Resume Parsing Software-How HAL 9000 Pre-screens Your Resume

Sorry, was the 2001: A Space Odyssey reference too obscure? Probably. I'll be doing another entry about whether you have a "old" resume on another entry. But I already told my age so you have to expect that sort of thing.

Resume parsing software-what an amazing yet horrifying tool. I'm trying to make these blog posts short and easy to read but this subject is, as anticipated, quite the can of worms.

There are many different versions of resume parsing software but they all do the same thing-"read" your resume. But of course they don't really read anything. They scan your resume for keywords, populate those keywords into predetermined fields in a database and recruiters search the information in the database to qualify candidates for positions.

One of the first things to remember when writing a resume to be used electronically is do not over format your resume. Keep it very simple. No pictures, no fancy fonts, no headers or footers. If you use those things, the software may not parse your resume correctly and there's a chance the recruiter may just pitch it rather than input your information manually.

Use proper punctuation and capitalization. Another thing that makes me old-the fact that this has to be mentioned. Who would submit a resume without proper punctuation and capitalization? More people than you would think because it was mentioned frequently. The parsing software is written in such a way as to look for capitalization and punctuation; if you don't do it properly, the software won't parse it properly. Again, could be a one way trip to the circular file.

If you are applying to multiple positions, make sure your resume is consistent. You can customize it for different positions as far as skills go but if you change employment dates, education information, employment history or anything of that nature, you could end up with duplicate information in the same systems and these discrepancies can throw up red flags to recruiters.

Consider how your resume it making its way to the prospective employer. Are you using a job board like Indeed or the company's website? When you answer those questions, the entry point can be weighed by the employer. If you have an employee referral, it can be weighed more heavily than a job board. Don't discount those contacts.