A few days ago we discussed how Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) -the software that companies use to manage candidate information- work and how to apply for jobs in a smart way. Today we’ll focus on the other end of recruitment technology: job portals such as CareerBuilder, Indeed or Monster.
Companies not always find what they need in their databases so they need to resort to external sources to look for talent. This, in recruitment jargon, is called sourcing, which is a fancy way of saying searching.
This poses obstacles both for recruiters and job seekers.
Job portals are like big and crowded cities which have neither buildings nor they are divided into neighborhoods. In a way, job portals belong to what we called the second generation of recruitment technology (huge databases with no organized structure).
In these portals all information is treated equal and you’ll be competing against tens of thousands of other job seekers. These two facts -the lack of organization and the huge number of resumes that reside within job portals- is what complicate your life and the recruiters’.
So why not make their jobs easier and allow them to find you as easily as possible?
Resume optimization
Recruiters search for resumes using keywords and boolean operators just like you would do when you google something.
In the same way that internet marketers optimize their websites using search engine optimization (SEO) in order to rank higher on search engines and increase visibility; you should optimize your resume for the very same reasons.
And how do you achieve this? By using keywords. It’s all about keywords and relevance.
For instance, this blog is optimized to rank on Google but at the same time it has to be optimized for people. Say that I want to position this blog using the keyword Careers. If I populated this post with the keyword Careers a hundred times, Google will interpret that this post is about careers since the keyword density is high and rank it high on search results. On the other hand, I don’t think you would enjoy reading the word Careers a hundred times in a 400 word article.
You must strike a balance between keyword density and readability in order to to satisfy both clients: search engines and you.
By the same token your resume should include the keywords most pertinent to the required skills and experience of the job profile/s you are searching for while at the same time maintaining a professional look and feel.
So remember, your resume will be read by humans and computers: optimize it for both.
Article by Fernando
The guy in charge of this blog - husband, Psychologist, former Manager, Blogger, Job Coach, Recruiter and Information Junkie. Yes, I am all that.
Fernando has written 254 awesome articles for us at FT Careers
Twitter: @ftarnogol | Facebook | Google+ | Blog → I'mpossible - Personal Blog
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: wilsoncarol908
August 14, 2012 at 12:12 am
Hello Fernando,
I like your post. I agree to your resume optimization point. Today’s job market is very competitive. Thus it’s very important to be aware of new resume screening techniques that are being used by hiring managers and optimize your resume accordingly. This is really an useful post.
Carol invites you to read..25 Things Not to Be Included In Your Resume
Twitter: ftarnogol
August 22, 2012 at 11:31 am
Thanks, Carol!
Thanks for your sharing.Exactly,today’s job market is so competitive. We need to pay attention to our resume techniques.These is so important and useful post.
Thank you for sharing this useful post with us. It’s very important to use new resume techniques that make their jobs easier and allow them to find you as easily as possible.
winty invites you to read..HTC One X High Glossy Case
Twitter: ftarnogol
August 22, 2012 at 11:29 am
Anytime!
There are so many different websites that help job seekers find the best job for them. Job that could not only help the job seekers, but also the company to find the best qualified individual who can work for their company. Indeed, companies need to get the best people for their organizational structure to ensure the success of their business.
Cristian Stan invites you to read..Best Microwave Oven
Twitter: JaredCarrizales
March 21, 2013 at 9:07 am
“You must strike a balance between keyword density and readability in order to to satisfy both clients: search engines and you.”
This is critical. Coming from the SEO world it happens all too often that someone will get carried away thinking that exactness and density are critical to having something get found, when in reality that’s far from the case.
Good post Fernando.
Jared invites you to read..SEO Resume Designed As SERPs
Twitter: ftarnogol
April 6, 2013 at 12:06 am
Thank you Jared :)