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There’s a lot of buzz in the job search world about applicant tracking systems and how to get past them. Do a quick Google search and you’ll find tons of advice about how to “beat” them by stuffing your resume with keywords.

Here’s what those articles don’t tell you:

There are hundreds of these systems on the market and they all work differently. Not all of them parse and sort resumes in the same way. There’s no method that will get you past all of them.

The ATS is an inherently flawed system. Yes, it makes it faster for employers to sort through resumes, but that’s it. It does absolutely nothing to lead them to the best candidates. It simply leads them to the person who put the right words ...

One of the biggest challenges in job searches is standing out among the competition. This challenge is magnified immensely when you are unemployed. I wish I could say that the bias against the unemployed doesn’t exist, but it does. One of the most common questions that I get is whether or not you should advertise your availability on LinkedIn. There are a lot of mixed opinions on this, to say the least! Let’s make it simple: The answer is NO.

Here’s my recommendation. It’s okay to let employers know that you are open to new opportunities, but don’t do it in your LinkedIn headline! The headline is VALUABLE real estate on your profile and carries the most SEO benefits in terms of getting your profile to show up in searches. Your headline should be used to demonstrate ...

C.A.R. Method

Have you ever struggled to write the bullet points of your resume? Are you not sure what employers want to read?  The following method is one that I teach my clients to keep their resume information concise and focused on what matters to employers: RESULTS.

C.A.R. stands for Challenge, Action, Result. This acronym is useful when you are trying to write concise but effective sentences in your resume that showcase your accomplishments. Briefly state what the situation or challenge was, what action you took to fix it and what the result was. And yes, you can explain all of that in one sentence! Also, it's actually best to start your sentence with the result first, then the challenge and action.

Here's an example of the CAR method in ...

Everyone has heard about the “six-second scan” that recruiters and managers do when they read résumés. So, what are they scanning for when they do that? And when they do read your résumé for a bit longer than that (and they will if you pass the six-second test), what are they reading for then? It’s absolutely true that some parts of your résumé carry more weight than others and are more likely to get viewed. Let’s look at those parts of your résumé so you can make sure that you are focusing your time and effort on the right things!

The look and format-While the content of your résumé is always the most important, the formatting and visual appeal matters too. Most people can tell within seconds of looking at a résumé if ...

Most job searches are confidential. Unless you’re retiring or relocating, it’s unlikely that you’d want your current employer to know that you are thinking about leaving. A few months ago, LinkedIn tapped into this concept by introducing Open Candidates.

This a new setting that you can turn on and off in your profile to confidentially signal to recruiters that you are open to new opportunities. This feature is useful for you as a job seeker, and for recruiters. Often recruiters will reach out to potential candidates based on their LinkedIn profiles to build a pipeline of candidates. This new feature will now let them know that you are open to them contacting you about potential opportunities, which may increase the likelihood of them doing that.

Unlike putting “Seeking New Opportunities” in your headline, this feature does not ...

It’s important to realize that the résumé and the interview are measuring two completely different things. This is a conversation that I have frequently with clients. Generally speaking, your résumé is measuring your “hard skills” and the interview is measuring your “soft skills.” An exception to this would be if you are applying to a highly technical job, then you can expect an assessment or demonstration of your technical skills.

Hard skills refer to things that are very specific and measurable such as knowing a foreign language or being able to write software programs. Hard skills are generally knowledge-based and often taught in school. Soft skills refer more to your personality and your emotional intelligence. Being able to communicate well, handle criticism and prioritize your time are all soft skills.

While the résumé should mostly speak ...

I use the phrase “job search strategy” quite a bit with clients and I often wonder if I need to take a step back and explain what that actually means. It’s more than just fancy words that career coaches use to sell your services.

There really is more than one approach to a job search and it matters very much which approach you choose. A strategy isn’t about the what, it’s about the how. Any time you craft a strategy to accomplish something, you are essentially asking yourself: How am I going to do this? What action steps will I take? What will be my message?

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the components that make up your job search strategy:

What type of jobs you look for: Are you looking ...

So you’ve submitted your résumé, you’ve created a LinkedIn profile and you’ve sent the online application. I know what many of you are thinking: Do I really still need a cover letter? Does anyone read those anymore? Do I seriously need to have a résumé, LinkedIn profile, cover letter and fill out an online application just to apply for a job?!

Look, no one said job hunting was easy, but I can take the mystery out of the cover letter issue for you. It’s nearly impossible to determine accurately if cover letters are getting read or not. Any statistics surrounding that are self-reported and we all know how that goes. It is generally estimated though that about 60% of cover letters don’t get read these days. While that doesn’t sound promising, that means that 40% of ...

In the first article of this series, we just scratched the surface in talking about why networking is crucial in your job search. If you want to be known to hiring managers as more than just a piece of paper, then you need to start making connections and having conversations with live people, not just Indeed.com. In this article, let’s talk specifics about how you can take action to add networking into your job search strategy.

Research potential employers. I want you to conduct a job search that is targeted to companies that you actually want to work for, not just the ones who have jobs posted online. Make a list of least 25 companies that are of interest to you. Then I want you to conduct some research on those companies via a Google search, LinkedIn, and the company website. Here’s what are ...

For some things in life, we can get by with being a little outdated. Your style of clothes or hair, perhaps. A job search is not one of those things. The modern job search involves more than a résumé. Applicants today are applying to jobs with their LinkedIn profiles and their mobile phones. Just 10 years ago, neither of these were concerns. So if you’ve been in the same job, or out of the game completely for several years, it’s time to brush up!

With the onset of online job boards, hundreds of people are often applying for one position. This means that the modern job search is a very impersonal process. Technology has a way of doing that to many aspects of life. Calling an employer to follow up, or applying in person, used to be encouraged. Today, those actions are likely to ...