Organizations have moved toward Automated Tracking Systems (ATS) which is software that is used to scan your resume for keywords included in the job announcement by matching them to content in the work experience, skills, education, and any other section you may have on your resume. If there is a high match, the software tells HR representatives and recruiters that you are a great candidate. The idea is to reduce the amount of resumes the readers have to thumb through, which makes perfect sense. So, how can you get any job you want?
1- Review the job announcement and organize it. For example, if the job announcement is a 7-sentence paragraph, separate each sentence into 7 lines – double space in a word document for easy viewing.
2- Identify the keywords within the job announcement. For a logistics job, you most probably will see: inventory control, stock levels, receiving, shipping, equipment management, etc.
3- Rewrite each sentence as it pertains to what you have accomplished in your career. You may be a Medical Equipment Technician who troubleshoots medical equipment but also handles inventory/stock levels; receiving and distributing equipment to various departments. Therefore, “manages the inventory control program by maintaining required stock levels; receiving and distributing materials to corresponding departments”.
4- After you write it all out, add the 7 lines to your resume (reasonable length, you may have to delete existing content).
5- Apply attention to your skills section or skills summary statement, taking advantage of plugging in other keywords/existing keywords within the job announcement…. so the ATS system can see a repetition of the keywords.
A lot of jobs these days include transitional skills. Logistics is logistics whether done exclusively or done as an additional duty. Don’t sell yourself short by thinking you are not qualified for specific positions just because the job title is not exactly your existing job title. Customer service representatives can be Administrate Assistants; Purchase Agents can be Contract Specialist and so on; it’s all about how you write your resume.
