Caveat Emptor: Beware Snake Oil Sellers Disguised As “Resume Writers”
I have seen so much of this in the last year. There are hundreds (if not THOUSANDS) of “professionals” claiming they can help you “Optimize your resume for the ATS” or “get past the bots”. Unfortunately, the majority of them have NEVER been a recruiter, or have not used an Applicant Tracking System in the last 5–6 years. Don’t get me wrong, I think career coaches can really help job seekers when it comes to areas like career change/development, interview practice, networking, LinkedIn branding/optimization, and really focusing your job search.
Before you start shelling out money for an “ATS optimized” resume (which is really just making sure you cover the keywords in the job posting…you don’t need to pay ANYONE money for that), you may want to check out this interview with the CEO of Lever, one of the top 20 ATS on the market (see graph below).
BUT: I would never endorse a “resume writer” who has never been a recruiter (or HR practitioner who also managed the recruiting function) in the last 5–6 years. Normally I try to address these issues as they come up and help dispel myths. Today, however, I saw my first real scam artist. And when I tried to ask what systems she was familiar with? She deleted my comment and blocked me in 5 seconds flat. I honestly could care less for my professional network, but that is a level of shady that really goes to new depths. Why was she so threatened? What were the questions I was asking that rattled her so much? Here is the full text of my question (and screen shots of my question and the original post):
· I am curious to know what Applicant Tracking Systems from the last 5- 7 years you have used from the recruiting side? I don’t see your information as being accurate and I spend 6–7 hours a day in the ATS. I have recruited for roles in T.O./GTA and BC, and I have had Canadian resume clients, and not once have I ever told them the ATS (which is, in all honesty nothing more than a digital filing cabinet) is their “enemy.” I have NEVER worked at any company (including international employers with offices in Europe and Asia) that did NOT put every job opening on their own website (although in China the practice is to use agencies much more in the recruiting space.) Which particular systems have given you so much trouble? Most of the SMB companies I have worked with favor Jobvite, Greenhouse, Lever, or Zoho Recruit. I recently spent a year at an agency specializing in startup and small businesses, and I have managed 3 full implementations in the last 5 years for Jobvite, Zoho Recruit, and Taleo Business (for SMB…vastly different from Taleo Enterprise, which I have also used extensively). I am currently using WorkDay, and I also have experience with ~6 other systems than the ones mentioned
Let’s look at the ATS, first. Do you know what it is? A DIGITAL FILING CABINET (as my friend Amy Miller succinctly points out.) It stores records and allows people to move those records around in various actions when they are logged in. That’s it! I have an in depth article about how the ATS works from the recruiting side, including the mostly-mythical “bots” every scammer is trying to tell you are keeping your resume from “real people”. (I have news for you, I look at EVERY SINGLE RESUME. I look at ~800–1,000/week. In the US, there are legal reasons why a significant number of employers are required to look at every.single.one. For more information, look here, and here.) There are two basic reasons people use an ATS. 1) to apply to a job 2) to manage the recruiting process. That’s it.
There are dozens of ATS’ out in the world, but the truth is, there is a finite number used by most employers. Here is a list of the top systems used in 2020. The very large systems (WorkDay, Taleo, and SuccessFactors) are very popular with Fortune 500 companies, because they are two modules of an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), which is a system of software modules that tie in together for Recruiting, HR, and Finance. I have worked for multiple companies with offices in different countries including the US, Canada, Australia, China, Japan, the EU (UK, France, Germany, Sweden, etc.) and I personally have directly recruited in Canada, China, and the UK, (which requires training and understanding of employment laws in those countries.)
So how to tell if someone is a swindler?
1. Look at their background.
In this particular case, before commenting, I looked at her background. She claims to be an experienced user of Applicant Tracking Systems on the recruiting side, but the last time she actually lists any recruiting experience on her profile was ~10 years ago. She does have plenty of HR experience, so I would assume she has a strong history working with HRIS (Human Resource Information System), the database that manages all existing employee records including performance management, benefits, and payroll/taxation information. It ties into financial systems for budgeting. When finance/HR approve new positions (or someone leaves and is going to be replaced), the process for opening a new job starts in the HRIS, then feeds into the ATS. They are linked, but not the same. For example, I don’t have access to employee records, and HR doesn’t have direct access to the ATS.
2. Ask Questions
When was your most recent recruiting experience? What size was the company? What Applicant Tracking Systems have you used in the last 5 years? What are the roles you have been recruiting on? What are your average hire rates (industry standard is 2–4 hires per month for experienced positions, 6–8 or more for high volume such as customer service, retail, entry level sales, etc; if someone is recruiting during covid19, that number should be pretty consistent because there is such a high number of candidates looking).
3. Check References
Ask for the names and contact information for recent customers. Check LinkedIn to see if you know anyone in common. If they claim that they perform HR services, ask for names of some of their clients and roles they have worked on in the past. If you get names, CHECK THEM. If you don’t, move on as fast as you can.
There are dozens of working recruiters that answer questions, volunteer their time reviewing resumes, share content for free to help jobseekers, and try to make this stressful time less confusing. There are also legitimate recruiters that have opened their own career consulting businesses. Any of these resources are valuable and worth exploring on social media. But before you spend your precious money, make sure you are dealing with someone legit and above board.
