3 Things Job Seekers Should Know about Lever ATS

3 Things Job Seekers Should Know about Lever ATS 3 Things Job Seekers Should Know about Lever ATS Virtually all large employers utilize anapplicant tracking system(ATS) to manage their simultaneous job openings and high volumes of applicants. These systems make it possible for recruiters and hiring managers to comb through hundreds or thousands of applicants, but theyre not without drawbacks.Resumes and applications that arent optimized for these systems might never see the light of day in what many job seekers call the resume black hole.What is an applicant tracking system?8 things you need to know about ATSThere are dozens of different ATS out there and they all have their own quirks. One up-and-coming ATS that youre increasingly likely to encounter is Lever.What is Lever ATS?Like its competitor Greenhouse, Lever came out of Silicon Valley in 2012 and offers cleaner design and a more user-friendly interface for recruiters and applicants compared to older ATS institutions like Taleo . Lever allows hiring gruppes to collect applicants and move them through the interview and offer stages.Companies that use LeverSome of the most recognizable companies using Lever do their work in tech and online, includingNetflixShopifyYelpTwitchCourseraMediumHeadspaceUpworkRingCredit KarmaEventbriteQuoraRooster TeethJobscanYou can oftenspot the specific ATSa company is using by looking at the URL of the job application. For example, a Jobscan job listing has a URL that looks like thishttps//jobs.lever.co/jobscan-2/5322bc20-1900-4ad6-8fef-98998785088bBig companies like Netflix and Yelp use a custom link that hides the ATS.3 things you should know about LeverIf youre applying for a job at a company that utilizes Lever, here are three things that will give you a competitive advantages over other job seekers.1. Lever displays docx files better than pdfThis advice can be broadly applied to most ATS, but our tests in Lever demonstrate one of the reasons why we recommend submitting a do cx file (Microsoft Word, Google Docs) rather than a pdf whenever possible.In this example, we uploaded a very conservatively formatted resume to Lever. In the recruiter preview, the resume is fine as a docx but encounters formatting issues that make it harder to read as a pdf. These formatting issues only compound with more complex resume designs. If youre uploading a resume into an ATS, use docx if possible.2. Avoid columns and tables in LeverUsing columns or tables on your resume helps organize and economize information on the page, but they can also cause catastrophic problems within an ATS like Lever.We as people know to read the left column left first, then the right. Lever and other ATS arent programmed to accurately parse columns and tables, so they often read left to right across the entire page regardless of columns. Heres what it looks like in Lever. We uploaded this resume with a table that divides the resume into a two-column layout.Lever parses each resume into a digita l applicant profile thats supposed to be easier for the recruiter to read. However, these columns get completely garbled.Use columns and tables when creating a resume that will be emailed or handed directly to a hiring manager, but avoid them when uploading a resume to an ATS like Lever.3. Levers search algorithm allows for keyword flexibilityOne of the best ways to increase your chances of getting noticed within an ATS is to ensure that your keywords (industry buzzwords and hard skills) are an exact match to what is in the job description. Thats because most ATS rely on exact matches to compile candidate rankings and search results.Lever is one of the few ATS that uses word stemming to create some wiggle room when it comes to your resume keywords. For example, when we searched the term communications, Lever returned results for words likecommunicationcommunicatingcommunityHeres an example of a search for engineers, which returned words like engineering, engineer, and even engine. Y ou should still carefully tailor your resume to the job description, but if you know the ATS is Lever, you can loosen up on the keyword matching just a bit. That said, youre better safe than sorry as word stemming has its limitations. For example, we found that Lever struggled to return project management in a search for project manager and vice versa. To come up as a search result for both terms, youd need them both in your resume. Check your resume for ATS red flagsWe test and research top ATS like Lever to add unique insights to our resume optimization tool. Just paste in or upload your resume and paste in a job description to instantly generate a customized Match Report that details exactly how to increase your interview rate with a resume optimized for ATS and human recruiters alike. Why Jobscan uses an ATSWere in the business of helping applicants avoid the resume black hole of ATS. With that in mind, you might be surprised to learn that Lever ATS is part of Jobscans recruitme nt and hiring processes. The truth is, were not an anti-ATS company. While weve seen ATS enable unjust recruiting practices that cause highly qualified candidates to slip through the cracks, weve always acknowledged that theyre necessary for hiring companies. When we post a brand new job, we get around 350+ applicants within the first few weeks, says Jobscans Jenia Xayamountry, People Operations.As a small team balancing multiple job openings, its not feasible to manage that many incoming resumes without an ATS. Trust us, weve tried.It was really important to find the right partner for an ATS that would allow us to streamline our internal recruiting process, says Jenia. Being able to clearly evaluate and track candidates in a consistent way allows for a more efficient and transparent hiring process.Check out Jobscans career page. Dont forget to optimize your resume before applying

Internships Programs and Co-ops that Boost Employer Brand

Internships Programs and Co-ops that Boost Employer BrandInternships Programs and Co-ops that Boost Employer BrandInternships Programs and Co-ops that Boost Employer Brand MatusonMore and mora companies are participating in cooperative education (co-op) and in eigener sacheship programs to seed their talent pipeline. The hope is that students, with some nurturing, will grow into tomorrows full-time employees.With this in mind, here are some tips to ensure that your organizationsco-op and intern programs contributepositively to your company brand.Provide co-op and interns with a meaningful experience. When a student has a great experience with their co-op employer, youd be hard pressed to find a more powerful evangelist says Chad Barker, Communications and Marketing Specialist for the Office of Professional Practice at Purdue University.Employers are taking note of this brandful workforce, creating co-op and internship experiences that align with their employer brand. Fueled by input from co-op students and interns, these programs are evolving into a more enriching experience for internship and co-op program participants.Our internship program is designed to provide undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to experience what its like to work in professional services by giving them roles similar to those of a full-time campus hire, notes Scott McQuillan, who is a senior manager and tax recruiting leader at Deloitte.Not giving interns an experience that gives them an idea of what its like to work at the company full-time can damage the overall brand.Leveraging social media to build your employment brand. Before social media, many organizations would reprimand employees who werent in PR for publicly sharing their thoughts.Since then, companies have quickly come to realize that workers are freely sharing all aspects of their lives through social media channels. In fact, social platforms like Yelp actually encourage interns to post about their intern experi ence. Michael Stoppelman, Senior Vice President of Engineering for Yelp, notes that interns are sharing their experience and projects on the Yelp engineering blog.Give interns the means to share. Deloitte takes their internship engagement a step further. Theyve created a social media platform that interns use during their conferences at Deloitte University. Interns can post about their experiences on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.Some colleges have internal boards where students are posting reviews of their co-op experience for the benefit of other students. Positive reviews will result in a stronger employment brand.Of course the opposite can happen. Less than favorable reviews may be damaging. Check in with your college co-op or intern representative to see how your employment brand is faring among their college students. Monitor the situation and make adjustments accordingly.Keep your efforts brand positive. Companies would be well advised to monitor their social media channels to ensure that their internship and co-op programs are impacting their brands positively.Companies are beginning to understand that co-ops and interns are talking about their experience, says Barker. They understand that when students have a negative experience, they are sharing it with others. This has prompted some companies to re-examine the experience they are providing to co-op students and interns. By doing so, they are able to improve the experience all around.Encourage co-op students and interns to socialize in person. In this social media age, its easy to overlook the value of socializing. In fact, for many college students, the face-to-face social interactions of co-op and internship programs are just as important as the actual work itself.Interns who attend conferences at Deloitte University have plenty of time for socializing and meeting other interns and Deloitte employees from across the country.Keri Vadala, Manager of College Relations at Kronos Incorporated, stresse s the importance of networking and social giving. We provide our interns and co-op students with opportunities to network, give back to the community and attend social events so they can get to know one another. They are encouraged to attend all social events that are open to full-time employees.The goal is to treat intern and co-op students as if they were already full-time employees.Keep them engaged all year long. Companies are recognizing the value of staying connected with co-op students and internship participants throughout the school year.The philosophy around our programs is to create a future talent pipeline, states Vadala. She adds that Kronos keeps these students involved in the company as much as possible.Purdue University students typically co-op with the same employer throughout their three or five co-op sessions. This allows students to take on more responsibility as they move through the co-op experience. It also provides companies with an opportunity to continue to engage the students they are investing in.Stay in touch with former intern and co-op students. During campus visits for recruiting trips, we lean on previous interns for brand building, says Yelps Stoppelman.We encourage them to host informal events where recruiters arent present and they can have even more direct conversation about their time at Yelp. We call these folks Intern Emissaries.When interns are on campus, Yelp also hosts intern alumni dinners. Whether theyre returning to Yelp or pursuing other opportunities, this helps us stay connected and keeps Yelp on their radar screens.While you may not be successful in converting every co-op student or intern into a full-time hire, you may be able to tap into his or her network of like-minded friends. Do so by asking for referrals and introductions. Remember to remain available to help former co-op and interns as they navigate through their careers.At a minimum, most of your interns and co-op students will be thankful for your eff orts.Some may even decide they are ready to return to your organization, especially after they have a taste of what it is like to work elsewhere.

Change Management Lessons From the Field

Change Management Lessons From the FieldChange Management Lessons From the FieldChange is possible the need for change is increasing change capability is necessary for the organizations that will succeed in the future. So say the respondents to my survey about change management success. In fact, internal and external consultants, and organization development, training, facilitation and human resources professionals responded in a fairly consistent voice. (The one underrepresented group was line managers- Ill find ways to tap into their ideas in the future.) Change is leid going away change is manageable organizations can do change well. I looked for patterns and trends in the responses, and provide them here for you. Successful change management requires effective communication,full and active executive support, employee involvement,organizational planning and analysis, andwidespread perceived need for the changes implemented. These are the big five when successful change is achieved . Implementing your change in an organizational environment that is already employee-oriented, with a high level of trust, is a huge plus. Understanding and responding to the range of human emotions during times of intense change, is also cited as critical. All of this may sound straightforward, but your suggestions about how to do each of these successfully are priceless. This article focuses on the key change management actions recommended by the majority of the change management study participants. A second article provides tips for addressing resistance to change. Another provides voices from the field and enables study participants to speak to you with their own words. Changes Experienced Change management study participants made their recommendations from their involvement in a broad range of changes. These are too numerous to mention and include downsizingmergers anddepartment and company reorganizations. Respondents implemented every conceivable initiative from the 1980s and 1990s including teams,self-directed work teams,quality,TQM,employee involvement,reengineering, andmanagement by objectives and matrix management. Additionally, respondents participated in new compensation programschanging work systems because of the Internetimplementing a strategic planning processimplementing new technology and software packages including MRPII and SAPrestructuring jobsdoubling production productivityrelocating facilitiesadopting new appraisal processes andchanging work requirements, including doing mora with fewer resources. Change Management Recommendations Now that you have some context for the changes experienced by the study respondents, these are the factors they experienced that increased their organizations success with change management. Each participant did not cite all of these I am highlighting those change management factors most frequently mentioned. More rigorous studies of change management success and failure are required to assess the imp act of each of these actions, but, I believe, the results of my change management survey provide you with great guidance as you embark upon your desired change. Additionally, each of these factors does not occur separately from the others. They do not occur in a predictable sequence. In other words, portions of Executive kooperation and Leadership are usually happening while Organization Planning and Analysis is underway. You will also find overlap across all areas. More Information About Change Management Change, Change, Change Change Management Lessons From the FieldExecutive Support and Leadership in Change ManagementPlanning and Analysis in Change ManagementCommunication in Change ManagementChange Management Lessons About Employee InvolvementBuild Support for Effective Change ManagementChange Management TipsChange Management Wisdom