthy recruitment process with a passion. Once a form is more than 3 pages MAXIMUM, no matter what they are offering to pay, it is not a job for me. I strongly believe any person with integrity, intelligence, virtues, values with the right passion can be trained to do ANY job. And I mean any job.

This turned out to be right in a story about a Kenyan who learned to do brain surgery before he became a doctor and Liberian women (midwives and those with basic qualifications) were trained to do surgery, mostly gynae related. 

I consider it grave abuse for companies to call for applications knowing millions would apply, only to pass it through machines! If I am going to work with humans, a human with feelings should review my CV and see beyond what has been written down or call to have a human to human chat. Anyone could lie on paper. You are to read and feel to know who is right. 

npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/05/21/523969459/why-a-surgeon-taught-a-non-doctor-to-do-brain-surgery

aljazeera.com/programmes/thecure/2016/06/liberia-ebola-turning-midwives-surgeons-160606141205329.html

I once needed an employee, a friend offered to pay the salary. I prayed about it and called my brother to get me NYSC member. He walked up to one on the street (a complete stranger) and said, do you need a job, he said yes. He told him the salary, he was still arguing and my brother said, “You want it or you don’t want it?” He looked at his friends still wondering where to go for their primary assignment and he said YES. My brother directed him to me and I asked him o resume.

I taught him many things and other staff members did too. Soon he became a pro, going to handle pitch and marketing mix. He was not even in the line!

Every job I have had through rigorous, lengthy process have ended up being “not my type”. But jobs based on referrals have been PERFECT. It is what we do in Divine Connection. Link men and women based on divine direction that they would make a great couple. In 10+ years, none of the marriages DC has been involved in has ended in divorce. The matches were divine not machine (like eharmony) or self made.

Cut long story short... You can optimise for ATS or just look up to God for a perfect role... one that would stand the test of time. 

Why do I always end up with a long letter?! 🤦🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️
 
Enjoy! 😊

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