Automated Resume Reviews

By Soozy G. Miller, CPRW, CDCC, CDP

Please be careful of relying too heavily on automated resume SEO and keyword programs like Jobscan and Resume Worded. I’m getting mixed feedback.

I recommend that you use them as part of your overall job search toolkit because they are computer systems. While they are helpful, they have limitations that you should consider.

First of all, they are intelligent programs, and optimal resume writing is not automated or based on computer systems. At least not entirely. The biggest mistake executives make is using these programs to create one resume to apply to all positions. While this may seem like the easiest route because it requires the least amount of effort, it actually takes longer to find a job this way. And it definitely takes longer to find a job that’s appropriate. I can’t tell you how many executives have come to me after depending solely on an automated resume review program and sending up to 150 resumes in a few days and hearing nothing. That doesn’t surprise me at all.

Using only SEO and keyword optimization programs without researching the hiring company and reading the job posting yourself can cause some unnecessary headaches.

I’ve used Jobscan. It told me to add the word “communication” into my resume, which I know is too general and I know that executive recruiters would never search for that word – even for a communications leadership position! It is totally appropriate if you want to send out a generic resume to 150 companies.

Resume Worded assessed that I specialize in communication and marketing. Again, way too general, and not even really true.

Possibly the automated systems are more appropriate for corporate positions. Thus my “communications” result. But I think “communications” is still too general. There are infinite issues to communicate and infinite ways to communicate them. I’m an executive consultant and coach, so maybe the systems didn’t know to handle my “communications” experience?

I know one or two people who have relied solely on these systems and successfully landed an interview. They do work.

But at least part of the challenge is that the systems only find hard and technical skills because 99% of resumes only contain hard/technical skills. Hence the generic “communication” – that’s the closest most resumes get to a soft skill in these programs. These systems are not programmed to search for softer skills like how do you solve problems? How do you work with teams? How do you influence decisions? How do you deal with compliance and rules? How do you set agendas?

These are crucial soft skills and leadership skills that can make the difference between being the same as your competition and being noticed.

All of your colleagues and competitors, leaders who do what you do, have the same hard/technical skills that you do. So putting only those hard/technical skills on your resume will only get you partial success. You won’t stand out. Your resume will go in the “maybe” pile because there’s nothing on it that says, I am unique.

Feel free to use the automated systems, just please don’t rely entirely on them. Automated systems in general can only take you so far. After a while you really do need the human element.

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