So, you’ve got the skills, the experience, the charm… and yet your résumé keeps vanishing into the black hole of HR software. That’s because you’re fighting the machine—an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Think of it as Tinder for résumés: if you don’t have the right keywords, you’ll never get a swipe right. Here’s how to make friends with robots: Customize or Be Ghosted Generic résumés are like mass texts: ignored. Tailor every résumé to the job description like you’re dressing for that one interview you really want to nail. Speak Their Language (a.k.a. Keywords) If the job post screams “project management,” don’t whisper “organized.” Match their words, both spelled out and abbreviated (PMO vs. Project Management Office). Robots are picky. Keep It Simple, Human No tables, sidebars, or cute section titles like “My Amazing Adventures.” Stick to boring headers: Work Experience, Education, Skills. Robots like boring. Format Like It’s 1999 Reverse-chronological order is the Beyoncé of résumé formats—always on top, always works. Functional résumés? Robots swipe left. Fonts: Don’t Get Fancy Stick to the classics (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman). If your font looks like it belongs on a wedding invitation, the ATS will choke. Kill the Headers & Footers That clever contact info in your page header? Lost forever. Keep important stuff front and center. Save It Right Docx is safest. PDF is okay if they say so. Just follow instructions like your career depends on it—because it does. Bottom line: ATS isn’t out to get you, it’s just a dumb robot that needs clear instructions. Treat it like your GPS—feed it the right data, and you might actually get to your destination (aka an interview).

There are many things that can affect one’s ability to get ahead at a particular job. The two most critical components are whether or not your supervisor likes you and the second is where you positioned on the lis t . Most people are unaware though that there is an informal pecking order list. This unwritten list represents how the team is perceived by leadership. If you are a newcomer you will not pass a long term name. Get over it and wait your turn. However you can move up on the list faster by outclassing other folks on the list but you will have to be an extraordinary performer to accomplish this. The most daunting hurdle is that you could be in a situation where your boss just doesn’t like you. If you find out that this is the case you have two choices, find a way to improve your supervisor’s perception of you or move to another group. Long term supervisor dislike usually doesn’t end well for the employee. Usually a sit down with your supervisor will yield clues on what you need to work on. Years ago I remember asking a supervisor why another employee was up for promotion instead of me. I mean I had better results, at least on paper. I was better at the technical parts of my job and people generally thought I was a hoot to be around. I asked her what the deal was. Then she gave me a brutal assessment that I needed but at the time thought was more painful than necessary. She said “Eric you are full of ______!” Stunned, I was motionless as she mercilessly read me the ‘riot act’ from beginning to end. She said “you have a ton of potential and you are not remotely interested in doing anything with it.” I was able to stammer that I got good results but her response was just as brutal. “Everyone gets good results son or we fire them! You sir, do just enough to be ‘queen of the pigs’ and no more.” By the time she was done I had been bloodied and battered by a vicious barrage of reality ‘grenades’. As she saw my shoulders begin to slump with the approach of imminent submission, she softened slightly to explain her frustration. “Eric,” she said, “you could run this place if you actually put forth your best effort. People all know you could do extraordinary things but you seldom do.” Now in my mind because I got slightly better results than my peers I thought I should be touted as awesome. I was blissfully ignorant of the reality that that most of us are measured on the perception of effort coupled with the results that we achieve. Superiors want to see people that are dedicated and focused. Then when the good numbers come there is a clear link between cause and results. Leaders then can calibrate their objectives based on how much effort they believe they can get from their employees. Someone who does just enough to say they get their numbers but doesn’t give true effort is frustrating to the boss. They may not fire them but they are not looking to promote those not seen as not truly dedicated. Eventually I learned the lesson she was trying to teach me. Sadly it didn’t happen immediately but the day that it did, wow! I remember waking up feeling I wanted more than just the mediocre life I had. Watching successful peers who may not have been as naturally talented but much more focused, eventually brought me out of my career ‘sleepwalk’. Remembering that talk with my honest supervisor, I enrolled a cadre of mentors who I asked to be brutally honest as they helped me. I garnered a some ego ‘bruises’ in these sessions but collected exponentially more wisdom.  Lesson: Don’t expect to get promoted if you cannot guarantee your work ‘product’ is not perceived to be packed with your best efforts. Also it’s a good idea to get some experienced mentors on your side. To quote one of my mentors, “You gotta bring some to get some!” Eric Kelly is a professional executive career and lifestyle coach with over thirty years of experience in corporate America. He has established management development systems in the US, Europe, South America, Africa and the Middle East

Ah, middle management: the corporate world’s waistline, where many of us feel a bit more squeezed than we’d like. It’s the bittersweet symphony of being not quite the newbie but not yet the head honcho. But fear not! Ascending from this rung is less about escaping a bear pit and more about mastering a chessboard. Here’s how you can checkmate your way to the top.

So, you’ve decided to jump ship and swim to the shores of a brand-new career. Bravo! Whether you’re fleeing a sinking industry or just bored to tears by your current job, reinventing your career is like getting a backstage pass to a new act in the opera of your professional life. But before you take the stage, let’s talk strategy, with a hint of wit and a whole lot of practical advice.

Let’s face it, the only constant in the workplace is change, and dealing with it is about as pleasant as hearing, “We need to talk,” from your boss at 4:59 PM on a Friday. Change sweeps through the office more frequently than birthday celebrations, leaving us all scrambling to adjust. But here’s the kicker: survival in this ever-changing sea doesn’t come from swimming against the current—it comes from learning to surf those waves like a pro. Imagine stepping into the office on a typical Monday. You’re ready with your warm beverage, your to-do list, and a faint hope of leaving on time. Suddenly, there’s a company-wide email announcing a major shift in management or a new software rollout that everyone must learn by, oh, yesterday. It feels a bit like showing up for a Halloween party only to find out it’s actually a Thanksgiving potluck. Surprise! Time to pivot. But here’s the secret: nobody likes ‘change’ except a wet baby, and even they cry through it. Yet, to keep your sanity amidst the chaos, you must embrace the art of surfing change. This doesn’t mean waxing your board and donning board shorts at the cubicle. Instead, it means adopting a mindset that change is not just inevitable but an opportunity to shine. First, recognize that fighting change is like yelling at the waves to stop crashing—it’s futile and you’ll just end up with a mouthful of salt water. Instead, when change rolls in, paddle into it. Assess how these changes can actually benefit you. Can this new software streamline your work? Could a shift in management bring fresh, exciting projects? It’s all about perspective. Maintain your sense of humor. Laughing in the face of change not only keeps morale high but also diffuses the stress that could otherwise spread like wildfire. Be the one to crack a joke when everyone else is groaning about the tenth “urgent” change this month. It’s like putting a little umbrella in everyone’s stormy day cocktail. And let’s not forget the power of humble confidence. Stay confident in your ability to adapt, but humble enough to ask for help when needed. It’s okay to admit that you’re as baffled by the new policies as everyone else. Seeking help isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s an acknowledgment that you’re smart enough to learn from others.