If you’re asking yourself this question- and you’re reading this right now- then you’ve started doing the right thing. Getting a job has become a full-time job today; so many people trying to fill very few positions. That, in itself, is a problem. To get a job, you have to prove to the recruiter (and not just yourself) that you’re the right person for the job.

But this is also a challenge for the employer. It is a tough challenge to pick out the best candidate from hundreds of applications. It costs money and time. As a result, most employers have adopted an Applicant Tracking System (a software that separates the best and most relevant “applications” from the others by scanning for keywords).

That’s another hurdle that you have to climb before you even get a chance with the recruiter. Unlike a human recruiter, a software (resume robot) has no feelings or patience. It doesn’t make excuses for you and cannot tell why your resume is written a certain way. The Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is programmed to look out for specific details and that is what it does. To beat it, you must provide those details as clearly as possible.

So if you have applied for many jobs in Canada and you haven’t gotten a single interview, there are a number of things you could be doing wrong. These include;

• One reason could be that you’re applying to a position for which you have no career history or professional background.

• Another reason could be that you did not properly state your employment history in a way that shows your accomplishments.

• Also, you may have disregarded the directions stipulated in the job description. Always ensure to stick to the directions of the employer.

• Your resume is also not job-specific. As a job applicant in Canada, your resume must be tailored to the particular position you’re applying to.

• Furthermore, there is a huge possibility that your application does not contain the right keywords for the job. Each job has its specific keywords as contained in the job description. Ensure you add these keywords intelligently in your resume.

• Have you been using the wrong language and spellings? This is worse than typos. If you’re going to work in Canada, recruiters want to know that you understand Canadian English. Besides, your resume might not scale through the ATS if you’re not using the right spellings and language.

• You may have also failed to include a Career Highlights section. This is the section of your resume that tells the recruiter how you have handled similar positions in the past.

• Your resume may also not have been optimized. Optimizing your resume goes beyond replicating keywords found in the job description. You must use an Applicant Tracking System to scan your resume.

• Lastly, you may have been using the wrong ATS. As a Canadian job seeker, you should use a Canadian Applicant Tracking System to scan your resume with the job description. This is a great way to Optimize your resume. If you can achieve a 95% match, then you’re good to go.