7 Reasons Jobscan is More Effective than Word Cloud Tools for Resumes

7 Reasons Jobscan is More Effective than Word Cloud Tools for Resumes7 Reasons Jobscan is More Effective than Word Cloud Tools for ResumesWhenever you upload your resume through an online job application, youre at the mercy of an applicant tracking system, or ATS. behauptung systems are used by most hiring companies to manage and filter applicants like you, and many of these systems rely on keyword matching to reject or highlight candidates via their ranking and search algorithms.Because of this, word rechnerwolke generators like Wordle and TagCrowd have become popular tools for career coaches and job seekers trying to gain a job search advantage. Pasting a job description into a word datenwolke tool shows which words appear most frequently in the listing and, in theory, tells the job seeker which words are most important to include in their resume.Word clouds can absolutely help job seekers in this way, but they can also further complicate the resume tailoring process. With a word c loud tool, job seekers need to sort through a lot of noise and make major judgment calls on what is and isnt important for their resume.Jobscan has brought powerful tech and efficiency to the resume keyword matching process. Here are 7 ways Jobscan beats word clouds when it comes to your resume optimization.1. Jobscan compares the job description to your resumeGenerating a word cloud for a job description is only one small part of the equation. From there, you have to go back and forth between the word cloud and your resume trying to figure out which words are important, which are underrepresented, and which are missing entirely.Jobscan analyzes the job description alongside your resume to generate an easy to read comparison that will allow you to spend mora time optimizing your resume and less time connecting the dots.I used to tell people to do a comparison or Wordle word cloud, career coach Ruth Kunstadter told Jobscan. Jobscan is so much better because it really goes into the sp ecifics of the skills that are elended in the job description and the ones that you are showing on your resume.2. Jobscan shows approved skills and keywordsA word cloud generator like TagCrowd knows to exclude filler words like the or and, but its intelligence doesnt extend to leaving out irrelevant terms or keeping key phrases intact.You can pick out some important keywords from a word cloud, but youll have to sort through dozens of irrelevant words like job, office, or daily. Furthermore, you might notice that supply is frequently used, but the word cloud tool will not point out that the more important keyword is actually a combination of words supply chain management.Jobscan uses intelligent curation, machine learning, and approval methods to exclude irrelevant filler while delivering real skills and industry-specific keywords.3. Jobscan is easier to understand than a word cloudA word cloud makes it easy to identify a handful of frequently appearing words, but due to irrelevant f iller words and the way the information is visualized, it can be a struggle to figure out how prioritize any more than the top two or three words. Comparing your resume only makes it worse.TagCrowd visualizations for a real Distribution Manager resume and job description. How long does it take you to pick out the most important keywords?Jobscan removes irrelevant terms and organizes the data in a way that is easy to read and translate to your resume. It shows the top skills as well as their frequency levels compared to what is already found on your resume. You can even click on a skill to see the context in which its used in the job description.Even though Jobscan is automated, the feedback that you get is readable and accessible and usable, said Kunstadter.One section of the Jobscan Match Report for the same Distribution Manager resume and job description.4. Jobscan categorizes top skills and keywords by importanceAfter excluding irrelevant words and recognizing multi-word phrases, Jobscan places keywords into one of four categories.Job Title Match Jobscan checks to see if the job title for which youre applying is present on your resume. While this might not be the most frequently used term on the job description, it is the most important as a recruiters first round of applicants will likely be people that have done the job in the past. The exact job title is often the first keyword search a recruiter will perform in the applicant tracking system.Hard Skills (e.g. graphic design, customer service, accounting) These are most important to your daily job duties and tend to serve as search terms for recruiters using applicant tracking systems.Soft Skills (e.g. leadership, vision, flexibility) These are unlikely to be search terms and are harder to prove on your resume. Rather than stuffing your resume with these terms, find ways to show that you have them through projects and results and keep them in mind for your interview.Other Keywords These are unapproved ski lls that appear in the job description more often than expected and are worth taking note of (but probably wont make or break your resume).A word cloud would have these three categories of skills and keywords mixed together (plus all the irrelevant words), making it harder to identify top priorities.5. Jobscans matching algorithm is based off of top applicant tracking systemsA word cloud generator can be repurposed for the job search, but Jobscan was built for the express purpose of efficiently creating ATS-friendly resumes.Jobscan continually studies the top applicant tracking systems and has built and maintained its matching algorithm based on how they actually operate. This includes studying how keywords are displayed in a recruiters interface and affect search results, rankings, candidate profiles, and other ATS features. Jobscan takes all of this into account when displaying your top keywords.6. Jobscan checks for more than matching wordsJobscan has analyzed applicant tracking systems and surveyed recruiters to come up with a long list of checks that extend beyond keyword matching. The Jobscan Match Report includes findings relating to measurable results, cliche buzzwords, education, industry knowledge, and more.Learn more about the Match Report with this short video7. Jobscan uncovers jobs for you based on your keywordsWhen you plug your desired job title into a job board like Indeed or ZipRecruiter, your results are limited to companies using the exact same titles and vernacular. Your skills and expertise could apply to a number of great jobs that youve never even considered.The bottom of the Jobscan Match Report shows jobs in your area based not on job titles, but on the skills found in either your resume or the current job description.Creative job seekers and career coaches have found a novel way to utilize word cloud tools in their job search, but cutting through the noise might be more effort than its worth. Job seekers can get the desired result, c ommunicated clearly, with additional checks and insights with Jobscan.

10 Things To Double Check On An Offer Letter

10 Things To Double Check On An Offer Letter10 Things To Double Check On An Offer Letter We often approach signing offer letters with as much caution as we do launching a new app completely skimming past the terms and conditions and clicking accept before knowing what were really getting into. I understand the temptation to do so - signing the offer letter is the final piece of the puzzle, and getting it over with as quickly as possible allows you to breathe a sigh of relief after all of the time and energy you put into the job hunt .But the fine print can carry some serious weight, and shouldnt be ignored.Job offer letters are tricky and should be read carefully. Sometimes information about title , compensation or duties will bedrngnis make its way into the letter accurately - usually inadvertently, says Bryan Wood, Manager at The Wood Law Office, LLC . But offer letters frequently also include non-negotiable terms and conditions of the new job not routinely d iscussed in interviews in this case, you need to consider whetzu sich the position is right for you.Nikki Larchar, Co-Founder/Human Resource Business Partner at simplyHR LLC , agrees. Since the offer letter is a legal document, it can be difficult to make changes after it has been signed Wanting to make changes to the offer letter after this point causes a huge traffic jam, and creates additional work for others, Larcher says.So before you sign that dotted line, lookout for behauptung ten things - whether you can negotiate them or not, being fully informed can only help you make better decisions.Paying close attention to your start date is a must there are few ways to make a worse impression at a new job than not showing up at the right time. Additionally, if you have a vacation planned or need to relocate, you may want to request that the start date be pushed back. But beyond your start date, there are a number of other important dates to keep in mind. Generally, there are spec ific dates when medical insurance, 401k, and time off accrual tritt in, says Dana Case, Director of Operations at MyCorporation - so dont go planning a doctors appointment, vacation, or your retirement without first referencing the offer letter.Also worth checking? Whether or not youre subject to probationary periods during which you can be fired for no reason, Wood says. Of course, before you sign a job offer letter, you need to agree on what the job actually involves - you dont want to agree to take a position when the responsibilities have been misrepresented to you. Its also critical to have a record of these in case your position evolves in the future.Ensure that all your job responsibilities are clearly outlined and described in the offer letter, advises Valerie Streif, Senior Advisor at career services company Mentat . This is important so that if in the future your boss tries to change your responsibilities or downgrade you in some way, you have it in writing what you a re supposed to be doing.You might have already discussed salary on the phone or in anemail, but nows the time to make sure that it matches up on paper, too. Make sure the compensation package meets your expectations. If you discussed it in the interview, confirm the letter has what you agreed upon. If not, reach out to the hiring manager to find out if its an error. If you didnt discuss salary and the numbers are lower than expected, you have the right to negotiate your salary. You dont want to agree to something that makes you feel undervalued, says Susan Joyce, owner and operator of Job-Hunt.org .If the salary listed on the offer letter is in a different format than what youve previously discussed - i.e. a bi-weekly paycheck amount - do the quick math to make sure it adds up to the yearly negotiated salary, recommends Krystal Covington, Director of PR at Natural Grocers and CEO/Founder of Women of Denver . Communication discrepancies can happen between the negotiating tabl e and the HR department , so its important to verify that everything is solid before you make the paperwork final, Covington adds. I have personally had to reference my offer letters in conversations with HR departments when theyve mistakenly put the incorrect salary or vacation time in the system. Ive also had this happen during yearly raises and have had to bring the paperwork up for evidence that Ive been paid incorrectly. Although fruchtwein people dont have my bad luck with HR mishaps I would still suggest keeping records to ensure you always have backup when something goes wrong.While the annual salary will probably be the figure that catches your eye the most, take heed of the bonus system description as well.Money matters can get incredibly messy - so making sure that both your salary and any guaranteed bonuses that you were told youd get are clearly stated in the letter is critical, Streif says. This way, if in the future you are denied a bonus, you can pursue it as a b reach of contract if necessary. And beware of wishy-washy language being used to describe bonuses.Know at least the basics of target percentage, timing (annual vs. monthly) and criteria, such as whether its discretionary or guaranteed, says Jill Santopietro Panall, HR Consultant/Owner of 21Oak HR Consulting, LLC .From parental leave to free lunches and even pet insurance , companies offer a number of perks - and while you cant expect all of these to be explicitly stated in your offer letter (more commonly, theyll be in the employee handbook), there are a few key benefits you should look out for.Some of my clients want to throw the kitchen sink in their offer letter and thats not necessary, especially for standard policies titelbilded in the employee handbook (such as how many bereavement days you get and when you can eat lunch), says Santopietro Panall. However, the letter should contain anything special that you have negotiated such as extra vacation time, a paid cell phone, a company car, or bonus potential. Its fairly easy for a hiring manager to say Oh, I never said you could have four weeks of vacation after you start and, without any written record, youre probably stuck with the company minimum.Besides that, Case advises checking to see if any other hidden perks are mentioned. After all, you cant take advantage of what you dont know aboutNon-disclosure and confidentiality agreements are standard practice in offer letters. Typically, they state that you must keep sensitive information that you learn in your tenure at a company private, or else face consequences such as firing or lawsuits. This may cover financial reports, communications, product design, or anyother number of internal items. Its best to stay on the safe side and keep any non-public information that you learn at your job private, but if youre the kind of person who has a particularly hard time keeping a secret, its worth looking into what exactly you need to keep on the down-low and w hat will happen to you if you dont (nothing like the added threat of litigation to help you keep your lips sealed).One of the most overlooked yet critical components of an offer letter that came up repeatedly in our conversations with legal and HR experts was the non-compete clause, which Rocket Lawyer defines as a contract between two parties, where one party agrees not to compete with the other for a period of time.These agreements can severely limit the employees ability to seek other employment down the road. For example, the employee can be prevented from working in his or her industry for some period of time within the geographic region where he/she is working. Therefore, to seek new employment, the employee would then have to wait for the agreement to lapse, move to another geographic area, or change industries, says Andrew Horowitz of Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP . Since this can have severe ramifications for the employees life, it is important to be sure that y ou are not entering into such an agreement without careful reflection.Another legalese term to look out for is non-solicit agreement, says Horowitz. This is a contract in which an employee agrees not to solicit their employers customers for a certain period after leaving the company . You might be tempted to one day quit your job and start your own business using the relationships youve built with customers, but if youve signed a non-solicit agreement, be careful - the ramifications are significant.At-will employment means that an employee can be dismissed by their employer at any time and for any or no reason at all (barring cases of discrimination, retaliation, and other special circumstances). This may sound a bit alarming, but it doesnt mean that your company will go around firing people on a whim - its simply the law of the land for most of the United States. And, on the flipside, it means that you as an employee are entitled to leave your employer at any time, regardless o f reason.The final tricky provisions to look out for are arbitration clauses , which state that any disputes that arise between an employee and an employer must be settled by a neutral third party - i.e., not through a lawsuit. Streif advises looking out for these as they could potentially give you legal headaches down the road. Often, she says, employers will try to slip these in and it can cause issues if you try to take your employer to court some day Protect yourself and make sure that you are aware if these agreements are in your offer letter.

6 proven reasons why innovative leaders are successful

6 proven reasons why innovative leaders are successful6 proven reasons why innovative leaders are successfulI attended a private school until the 8th grade. The only students were my brother and myself because we lived on a remote cattle ranch in Wyoming. The nearest town was 90 minutes, one-way, on a dirt road.There were no other kids to play with, so I played with trucks and dolls when I was young. As I got older, I spent time with animals. I talked to them and treated them as friends- indeed, the only ones I hadWhen we role-play, we imagine ourselves in different situations. One week I would be a veterinarian and patch up all sorts of ills that befall animals on a ranch. Or a John Wayne character who packed a gun and brought justice to the wild west.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraI always imagined myself to be someone whom I aspired to become like when I grew up. At that age , my hero was someone very real to me. My einbildungskraft gave me permission to walk in the shoes of my hero, if only for a few moments.Researchtells us that children who have a good imagination grow up to be more creative as adults. Imaginative and creative people also tend to be more innovative as well.Innovation is the secret sauce that can accelerate a companys profits and growth beyond its competitors. Ina recent study, innovation was ranked as a long-term challenge for driving business growth. It is a key talent needed at all levels of leadership, starting with the CEO.Despite its importance, innovation is a difficult quality to cultivate in both leaders and organizations.As a leader, what if you feel youre not innovative? You may need to fake it until you make it, but it is possible to create a mindset that will allow you to develop your creativity. Oscar Hammerstein wrote that by whistling a happy tune, when I fool the people I fear, I fool myself as well.Creating an innova tive mindset takes work and may require some retraining, but anyone can innovate if they develop ansicht core competencies1. Innovative Leaders Surround Themselves With Interesting PeopleOur environment plays a major part in developing our innovative characteristics. We cant change the circumstances of our upbringing, but we do have a choice in the kinds of people with whom we associate and surround ourselves.We tend to take on the saatkorn characteristics as the people we spend the most time with, so be picky Its fine to spend time with school chums and old acquaintances, but we need to challenge ourselves to develop new friends who will truly nourish our desire to be the person we want to be.Likewise, spend time with colleagues who possess high levels of innovative traits.TIPCreate a learning environment or community that generates new knowledge and perspectives. This type of networking will expose you to different perspectives from individuals with diverse backgrounds and experie nces.2. Innovative Leaders Are Curious And ObservantInnovative leaders score high in curiosity. They desire to know more and take the initiative to learn new information. They keep their skills and knowledge current to give them a competitive edge.Innovative leaders arementally toughbecause they believe they will prevail in their circumstances, rather than hope their circumstances will change. If an obstacle pops up, they react with curiosity as they investigate the endless possibilities before them.Innovative leaders see possibilities everywhere and constantly add new information as they learn more. They are curious about other people and come up with many of their own innovative ideas as they observe others.TIPBecome an investigator who looks at an obstacle or roadblock from many perspectives. Curiosity and observation are two important traits in innovative people. Look for the possibilities in your situation, not the dead end.3. Innovative Leaders Stamp Out Self-Limiting BeliefsW e all have self-limiting beliefs about ourselves that often lead to self-fulfilling prophecies about what we can and cannot do in life. Limitations are placed around ourselves when we think we can predict the outcome of a situation. We change our behavior so that the prediction comes true.If you think youre going to fail a job interview, that belief may lead to behavior that ensures you do, indeed, fail the job interview.TIP The self-fulfilling prophecy can work in the opposite direction as well. Stay positive and rein in self-limiting beliefs that can sabotage your performance.4. Innovative Leaders Look For Ways To Shake Things UpThe samestudy cited abovealso revealed that innovative leaders scored 25% higher than non-innovative counterparts in managing risk.Risk ignites innovation because it moves us out of our comfort zone. Risk does not partner with complacency because embracing risk is experimenting with the unknown. We try new experiences, take things apart, and test new ideas .Innovation requires us to make something out of nothing. It requires the grit to keep working at something until you find a solution.When you shake things up and embrace risk, one of two things will happen either you will succeed at meeting your goal, or you will succeed in getting an education.TIP Seek out new experiences that will stimulate your thinking and avoid the mundane. Habits are the killer of innovation.5. Innovative Leaders Seize OpportunitiesInnovative leaders take risks, and when they do, they seize opportunities. Because they are also careful observers, they change direction when the advantage becomes apparent.Innovative leaders can anticipate potential obstacles and are not surprised when they pop up. They are prepared for them and are able to pivot and move forward, without losing valuable momentum.TIP Rather than accept the learning opportunities when they occur, intentionally broaden activities in strategic areas. Be proactive in moving into those areas where you want to expand.6. Innovative Leaders Fake It- To A PointAristotle once said, Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a certain way. That is the source of the fake it until you make it a mantra.While you can fake it until you make it when you start out, there is an important caveat dont expect it to take you all the way to the top.Innovation is a mindset. As such, you work to create a mindset that seeks ways to move around obstacles. If you are a talented individual, you can fake your way through the learning process until it becomes a genuine skill you own.TIP If you do not have the talent, desire, or confidence to take your career to the next level, no amount of faking it will help. You risk being seen as an imposter.This article first appeared on Larae Quy .You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people