Studies have shown that 75% of resumes do not get seen by human eyes. That’s a lot. But it’s a whole lot more relief for recruiters. Applicant Tracking Systems are what employers use to analyse applications and select only those ones that are relevant to the job post. If you’re a Canadian applicant, your goal should be beating the Canadian resume Robots. Here are three basic things you should know.
Soft Skills mean more to Canadian employers than hard skills:
While hard skills tend to get the job done, soft skills are the tools that keep the firm going. It is what protects the system and ensures sustainability. Canadian employers understand this and tend to pay close attention. Soft skills such as Team Player, Multi-tasking, Hard Work, ability to work under pressure, etc are very important. Ensure you clearly demonstrate these skills in your resume because the Canadian bots will be looking out for them.
Optimize Your resume for CATS and apply for roles you’re qualified for:
CATS stands for Canadian Applicant Tracking System. This is the robot you must beat if you want to get a job in Canada. But to do that, you have to Optimize your resume. There are so many things you can do, including using the right keywords and avoiding formatting, pictures, footers and headers. Also, it is important you apply to roles that you qualify for. Sometimes, you may try out roles that you’re not a ‘traditional’ fit for, but have some knowledge or experience as stated in your resume. If you do not qualify for a job, your resume won’t be relevant to the CATS.
Do not apply for a variety of roles in the same organisation:
This is truly like competing with yourself. And in case you didn’t know, a Canadian Applicant Tracking System allows the employer to see all the roles a particular candidate had applied to. The Muse says when you do this, you tell the employer that you’re not self aware and do not know what exactly you want.
It’s always best to prepare for the unknown. The good thing about learning to beat the Canadian resume robot is that even when the organisation is not using one, your resume will do really well.
