How to Beat the Resume Keyword Scanning Systems

Posted on by February 25, 2013

Clinical RecruitmentWith the decline of the economy and growing job stability concerns in this country, businesses and corporations are receiving more job applications than ever before. The problem is that these companies have felt the effects of the economic downturn as well and are unable or unwilling to staff the personnel needed to read through thousands of submitted resumes. Fortunately for them, technology has come to their rescue in the form of Applicant Tracking Systems, which scan resumes for a set of certain keywords that hiring managers deem relevant to the job opening. This can create a problem for applicants, as they have no clue what keywords the ATS will be scanning for; most applicants just submit their resume and hope for the best.

The good news is that job applicants do not have to remain powerless against the resume keyword scanning systems. By following these guidelines, you will craft a resume that is not only peppered with appropriate keyword phrases, but highlights your success and accomplishments.

  • Read the job description. This is perhaps the most important of the guidelines. Reading the job description and doing web searches on the department within that company will give you some incredible insight as to the specific skills and knowledge the company is looking for. For example, if a job description lists that applicants must have a Bachelors degree in the life sciences and extensive experience monitoring Phase I trials, then you are definitely going to want to include the phrases “Bachelors degree” and “monitoring Phase I trials” (but only if those apply to you, of course). Remember that there is a difference between tailoring your resume to a job description and regurgitating it. If you are successful in getting past the ATS, the first set of human eyes that read your resume will immediately recognize this and throw your resume out.
  • Choose keywords that fit the general position, even if they aren’t detailed in the job description. For an open CRA position, you may want to include phrases such as “Phase II,” “regional,” “monitoring,” and “oncology.” These keywords will not only better your chances of getting passed the ATS, especially since you are not privy to the specific keywords they are looking for, but also highlight your expertise.
  • Include keyword phrases in your cover letters and emails. Like your resume, your cover letter is written specifically for a particular company and position. Use the job description and outside research to include probable keyword phrases in your cover letter. Similarly, the email to which you attach your resume and cover letter can include your keyword phrases as well. The email should almost mirror your cover letter and reiterate those important phrases.
  • List your keyword phrases multiple times throughout your resume. The way most ATSs work are by awarding “points” to an applicant each time it recognizes a keyword phrase, and after earning so many points, a resume is deemed “good” and added to the pile for human inspection. Without sounding redundant or obvious, include the keyword phrases as many times as you can throughout your resume. Some applicants go as far as typing suspected keywords in very tiny font in the headers and footers of their resumes, and then changing the font color to white. Called “white fonting,” this allows the ATS to recognize and award points for these keyword phrases but makes them invisible to human readers. This practice is “sketchy” and does not guarantee results, however.

A reported 80% of companies use some form of resume keyword scanning systems in the initial stages of their hiring process. Most applicants feel powerless against these systems, but you don’t have to be! Peppering your resume and cover letter with relevant keywords matching the job description and overall position and industry will greatly increase your chances of beating the machine and landing in front of human readers.

Written by Katie Fidler

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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The Wrong Way to Fire Someone

Posted on by February 13, 2013

Clinical RecruitmentTelling someone that they no longer have a source of income is probably one of the hardest parts of your job. But as a hiring manager, you know that sometimes the cost of keeping someone is greater than the benefits they provide to the team. Firing someone the wrong way is going to cost both you and the company a mountain of time and effort; many hiring managers find themselves falling into these firing traps:

  • The termination is a surprise. Firing someone should be a formal, deliberate process. Verbal and written warnings should be administered, progress checks should be implemented, and a plan for improvement should be agreed upon. Firing people should be the last resort.
  • They weren’t prepared. Have data to support your decision to let someone go. Be able to give them direct evidence as to why their performance led to the situation.
  • Allowing back-and-forth discussion.  Don’t let the employee drag you into a conversation. Once you state your decision clearly and provide your data evidence to support it, there should be nothing else to discuss. You are the boss. Chances are that the employee will be upset, so don’t let them take control of the conversation.
  • They waited until Friday to do it. Firing someone on a Friday might seem like a good idea, but it’s really not. The terminated employee will spend all weekend stewing over what happened and growing more frustrated with the situation. An employee let go on a Monday will be upset, but they will be able to wake up the next morning and start their job search.
  • They sugar-coated the truth. You’re not dealing with a small, fragile child. You’re dealing with a professional adult and they deserve to be treated as such. If the person is being let go because of unsatisfactory performance, then tell them that! Don’t tell the employee that they’re being let go because of “downsizing” if it’s untrue; lying to them about their performance isn’t going to do them any favors.
  • Forgetting to lay out the important information. Most hiring managers don’t realize that the meeting during which they terminate someone might very well be the last time they see that person. Make sure you close the conversation with information they will need moving forward, such as when they will receive their last paycheck, unemployment options, and insurance benefit information.

Firing an employee is hard, but planning ahead, avoiding certain situations, and remaining in control of the conversation will help you avoid unnecessary complications.

Written by Katie Fidler

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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5 Most Common Phone Interview Mistakes

Posted on by February 25, 2013

Clinical RecruitmentPreparing for an upcoming phone interview is just as important as preparing for an in-person interview. Of course it is important to have thoughtful answers to questions you may be asked, speak clearly, and be personable (see more tips in our article How to Conduct Powerful Phone Interviews).  However, it is equally important to know what you shouldn’t do during an interview.

After all, you have spent your adult life building your resume and hours making sure that it is written perfectly – why jeopardize your chances because of making simple, avoidable mistakes during your phone interview?

We asked our hiring managers to help us compile a “never do” list and the top 5 have been listed here:

“The candidate is clearly in an unacceptable area during the designated interview time.” This is a pet peeve of mine.  When I have scheduled an interview, I expect that candidate to be sitting in a controlled environment where they will not be distracted so they can be fully focused on our discussion.  Never take an interview when you are driving down the highway with all of your windows down. Not being focused or in a controlled environment shows you are inconsiderate, unprofessional, and are not taking the job opportunity seriously.  Our hiring managers will not conduct the interview at all if they feel the candidate is not 100% focused on the interview.

“I can barely hear the candidate! The line is cutting in and out.” Consider using a landline for phone interviews as this will eliminate the possibility of bad reception and ensure that the conversation will be clear and static free. If you don’t have access to a landline, at least make sure that you have full signal strength on your cell phone.

“The candidate is not being direct or is rambling.” While answering questions with a concise and direct answer is always important during an interview, it is especially critical during a phone interview. It is much easier to get distracted on the phone than it is during a face-to-face interview. You don’t want your interviewer to get bored and start playing Minesweeper because you’ve spent the last forty minutes explaining how flipping burgers when you were 16 helped you achieve the position you’re in now.

“The candidate didn’t bother to review our website before our discussion.”  In today’s competitive environment please make sure you have researched the company (see our article on how to do this) and can clearly articulate why working for this company will enable you to progress in your career.

“The candidate lacked confidence.” If you’re nervous, you are naturally going to speak at a lower volume and stumble over your words a bit. These can be costly mistakes during a phone interview because the interviewer cannot use your body language to interpret what it is you’re trying to communicate.

Be in control of your own environment; it is important to take responsibility for making sure your area is suitable for a business conversation. Additionally, being confident and having prepared answers will ensure that you are able to focus all of your attention on being effective during the interview.

Written by Katie Fidler

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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Are you considering a career change? We specialize in clinical recruiting! You can sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

Why Everyone Is In Sales

Posted on by February 25, 2013

Clinical RecruitmentYou may not initially agree with this statement, but we believe everyone is in sales. Even if your job description doesn’t include selling products or services to customers, you are still in sales.  As a professional, you are constantly selling yourself. Whether you’re currently employed or searching for a new position, every day is an opportunity to sell yourself to those around you.

If you are currently in the job market, make sure you are always in “sales mode” and working on your personal brand. Every resume submission, email exchange, and interview is a sales pitch. A helpful way to approach the situation is by considering yourself as a product in a store. If the hiring manager could walk up and down the aisles to choose the product (candidate) he thought would best fit his needs, what would make him choose you?

When you are shopping for flat screens TVs, what do you look for? Reliability? Performance? Cost? Consumer Complaints? Drawbacks?  Differentiation factor? Here are a few things to consider when branding yourself:

  • What are your benefits?
  • What are your drawbacks/weaknesses?
  • What makes you better than the others? What makes you impressive?
  • What’s your image?

A crucial part of selling yourself during the job search is your resume. Your resume is like an advertisement for you, and it is responsible for creating interest and communicating your strengths as a candidate. If your resume’s content doesn’t stand out, there is a very small chance you will be selected for even an initial phone interview. You can make your resume stands out by listing your most recent and relevant work, any training you’ve complete or certificates you have earned, your key accomplishments, and impressive statistics directly relating to your job performance.

You should also evaluate your online presence as this will improve or degrade your personal brand.  We will address your online presence in future articles.

If you’re currently employed, you are selling yourself to your coworkers, managers, and clients. Having confidence in the ideas, skills, and qualities you bring to the table goes a long way with selling yourself to the people around the office. Upper management will take notice of an employee who shows initiative, is a natural leader, is always professional, has confidence in his abilities, and produces superior work.

Regardless of your position or employment status, don’t underestimate the fact that you are selling your personal brand every single day in every single interaction.

Written by Katie Fidler

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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Are you considering a career change? We specialize in clinical recruiting! You can sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.