How to trick the ATS to score a higher rating
Tricking an ATS Robot is no easy task. Instead, you need to update and optimize your resume to be concise, straightforward and incorporate the keywords that match the job advert's requirements to achieve a higher ranking score.
As one might think, ATS Robot is just another search robot or a search engine such as Google or Bing. And yes, they do have similarities in the way they work. In both cases, they read or more correctly parse text documents and gather data from them. The collected data is then analyzed, sorted into a coherent order and stored in the applicant tracking system database. After that, the Applicant tracking system software uses the stored information to match the recruiter or recruiting manager's search criteria they set in the ATS application. The higher number of word matches, the higher the score rating number.
Embedding White Text
In an attempt to trick the ATS software, some people embed clusters of out of context words in white text at the bottom of their resume or introductory letter in the hope to achieve a higher score for their resume.
Although some ATS applications may rate a resume with a lot higher score due to an increased number of matching words, that will generally put the resume into the top bracket as a potential application selected for an interview.
In most cases, this tactic will not pay off as ATS will see the white text and display it in a clear format and its original location in the document readable by humans. Although some ATS applications may rate a resume with a higher score due to an increased number of matching keywords, it will expose the hidden and unrelated white text to a human reader. When a recruiter or recruiting manager spends their time reading a resume with minimal content relating to the job position and many unrelated skill sets or keywords, they will more than likely disregard the job application.
Conclusion
In general, trying to trick an ATS will not pay off. Instead, it can be a very costly exercise. You can find your job application rejected for the job you applied for and miss out on the opportunity for an interview altogether. Alternatively, assessing your skill sets that are expected for the job position and incorporating them into your resume will give you a greater chance of being invited to an interview.