If you’ve been applying for jobs for months and you’re wondering why your resume is not landing you interviews, here’s the reason why:

About 71% of hiring managers say that their company uses ATS, according to Resume Genius.

Never heard of ATS?

It means Applicant Tracking Systems, and it's an AI-powered software that hiring managers use to make the process of screening out and filtering candidates a whole lot easier and faster.

Nearly four in 10 hiring managers allow the ATS to fully screen out candidates based on pre-set criteria.

At the same time, half of hiring managers still personally review resumes and use the ATS to flag, rank, or organize them.

But with ATS being the gatekeeper between you and your dream job, the immediate question is, how do you manage to convince and persuade the initial gatekeeper--ATS, and the recruiter or hiring manager who reviews it after, that you’re a close enough fit to be considered for a first stage interview?

5 Reasons Your Application Isn’t Making It Past The ATS

Well, Resume Genius conducted a survey recently to understand how ATS is used in hiring decisions.

Their study revealed a number of key areas that were the most frequently cited reasons for why resumes like yours get filtered out and rejected almost instantly after you apply for a role.

These include:

• Missing required skills from the job description (top reason)--42%
• Failure to meet basic role requirements--36%
• Unclear or incomplete work history--33%
• Generic or AI-heavy content--28%
• Lack of relevant keywords--28%

“Only half of hiring managers personally review each resume they receive, which means that your first hurdle as a candidate is getting through the ATS screening criteria,” said Nathan Soto, career expert at Resume Genius. “Resumes are most often filtered out when they don’t clearly align with the job requirements, so simple formatting and relevant experience matter. No amount of keyword stuffing will make up for a lack of required skills or work history.”

So, let’s flip these blockers on their heads so you can see how to craft a resume that actually is approved by ATS, gets read by a human, and is approved for the next stage.

Read the full article here.