What Are Some Resume Tips for a Potential Finance-Directed Career?

Even with finance jobs in high demand, sometimes it can be difficult to get your resume seen by hiring staff. This is because many employers use an electronic gatekeeper called an applicant tracking system (ATS) to scan submitted resumes and weed out candidates that don’t fit the position. The ATS is a valuable time-saving tool for the human resources department, but like all technology, it is not infallible.

There is no one effective method for getting your resume past an ATS, but here are some tips that other job seekers have found useful.

1. Choose Your Words Wisely

An ATS operates on a similar principle to a search engine; it scans the text of each resume for the keywords that it has been programmed to recognize. It does not recognize synonyms or misspellings. If only the long form of a term has been programmed into the system, it will not register abbreviated forms. You can use abbreviations as long as you also write out the long form at least once.

When applying for controller positions, the job listing provides clues as to what keywords have been programmed into the ATS. Choose the keywords given in the posting that are commensurate with your prior experience to describe your work history. Be sure you’re using the keywords provided to accurately reflect your experience, and don’t use too many keywords or the ATS may reject your resume on suspicion of being spam.

2. Organize Your Layout Logically

Ideally, your resume should be equally readable by the ATS as well as human resources personnel. Your layout should be simple and clean, with no fancy formatting like borders and shading and no graphic elements like tables or graphs. There are several acceptable ways to organize your information and work history, but whichever method you use, make sure that it is logical and consistent.

If you’d prefer that your resume be read by a human being rather than a computer, submit your resume to Beacon Resources. If you’d like more information, call to speak with a recruiter or visit their website.