Resume vs. the ATS: 6 Top Intelligence Tools That Look Technology in the Eye

As a career practitioner and disciple of intelligence analysis, nothing boosts the adrenaline more than analyzing technology and how it influences recruitment. Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): a big chunk of coaching time is dedicated to helping them understand this process. And it is a BIG data issue. Recruitment and technology trends advance faster than the average person can digest them.

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), or Talent Management Systems (TMS), are at the root of recruitment. Starting as simple resume and application repositories, they evolved into workflow management and reporting systems. Then, evolution erupted again. Algorithms now dissect and translate keyword semantics while extracting big data. For years, I’ve predicted a “Gattaca” workplace in which biometric data will determine whether a candidate is a good “culture fit.” Raise an eyebrow? The military already uses it, and there is no doubt that it will find its way into the workplace.

Balancing artificial and human intelligence is critical to navigating an increasingly complex recruitment system. Although some organizations may stick to a “balanced” approach, let’s face it, others will not. This is why candidates need to understand how to manage the recruitment process.

Here are six intelligence tools to help applicants navigate an ATS:

1. Jobscan. An online resume analyzer, Jobscan will compare your resume against the job posting to make sure it contains relevant keywords. It also provides you with a match rate percentage and tips on how to improve your resume. Your initial trial is free, but continued use requires a subscription.
2. Resunate. A competitor of Jobscan, Resunate allows you to import or paste a job description and compare it against your resume. Instead of providing a percentage match, it scores compatibility using a 10.0 scale. The initial trial is free, but a subscription is required to continue.
3. CVLift. Different from a full scan comparison, CVLift generates keywords based on a job title. Simply insert your desired job title, and CVLift displays a list of common keywords for that job. Oh yeah, it’s free!
4. iGrad. Not only is it a job search engine, but iGrad’s Job Genius Resume Analyzer will scan job descriptions and identify the keywords you need in your resume. Not very easy to recognize on the page, it is the tab next to the “All Jobs” button. Best yet, it is FREE!
5. WriteWords. Rather than comparing and scoring your resume against a job description, WriteWords is a phrase frequency counter. Since a resume should contain the most prominent keywords in a job description, WriteWords will identify those keywords for you. Better yet, who doesn’t love a great writing community? Oh, did I mention this is free too?
6. Wordle, Tagxedo, Tagul, VocabGrabber. Many people use word cloud generators. Simply paste the job description into the box (avoid the company description and requirements), and it will generate a word cloud featuring the most prominent keywords. VocabGrabber is a favorite because it also ranks keywords based on relevance. Each generator is FREE, so that should put you on cloud nine.

The Emerging Future estimates that the capabilities of information technology will double every 12-18 months. But there is one thing you can count on: the human potential to get around that technology will double too.