Do you know what an applicant tracking system is? If you are looking for a job in today’s job market, you should. The applicant tracking system, or ATS, is the system that many company’s use to filter their job applications electronically before having a real person begin to determine who to call in for an interview. Those financial modeling job applicants hoping to land a job need to understand the applicant tracking system when writing their resume.
The Electronic System
Today, almost 50% of companies utilize an electronic program such as ATS to filter the job applications they receive. If you are applying for a job at a large company, you can almost bet that human eyes will not see your resume until after it has passed through an electronic application system. It is important for financial modeling job candidates to understand the electronic application system and how to tailor their resume properly.
The online job application system is a software program that filters applications and resumes for important keywords that are applicable to the job description. A company programs the software to look for particular keywords relating to education and experience they are looking for with regard to the job they are advertising.
Tailoring Your Resume
Financial modeling job applicants should be aware of their software system and tailor their resumes to accentuate important key words pertaining to the job for which they are applying. So how do you do that? The first step is to read the job description thoroughly. You will find keywords throughout the job description that may be appropriate. You may be able to find sources online that can help you identify keywords that are important to a particular industry or job description.
Customizing your resume to the particular job for which you are applying is important. Gone are the days of one resume for your entire job search. Though you may get by with a “shell” resume, to begin with, financial modeling job applicants need to be ready to read the job description, and understand what that particular job is looking for. Then, revise your resume to highlight your education and job experience that is important to that financial modeling job.
The Electronic Application and Profile
In addition to your resume that you will upload into the electronic application system, there will be additional information you will need to fill out online. The application itself will likely have several particular questions along with your personal information that needs to be maintained. You will be asked to fill out an online profile with the company.
If you are applying for several financial modeling positions with one company, you should maintain one profile with the company. Having multiple profiles can cause issues with your application process and possibly prevent you from moving forward in the job application process. Be sure that your profile is complete and up-to-date.
You are likely to be asked for your social media accounts to be included in your profile. This means that they want you to include links to your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and/or Google+ accounts. If you plan to include these, you will want to make sure they are cleaned up and in good shape. Be sure to go through them and make sure they are appropriate before you link them to your company profile.
Whether the companies to which you apply generally use an electronic application system or not, it is good to be aware of the process. As a financial modeling job applicant, understanding the online application process is imperative to making it through the first step. Be sure you understand the job description, tailor your resume appropriately, and then follow the direction on the applicant to ensure you are being thorough with your job application, this will give you the best chance for a successful job application.