Getting your resume in front of a hiring manager or recruiter can be challenging, particularly if you’re applying to a company that uses an applicant tracking system. An ATS is computer software employers use to help them manage and streamline the process of identifying top candidates.
When preparing application materials, a job seeker’s first step should be to create an ATS-compliant resume.
What Does an ATS Do?
Many companies — especially larger ones — leverage the power of an ATS to avoid manually collecting and sorting the hundreds or thousands of resumes they receive from applicants. ATS technology helps hiring teams prioritize the most qualified candidates, which is a big time-saver. But this means applicants need to know the best strategies to get through an ATS screening when they submit their application materials online for an open position.
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How Does an ATS Work?
After a job applicant submits a resume to a company that uses an ATS, the ATS resume evaluation algorithm scans the uploaded resume for keywords related to the job description. It looks for work experience and education that match what the position calls for and ranks resumes. The higher the ranking you get from the ATS, the more likely your resume will be seen by a recruiter, who will further assess your qualifications and fit. This means an effective resume is one that plays the ATS game well but also appeals to the human reviewer, who will hopefully examine it, too.
What Types of Keywords Should You Use for an ATS?
Your main guide to selecting resume keywords should be the job description itself. First, carefully review the language in the job ad, then copy the terms verbatim into your resume. Some ATS algorithms evaluate resumes based on the frequency of keyword use, so it’s smart to list important skills more than once. But don’t try and trick the system to get your resume a high rank.
“Don’t use gimmicks like invisible keywords (typing white text to match a white background),” said Stephen Greet, co-founder of BeamJobs, which helps job seekers build resumes and cover letters, in an email. “ATS systems have evolved to flag these tricks, and recruiters see it as a red flag for authenticity.”
Think like a hiring manager when selecting your resume keywords, Greet said. He advises applicants to select specific keywords relevant to the position and avoid listing generic skills like problem-solving unless they are listed in the job ad.
“If you were writing the job description, what skills would matter most?” Greet said. “Prioritize specific tools, certifications and measurable outcomes — for example, ‘SQL, Certified Scrum Master, increased revenue by 30%.'”
The ATS — as well as recruiters and hiring managers — looks for candidates who have held roles similar to the open job. This means job titles are also important resume keywords.
If your previous employer gave you a job title that didn’t accurately reflect the work you did, there’s an easy solution. Use both the job title you held and also include the more accurate title in your resume, particularly if that title matches the job you’re applying for. For example, if you were called “Secretary III,” but the work you did was similar to a data analyst, use “Secretary III/Data Analyst” on your resume.
[READ: Job Skills to Put on Your Resume (And What to Exclude)]
ATS-Friendly Resume Formatting Strategies
Beyond keywords, here are some tips to help you get past this digital gatekeeper.
Customize Your Resume
Gone are the days when you could send out a single resume template to every employer. Now, every company is looking for a unique set of skills and qualifications, which means you must customize your resume to each job. Your resume needs to convince both the ATS and human reviewers that you have the qualifications for the job.
Use a Simple Resume Format
Avoid submitting a fancy resume template since it won’t scan well in an ATS. Use a simple, one-column format, and don’t put your contact information in the header. “Clean and chronological wins every time,” Greet said. “ATS systems struggle with creative layouts like two-column designs or graphics. As much as I admire design creativity, ATS systems are ruthlessly utilitarian. If they can’t read it, it doesn’t exist.”
But your application materials need not be boring. To meet both algorithm and human needs, the best solution is to make one resume for the ATS and a separate, printable version for interviews. To make your resume visually appealing for the human reader who will look at it after the initial ATS scan, consider using borders, shading or color. If you include charts or graphs, be sure to translate details into text so the system can find that information.
Avoid Image Processing Software
When it comes to formatting, you should always create your resume from text software, not image processing software, according to Emmanuel Crouy, co-founder and CEO of JobCopilot, an AI assistant for job seekers.
“We’ve seen job seekers apply to jobs by uploading a PDF file that was created from an image file instead of from a text processor like Word,” Crouy said in an email. “Most ATS cannot read a PDF that was created from an image. So rather than having a recruiter manually review the resumes causing errors, the recruiter will often just skip those ATS-unreadable or unparsable resumes.”
Use Standard Sections and a Clean Layout
It may be tempting to get creative with your resume’s sections. Rein in this impulse. To help ensure the ATS reads your resume correctly, it’s best to use standard resume template sections such as “Work experience,” “Education,” “Skills” and “Certifications.”
When citing your work experience, list the company and location on one line, saving your job title and start and end dates for the next line. The date should appear after the job title. Here is the best ATS resume format for this information:
ABC Company, City, State
Job Title, February 2020 — February 2023
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Ditch Abbreviations
If you can’t be sure whether the ATS is looking for “Microsoft” or “MS,” cover your bases by avoiding abbreviations. Apply this logic to certifications and degrees as well. A good way to double-check your work is to compare your resume with the terminology used in the job description.
Rethink the 1-Pager
Standard resume advice is often to try to fit your entire resume onto a single page so that a reviewer can quickly and easily scan it. Crouy believes this is a mistake when it comes to pleasing an ATS. He recommends that job seekers write a two-page resume so that there’s enough information for both an ATS and a human to process.
“Resumes are very often too short,” Crouy said. “For decades, job seekers have been told to do a one-page resume that shows the most relevant information. This made sense when humans were reviewing resumes because they only had a few seconds to read each resume. Today most ATS do a pre-filtering of applicants by checking whether the resume contains the minimum requirements.”
Seek a Referral
Even if you follow this advice, relying solely on an ATS decreases your odds of being contacted by a hiring manager. The best way to ensure a human looks at your qualifications is to get someone to refer you for the job. Referred candidates are far more likely to get an interview than those who come from job boards or career sites.
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How to Write an ATS-Friendly Resume originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 01/16/25: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.