Common Applicant Tracking System FAQs

Okay so the ATS is a complete mystery, an enigma, a conundrum, all the words!

With over 200 ATS and at least 75% of employers using them, it leads us to having ALL THE QUESTIONS.

I’ve compiled the most common and have shared my advice:

What is the Applicant Tracking System?
• A computer program that “reads” your resume.

How often is it used?
• 95% of Fortune 500 companies and 50% of midsize companies use the ATS to manage applications.
• There are over 200 different types of ATS and each company also customizes the ATS.

How does it work?
• With 200, there are differences as you can imagine! But essentially the organization will set up the parameters for each job – rules, key words and processes.
• In most cases, the ATS reads your resume (and some compare it to LinkedIn and some even look at your LinkedIn connections!) and ranks you, assigning you a ranking number or a percentage fit for the role.

I’ve seen multiple positions within the same company, how does that work?
• First of all it is okay to submit for more than 1, however I do recommend that they are similar as the ATS will track all your applications under your name, which means the recruiter will see all the jobs you have applied for (all further applications will be marked as duplicates). It is ok to tweak your resume and cover letter for each as the recruiter will still be able to see both.

Should I submit my cover letter and resume in 1 document?
• No. An ATS is set to read a resume layout and the cover letter layout may confuse it which means vital information can get lost.

Does resume formats matter?
• Very much so. They are working on making ATSs more compatible with more stylized resumes (ie columns and tables) but even those that have that capability are inconsistent.

How long do you stay in the ATS?
• Forever. And it tracks all your interactions with the company, so if you ghost them, it will be documented and could prevent you from ever joining the company.

What type of file can I submit?
• Word doc only! PDFs and ATSs are NOT best friends, in fact they can’t seem to get along.

How to Get past the ATS
• By watching this training.