Jobscan Tutorial

Jobscan is a suite of tools that speed up the job search. With Jobscan, you can build an ATS-friendly resume, tailor your resume for each job you apply for, generate a personalized cover letter, optimize your LinkedIn profile, find relevant jobs to apply for, and track your job search – all from one dashboard.

These powerful tools don’t just help you apply for more jobs faster. They ensure that your applications are compelling, and position you as the best candidate for the role.

The more effectively you can tailor your resume for a specific job, the better your chances are of getting an interview. Generic resumes are a dime a dozen and unlikely to do well in an applicant tracking system (also known as an ATS) or with a recruiter. Using Jobscan, you can easily optimize your resume against any job description and make yourself a top candidate.

Jobscan is known for helping job seekers optimize and tailor their resume. But if you don’t have a resume, Jobscan’s resume builder is free to use.

To get started, select one of the following options:

• Import my resume: Upload your own resume and the builder will reformat it to make it ATS-friendly and fill in your information so you can continue editing it.
• Import resume from LinkedIn: Import your information from your LinkedIn profile so you’re not starting from scratch. After the import, you can edit your resume within the resume builder.
• Create a new resume: The builder will help you to write your resume step-by-step.

After you’ve made a selection, you’ll be prompted to enter your job title. If you don’t know your job title, you can click the “Skip” button.

Based on the job title you entered, the builder will use artificial intelligence to suggest relevant skills to add to your resume. You can add more skills by entering them in the “Add more skills” field and pressing “Enter”.

These skills will be added to your skills section and will be used as a basis for your resume summary and bullet points. We’ll get to those features later.

The next step is to choose an ATS-friendly resume template. These templates were designed by ATS experts and have been tested with popular ATS.

After you select a template, click “Continue” to proceed to the next step.

Enter your basic profile information so that employers know who you are. Enter your name, job title (which will be used in your resume headline), email, phone number, and website. There is a field for your LinkedIn profile URL, but you can add other links to a personal website, your Github portfolio, or any other site you want to highlight.

Next, enter your resume summary. If you need help writing your resume summary, you can use Jobscan’s AI summary generator. This feature writes a summary that’s personalized and based on your unique skills and experience. If you don’t see an option to generate a summary, it’s because you haven’t added any work experience yet. Leave it blank and then come back and generate a summary later.

Fill in your address and click “Continue” to proceed to the work experience section.

Enter your job title, employer, location, company URL, start & end date, and the job summary.

You can also add highlights for each job in the form of bullet points. If you don’t know what to write, you can click the wand icon to use AI to suggest resume bullet points for you based on your skills. You can edit any of the bullet points after you select one.

The AI will automatically generate bullet points based on the skills you entered at the beginning of the process. If you want bullet points suggestions based on a specific skill, click the “Select core skills” button to select which skill you want the highlight to be about. You can select up to two skills for a more robust bullet point.

If you want to add a highlight about a certain skill but the skill isn’t listed, you can add a new one in the “Add more skills” field. Press Enter.

Click “Apply” so that the AI will generate new suggestions.

Select the preferred suggestion to be added to your work experience. Edit the bullet point as needed.

Click “Continue” and you’ll see the work experience added to your resume.

Add all of your work experience, then click on “Continue” to proceed to the Education section. Enter the Institution, your degree type, area of study, start & end date, GPA Score, and Institution URL.

Click “Continue” to add that instance to your resume in the Education section.

If you don’t want to add education, click “Continue” to skip this section.

Now you can add any additional sections to your resume. A Core Skills section is added automatically, but you can edit it by clicking the dropdown arrow and entering new skills.

If a section has a “Plus” button, this means that you don’t have that section on your resume. Click on the plus icon to add it.

Additional sections include Certificates, Volunteering, Projects, Languages and more. Just click on a section and fill in the fields and it will be added to your resume.

Finally, click “Continue” and that’s it! You’ve finished creating your resume!

You can check your resume in the right side panel as you work. Remember to generate a resume summary now that you’ve added all of your experience.

Once you are satisfied with your resume, click the “Download” button to download it as a PDF or Microsoft Word document.

Give your resume a name so that it will be saved in your account as a base resume. Whenever you are in the resume scanner, you can select a base resume and tailor it for the job you want to apply for instead of starting from scratch.

You can choose to continue to Jobs which will take you to the job board in Jobscan so that you can easily find jobs that fit your experience.

Resume Manager

The resume manager can be found in the dropdown menu when you click on your account name in the top navigation bar. It saves your most recent 20 unique resumes scanned. You can download previously built or optimized resumes.

Jobscan will analyze your resume and give you a Match Score and report that shows you how well your resume is tailored for a particular job and how it can be better optimized for an ATS.

Use the Match Report to see where you need to make improvements.

From your dashboard, either paste in the text of your resume or upload a Word or PDF file, then paste the text of the job posting you’re interested in.

Jobscan will analyze your resume and give you a personalized Match Score. Your resume Match Score is based on how well your resume matches up with the job description you selected.

Unlike other tools that grade how “good” your resume is, Jobscan’s Match Score actually tells you how well you match the job and gives you an idea of your chances of getting an interview for that specific opening.

We recommend aiming for a match rate of at least 75%.

Your match rate is based on these four priorities, in order:

1. Hard skills
2. Education level (only when an advanced degree is included in the job description)
3. Job title
4. Soft skills
5. Other keywords

(Resume word count and measurable results are not factored into the match rate, but you’ll see improvement tips on them in the report.)

Let’s look at each section of the Match Report and how to use it.

Searchability

The first section of the Match Report shows tips and findings most important to ATS. This includes your contact info, section headings, job title match, and more. Remember, Jobscan is designed to mimic the behaviors of the most popular ATS. So if our scanner can’t pick up things like your name and contact info, even if they’re on your resume, that means an ATS won’t be able to either.

The job title is also a factor in your match rate. If you had a similar position in the past, consider changing that job title in your work experience to the one you are applying for. Our data shows that resumes that had an exact job title match had an interview rate 3.5 times higher than ones that did not.

If you haven’t had similar job titles before, you can include it in the summary statement.

ATS Tip

The ATS tip feature gives you optimization tips based on the specific ATS the company you’re applying to uses. If you see an error that says “Add missing scan information”, click on that link and add the company name and web address for the job. Jobscan will scan the company site and determine which ATS it uses.

The report will update to show you bonus ATS tips based on that ATS operates.

Skills and keywords

The hard and soft skills comparisons do exactly what it sounds like: they compare the skills included in the job description to those mentioned on your resume.

Jobscan weighs hard skills much more heavily than soft skills and one-word keywords. You’ll get the best results by spending the majority of your effort on working hard skills into your resume.

When you scan your resume, you may find that there are 15 or more missing skills. Do not feel the need to include every single one of those skills in your resume. Rather, focus your efforts on hard skills, especially the hard skills that frequently occur, as those have a bigger impact on your match rate.

Exclude skills

Jobscan allows you to remove skills from your report by clicking the “Report” link next to a skill. This is handy when a skill isn’t relevant to your industry. After excluding skills, you can refresh your scan. Your Match Score will update now that it’s only scoring your resume based on relevant skills.

Predicted skills

“Predicted skills” are common hard skills frequently found in the same field or job descriptions as your scan. Jobscan utilizes machine learning to analyze millions of resumes and job descriptions to provide these insights. Including predicted skills gives you a competitive edge. (Predicted skills do not affect your match rate since they weren’t technically part of the job description you entered.)

Keyword context

The “Highlighted Skills” section allows you to choose a keyword and see every use of that keyword highlighted throughout your resume and the job description. Keyword context helps you quickly and efficiently edit your resume and quickly view how keywords are used.

Click any skill or keyword to see the context in which it’s used in both your resume and the job description, or click the “Highlighted Skills” tab.

Recruiter tips

The next section is Recruiter tips. Jobscan checks for things that the human beings behind the ATS are looking for.

Measurable Results

Measurable results are a crucial part of effective resumes. Anyone can list job duties, but recruiters and hiring managers want to see someone’s quantifiable contributions. Turn your vague bullet points into compelling accomplishments. Quantifiable results are specific statements such as “Increased sales by 40% in 18 months” or “Decreased delivery time by 30 hours per week, resulting in a savings of $145,000 per month”. Most candidates can list what they did, but few list measurable accomplishments in order to stand out.

Negative Keywords

Hiring managers read resumes day after day, and they are well-versed in all the cliche and overused phrases. Jobscan picks out negative keywords, called “words to avoid” from your resume, including cliches and other words/phrases that will be red flags to the hiring manager. An example of a negative keyword is “team player.” While it’s an important skill, it isn’t quantifiable and is used in far too many resumes.

Resume Word Count

As a rule of thumb, aim for a one-page resume if you have zero to 10 years of work experience. If you have more than 10 years of work experience, you can use a two-page resume—but only if you have enough quality content to require two pages. If you pad your resume with fluff, a hiring manager might miss important information.

(Keep in mind that many countries outside the U.S. have their own resume practices. For example, longer resumes are the norm in Australia.)

Formatting

Lastly, Jobscan will check the formatting of your resume to make sure it’s ATS-friendly and recruiter-friendly. These checks include fonts and font size, text color, margins, alignment, images, and more.

The scanner can only check the formatting if your resume was uploaded as a file. If you pasted the text of your resume into the scanner, you won’t see any checks in the Formatting section.

Apply the tips and advice in the Match Report and update your resume. After making changes, rescan your resume and see your Match Score increase!

Scan History

Jobscan automatically saves each new scan in your Scan History library. You can reference past scans and open their Match Report to continue working.

As a Jobscan Premium member, you can use Power Edit to optimize and tailor your resume online. You’ll see your Match Score increase as you work!

If you haven’t already enabled the new Power Edit experience, select that option in your Dashboard.

Once the new Power Edit has been enabled, you’ll now see only one Scan button under the resume scanner. Scanning your resume will automatically take you into Power Edit.

The first thing you need to do is select a resume template. These templates might be different from the one your resume file uses. The templates in Power Edit have been designed by ATS experts and follow best practices for resume formatting. The theme color is set to grey by default, but you can change that in the editor.

After you select a template, you’ll see your resume reformatted. Verify that the information is correct, then click Continue.

The Power Edit window has two panels.

On the left side is your Match Score and complete Match Report. This includes all of the same checks from the original Match Report – Searchability, Skills, and Recruiter Tips. You’ll see provided suggestions on how to optimize your resume.

Above the score module is the job information. If you haven’t done so already, click on the pencil icon to fill in all of the job information like the company name, job title, and listing URL. Entering the listing URL will enable Power Edit to scan the company’s site to identify which ATS they use and give you tailored recommendations based on how that ATS operates.

Once you’ve added the job information, you’re ready to start optimizing your resume.

Follow the guidelines in the Report tab to improve your resume. Click on a section of your resume to add text like bullet points, experience, a summary, contact info, and more.

If you don’t want to edit your resume in the document panel, you can click on the Editor tab to edit your resume using form fields. You can also use this tab to add sections that aren’t already on your resume.

You can change the design or layout of your resume from the Style tab. There, you can select a new template and color. The templates provided were designed by ATS experts and are optimized to be ATS-friendly.

AI features

Power Edit uses an expertly trained version GPT-4 to speed up the optimization and tailoring process. Here are the core AI features available to you.

Bullet point generator

You might now know how to describe a skill on your resume. That’s ok! When you click on the skill in the Report tab list, Power Edit will generate three sample phrases for your resume. If they fit your experience, you can copy and paste them onto your resume. After you’ve added a bullet point, you can edit it as needed or delete it and start over.

Summary generator

Writing a summary is sometimes the hardest part of writing a resume. Power Edit can help! In the Editor tab, open the Profile Info section. You’ll see a box where you can enter your summary. Click on “Generate Summary” to use the power of AI to get a summary that is personalized to your skills and experience. You can then edit it from the form or directly in the resume editor panel.

Rephrase

If you’re not confident in something you wrote on your resume, use the Rephrase feature. This uses AI to rewrite the selected text to improve it for readability based on expert feedback.

Cover letter generator

You’ll never have to write a cover letter again.

The cover letter generator feature in Power Edit is not a generic AI generator. This AI is trained to write a cover letter that is personalized to you based on your unique experience and tailored to the skills and requirements of the job you’re applying for.

Just click on the Cover Letter tab and then click on “Generate Cover Letter”. Once the cover letter is generated, you can edit it within Power Edit.

Because the cover letter generator uses your resume text to guide its writing, we recommend optimizing your resume first, and then generating a cover letter.

Jobscan’s job board makes it easy to find the right job, tailor your resume, apply for the job, and track your application.

On your Jobscan dashboard, you’ll see a section called Jobs. You can search for a job by job title or keywords, and enter in any city or location. You’ll see recently published job openings that match your search.

If you see a job without a specific city, that means it’s a remote job.

You can click on the job to see more information, save it to your job tracker board, or, if you’re a Premium member, start optimizing your resume for that job in Power Edit.

These same options are available from the job card.

Click on the Apply link to go directly to the job listing page and apply. But don’t apply until you’ve tailored your resume to that job!

When you click on Power Edit, you’ll be prompted to select a resume or upload a new one to optimize. After you select a resume, you’ll be taken into Power Edit.

When you click on Save Job, a card will instantly be created for that opportunity in your Job Tracker. The icon will turn blue. Click on it again to open that card in Job Tracker. All of the opportunity’s information has been added to the Job Tracker card – the description, title, company, and listing URL.

You can also access Jobs from Job Tracker. When you find a job you want to apply for, simply drag it onto your board.

We’ll talk more about how to use Job Tracker in the next section.

Tracking hundreds of job applications can be a hassle and you may even lose track of a specific job that you really wanted or forget about an interview you scheduled.

Well, not anymore!

Job Tracker helps you track applications, interviews, notes, and offers.

Here’s how it works.

Your Job Tracker board has four columns: Saved, Applied, Interview, and Offer. You can move cards between the four columns.

An opportunity card can be created manually or from Jobs or Power Edit.

As shown above, click on the Save icon from a job listing in Jobs to save it to your Job Tracker.

In Power Edit, click on Track to add it to your Job Tracker.

To add an opportunity card manually, click on Add Job in your Job Tracker. You’ll be prompted to add information about the job, including the job description, title, company, listing URL, and salary. (This information is automatically added if you save the job from Jobs or Power Edit.)

After you enter the job information, the card will appear at the top of the Saved column.

Open the card to add more information. You’ll now be able to attach a resume that you want to tailor to this job. You can select a resume from your library or upload a new one. After you upload your resume, you can begin optimizing it.

In the Cover Letter tab, you can generate a personalized cover letter based on your skills, experience, and job description. After the cover letter is generated, you can edit it in the text window.

Now that you have your resume and cover letter done, you are ready to apply for the job.

When you apply for the job, drag the job card to the applied column or add the date you applied to the card and change the status of the job application from “Saved” to “Applied” and click “Save”.

The job will automatically be moved from the “Saved” column to the “Applied” column.

This works the same for the Interview status. You can drag the job directly to the Interview column and add the interview details. Open the job card, go to the Interviews tab, and fill in the Interview details including the Interview type, date & time, the interviewer’s name, phone number, email, the meeting link, and any notes you might need like the interviewer profile, questions, and responses to questions you might be asked.

Hit “Save”. The job status will automatically change from “Applied” to “Interview”.

You can add details for more than one interview. All of them will be listed on the right side.

Whenever you save interview details, you will receive an email with the interview date and time that you can add to your calendar so that you don’t forget about your interview.

In the notes tab, you can add notes for yourself like company history, beliefs, strengths, and competitors.

If you are done with an opportunity card, just archive the card from the card settings.

Once you get an offer, you can drag the job card to the Offer column. If you didn’t add the salary to the job card, it will give you a hint to do so. Click on the card and enter the salary, then click “Save”.

Now you know which jobs you applied for, which jobs you were invited to interview for, and which jobs you are negotiating an offer for or are waiting for the employer’s response. You’ll also get reminders so that you don’t miss interviews.

Chrome Extension

Take Job Tracker with you by adding the free Chrome extension.

When you’re on job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed, or Glassdoor, you’ll see two new buttons on job listings. The Scan button will allow you to instantly scan your resume to compare it to that job and get a Match Rate. The Save button will save that job opportunity to your Job Tracker.

Finding and applying for jobs with an optimized resume is one part of how Jobscan helps you get more interviews. Jobscan’s suite of tools also includes LinkedIn Optimizer. This tool analyzes every part of your LinkedIn profile and tells you how to improve it to be found by recruiters and stand out to hiring managers. We’ll go over how to use that tool in Part 2 of this series.

Signing up for a free Jobscan account is simple. Just enter your email address and a password.

Once you’re signed up, choose from three different membership levels. The first option is free and offers limited resume match rate calculations, skill comparisons, and keyword comparisons every month.

The second option is free for two weeks and $89.95 for three months after that. Since the first 2 weeks are free, it works out to be 3.5 months for $89.95 total ($25.70/month). If you cancel within your free two weeks, you won’t be charged at all.