What is an Applicant Tracking System

What is an Applicant Tracking ordnungsprinzip What is an Applicant Tracking System An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a piece of software used by companies to assist with human resources, recruitment, and hiring needs. While each system offers a different package of features, applicant tracking systems are primarily used to help hiring companies organize and navigate large numbers of applicants.After submitting countless job applications without hearing anything back, online job seekers are searching for answers. What theyre discovering is that the software hiring companies use to collect applications is standing between them, a corporate recruiter, and a job interview. These applicant tracking systems make it harder for job seekers to get their resume in front of a decision maker.What is an Applicant Tracking System?Applicant tracking systems are used by corporations to assist with recruitment and hiring processes. Each system offers a different combination and scope of features, but ATS are primarily used to help hiring companies collect, organize, and filter applicants.Job seekers who submit their resume and job application through an online form are interacting with an ATS.Why Do Companies Use Applicant Tracking Systems?The relative ease of submitting an online job application has created a challenge for hiring companies. Online job postings can elicit hundreds of applications, many of which are from unqualified job seekers who figured it was worth a try. Instead of sorting through a stack of paper resumes or crowded email inbox, recruiters and hiring managers use ATS to keep themselves organized and efficient. This solution is especially critical for larger companies that are hiring for multiple positions and departments simultaneously.Among other features, ATS offer CRM-style tools to help streamline hiring pipelines, communication with applicants, distribution of job postings, and proof of government compliance for things like the EEOC.Why Are Applica nt Tracking Systems a Problem for Job Seekers?Corporate recruiters can have their ATS automatically extract information from an applicants resume to build a digital applicant profile that can be searched, filtered, and/or ranked. The goal is to quickly cull out anyone who is under-qualified, make the applicant swimmingpool smaller, and quickly identify the top candidates.Unfortunately for job seekers, most ATS lack sophistication and are not able to search and filter candidates reliably. Some highly qualified candidates fall through the cracks and are wrongfully eliminated from the applicant pool because their resume has formatting issues or lacks the correct search keywords.This is a necessary tradeoff for many hiring professionals with limited time and resources. In order to get noticed, job seekers must optimize their resume for ATS.Top Applicant Tracking SystemsThere are dozens of ATS used by companies big and small. A few of the more popular ATS includeTaleo (Starbucks, Boeing, Nintendo)iCIMS (Southwest Airlines, Uber, Amazon)Greenhouse (AirBnb, Pinterest, WeWork)Jobvite (Zillow, Spotify, Logitech)Brassring (Disney, GE, Lockheed Martin)Lever (Indiegogo, Lyft, Shopify)Some large companies develop their own proprietary applicant tracking systems, such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook.Learn more about applicant tracking systemsTop ATSThe Top Applicant Tracking Systems Used by Hiring CompaniesTaleo 4 Ways the Most Popular ATS Ranks Your Job ApplicationGreenhouse ATS What Job Seekers Need to KnowAn Applicant Tracking System Uncovered iCIMSOver 98% of Fortune 500 Companies Use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)Jobseekers How to Beat ATSHow to Create an ATS Resume8 Things You Need To Know About Applicant Tracking SystemsThe 6 Simplest Tips to Beat Applicant Tracking SystemsFree ATS-Friendly Resume Templates8 Applicant Tracking System Resume Secrets You Need to KnowATS Candidate ExperienceSick of Re-Entering Your Info After Uploading a Resume? Heres Why Co mpanies Do ItDo ATS Care About Applicants? iCIMS, Greenhouse, CATS Weigh InKnockout Questions How One Answer Can Tank Your Job Application

Tips for Managing Employees With Autism in Workplaces

Tips for Managing Employees With Autism in WorkplacesTips for Managing Employees With Autism in WorkplacesWhen you talk about autism, it is often spoken about in a school context, but every child with autism becomes an adult with autism. Consequently, you need to discuss autism in the context of the workplace. Managing employees with autism can pose challenges and requirethat managers understand and react appropriately to the display of characteristics by an autistic employee. Autism is a disability that is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and, therefore, you need to make reasonable accommodations for an employee or candidate with autism. What Does Autism in the Workplace Look Like? If youve met one partie with autism, youve met one person with autism. This statement, attributed to Dr. Stephen Shore, is commonly repeated in the autism community. Because autism is a spectrum disorder, people with autism range from being slightly different than a neurotypical pe rson, one who does bedrngnis display autistic or other neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behavior, to someone who will never be able to live an independent life. However, there are characteristics that are quite common in individuals with autism. WebMD compiled a list of symptoms related to autism. Here are four that may impact your workplace. They are examples of what managers need to think about when managing employees and candidates with autism in the workplace. Difficulty With Interpersonal Skills People with autism may have significant problems developing nonverbal communication skills, such as eye-to-eye gazing, facial expression, and body posture. Read that sentence and think about how you judge a candidate in a job interview. He looked uncomfortable, or she wouldnt look me in the eyes she must be lying. A lot of judgments are made based on a candidates body language, but a job seeker on the autism spectrum may not be capable of making these judgments or unte rnehmensverbund her own body in a way that neurotypical people would expect. You need to stop and consider if having a candidate look you directly in the eye is an essential function of the job. If its not (and it probably isnt), then you need to make sure that youre not rejecting a candidate because of such behavior. The same is true in the workplace. Managing an employee with autism requires that you help bridge the gap between your expected interpersonal interaction and that of the employee with autism. Acting Like a Team Player Another symptom that a person with autism can exhibit is a lack of interest in sharing enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people. In business speak, managers might say that this person isnt a team player. Teamwork is important, but is it an essential function of a job? Does congratulating a coworker on a big achievement make the difference between a positive or negative performance review? Additionally, an autistic employee may have diff iculty understanding another persons feelings. What an autistic person sees as straightforward, may be received by another person as rude and inappropriate. This can boil down to what looks like a cultural difference, and it can be cultural, but it can also be related to how your brain processes information. A manager may say, I want to thank you for all of your hard work on that project, but I was hoping that next time you could think about doing that in another way. Shes trying to speak nicely, but some autistic employees arent going to get the message that the boss wants a change. When managing employees with autism, try the direct approach. Good job. Next time, do this instead of that. Lack of Humor You cant get through the workday without a good sense of humor, right? Well, an employee with autism may have difficulty understanding humor. She may take something you say as an instruction rather than what you perceive as an obvious joke. The result can result in confusion. You ll need to speak straightforwardly and save your jokes for times when youre not discussing jokes directly when managing an employee with autism. Additionally, it can sometimes be difficult to explain what is and what is not appropriate workplace behavior. Imaginary lines exist about what constitutes a funny joke and what constitutes an inappropriate comment. An employee with autism may have difficulty with this line and say something that you and HR would consider inappropriate. But the appropriate response when managing an employee with autism is different than you would say to a neurotypical employee. No, you dont have to excuse bad behavior in the workplace, but yes, you may have to spend additional time explaining the lines not to cross to an employee with autism. The Need for a Strict Schedule Some people with autism can hyperfocus which is the ability to focus very intently on a subject, topic, or task that interests them while others need a strict schedule that you cannot changewithout serious consequences. You may think that you are elbows deep in a project when your autistic coworker suddenly gets up and goes and gets her lunch and starts eating. You may perceive that as a sign that shes not invested in the project and is willing to let you do the work yourself. But in reality, its simply that she always eats lunch at 1215 and its 1215 right now. In the case of hyperfocusing, if the employee with autisms hyperfocus is on the work that you are doing, thats great, but it will make for boring breakroom conversations. If the focus is on something else, you may spend a lot of your life hearing about your autistic coworkers current hobby. Again, when managing an employee with autism, you need to determine whether or not accommodating these characteristics is reasonable. Having lunch at precisely the same time every day seems like a reasonable accommodation for an employee with autism. If the hyperfocus prevents the employee from doing her actual work, h owever, a reasonable accommodation might not exist. Determining a Reasonable Accommodation The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires an interactive process. This means that you and your employee with autism need to discuss what the employee needs and come to an agreement on a reasonable solution. When managing an employee with autism, you do not have to just accept what the employee says she needs, but you do need to negotiate in good faith. What is reasonable for one company may not be reasonable for another. If an autistic employee says she needs to work without distraction, you may allow her to wear headphones when you wouldnt otherwise allow employees to do so. This accommodation is reasonable. But, if her job involves working with customers, allowing her to wear headphones may not serve the interests of providing excellent customer service, this is not reasonable. Its critical that your job descriptions cover all ofthe key functions of the employees jobs. That way you and an autistic job candidate can determine whether or not the candidate can perform the key functions. If she can perform the key functions, you then need to decide whether shes the best candidate based on skills, experience, and other factors youd normally use in candidate selection. Rejecting a candidate because she doesnt look you in the eyes when she speaks when the job mostly consists of working independently on a computer is likely to violate the law. Autism in the workplace is something that all HR departments need to think about and consider ways in which they can accommodate current and potential employees who are somewhere on this spectrum. You can definitely benefit your company when you hire the most highly qualified employee, even when this will require making a few accommodations when managing an employee with autism. Suzanne Lucas is a freelance journalist specializing in Human Resources. Suzannes work has been featured on notes publications including Forbes, CB S, Business Insider and Yahoo.

The Importance of Using Symbolism In Fiction Writing

The Importance of Using Symbolism In Fiction WritingThe Importance of Using Symbolism In Fiction WritingIn literature, symbolism is used to produce an impact, which it accomplishes by attaching additional meaning to an action, object, or name. Symbolism takes something that is usually concrete and associates or affixes it to something else in order to give it a new and more significant meaning. In other words, symbolism allows a writer to convey something to their audience in a poetic way instead of saying it outright. This indirect approach allows an author to create nuance and complexity. The caveat for authors is thatthe entire context of the story needs to support the symbols meaning. For example, in Harper Lees Pulitzer Prize-winning 1960 book To Kill a Mockingbird, the bird symbolizes innocence and beauty. Lee chose the mockingbird because its without guile. A mockingbirds only purpose in life is to sing- it doesnt want to harm anyone. Because of this, killing a Mockingbird is considered an act of senseless cruelty. 5 Different Types of Symbolism, with Examples MetaphorA metaphor is an implicit comparison of one thing to another without the use of a commonly known sign or equation. For example, a metaphor does not compare something using the word equals. One familiar example of a metaphor is Edward Bulwer-Lyttons expression The pen is mightier than the sword. English playwright and poetChristopher Marlowes famous quote Was this the face that launched a thousand ships? is another example. A subcategory of metaphors is personification, attributing a human characteristic- or emotion- to an animal, object, or concept. An example can be found in T.S. Eliots work Prelude, where he says, The winter evening settles down. SimileA simile differs from a metaphor in that a simile is not implied- it explicitly denotes a comparison. A simile very often uses either the word likeoras. Two examples of similes are,My love is like a red, red rose, and, As strong as an ox. AllegoryAn allegory is very similar to a metaphor in the sense that something- usually something abstract or religious- is implicitly articulated in terms of something else that is concrete. The difference between an allegory and a metaphor is that when an allegory is employed, the comparison reflects the entire work- or a large part of the work. The best example is The Pilgrims Progress. This book by John Bunyan uses characters to present a universal picture of Christian lifeand isthe second-best-selling book in history, after the Bible. ArchetypeThe plot of a piece of fiction- or the central element in a piece of fiction- that recurs in cross-cultural myths is called an archetype. Perhaps the best example of an archetype is the literary description of the devil in various works as a cloven-hoofed, horned humanoid. MythA myth is a close cousin of allegory in the sense that it is almost always symbolic and extensive. Myths can include an entire work. While the creation of myths has evolved over time- in the sense that theyre no longer specific to one culture- they are mucksmuschenstill considered communal or cultural in nature. One of the most famous myths is that of Icarus. In Greek mythology, Icarus tries to escape from Crete by fastening wings to his back made from feathers and wax. According to the myth, Icarus foolhardily flew too close to the sun- and fell into the ocean. This myth prompted the saying,Dont fly too close to the sun. Orson Welles Approach to Symbolism Filmmakers often attribute emotional significance to objects. These visual symbols help draw attention to a characters motivations, which was the case of Orson Welles film classic Citizen Kane. In that movie, a sled ultimately works as a symbol of the main characters innocence and idealism, which he left behind in pursuit of money and power. The sled is one of the most famous symbols in film history. Why Writers Like to Use Symbolism Its hard to identify a work of literature- fro m short poems to epic plays- that lacks some kind of symbolism. Authors like to use symbolism in their work because it accomplishes the following Helps readers visualize complex concepts and follow central themesAffords writers the chance to relate big ideas in an efficient, artful wayFosters independent thinking among readers as they go through the process of interpreting the authors textAdds emotional weight to the textHelps to conceal a theme that may be too controversial to approach openly