If you’ve been job searching within the digital age, you’ve probably heard a few sorts of software called “Applicant Tracking Systems” or ATS. An ATS is employed by over 90% of employers today to screen resumes and pass the foremost relevant and qualified candidates forward to the hiring manager.
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are software applications that scan resumes and other job recruitment documents for relevant keywords like skills, job titles, and academic background. To pass the ATS scan, your resume has got to be formatted properly and include the proper words.
Nearly 75% of resumes are rejected by an ATS resume test because they’re not correctly formatted or keyword optimized. This post will tell you ways an ATS works and the way to extend your chances of passing the ATS resume test. We end with an example of an honest ATS-friendly resume format and a valuable hack to urge past the filters.
This article will show you:
- What an ATS-friendly resume is.
- How to make a resume ATS compliant.
- Examples of ATS-friendly resume templates.
How does an ATS work?
An ATS resume scanner is meant to scan a resume template for work experience, skills, education, and other relevant information. If it determines the resume may be a good match for the position, it gets sent forward to the hiring manager.
“The truth is, only a few resumes are read top to bottom by a person when deciding who to interview for employment.”
An ATS can make searching resumes easier or automated. There are many reasons why it’s so hard to seek out employment, including the large pool of applicants. With over 250 resumes submitted on average for each job posted online, an ATS system saves the hiring team tons of your time and energy. The resumes that don’t meet the pre-determined qualifications are rejected, and therefore the resume isn’t seen by human eyes.
So what’s the problem?
The problem is that there are many qualified job seekers who are rejected because their resumes aren’t written and formatted with ATS readability in mind. The reality is, only a few resumes are read top to bottom by a person when deciding who to interview for employment.
From simple resume formats to identifying keywords, this post has all the answers on getting your resume past an applicant tracking system.
How to make an ATS friendly resume?
There are five things a candidate should confine mind when writing your resume to urge past an ATS:
- Standard formatting
- Keyword optimization
- Send as a Word document.
- Spell out abbreviations
- Include relevant information
1. Standard formatting for ATS scans
Use a typical resume format freed from any images, designs, charts, and tables. A transparent and concise resume is straightforward for an ATS to process–and it’s also what hiring managers prefer.
We have a post about the three hottest formats for resumes within the US. We also recently published 200+ resume examples with a downloadable resume template designed for ATS compatibility.
2. ATS keyword optimization
This is one of the foremost important elements of a resume with regard to passing an ATS test. Keywords, during this case, ask words that the ATS resume checker could also be trying to find that match the industry or description. The more keywords you’ve got that the employer wants, the greater you’ll score on an ATS scan.
Your resume should already contain core industry keywords, and therefore the description is another excellent spot to seem for keywords. Making an inventory of core competencies on a resume allows you to simply swap keywords in and out when applying for various positions. If an edge lists knowledge of Excel and Quickbooks as requirements, confirm those skills are listed within the right place on your resume.
3. Send as a Word document
A Word document, specifically a .doc or .docx file, is definitely processed by all ATS out there, and it’s also preferred by the bulk of hiring managers. Although most ATS systems now process a PDF, some applicant systems still have trouble with them.
In our team of experts’ opinion, it isn’t well worth the risk to preserve your formatting on a web application! Send your resume as a Word .doc to rest assured that your resume is often read easily by any ATS.
4. Spell out abbreviations
An ATS might not understand all abbreviations, which is why it’s important to spell out an abbreviation you employ a minimum of once. The ATS keyword scanner could also be trying to find the non-abbreviated sort of the word rather than an abbreviation, so make certain to spell out any abbreviations.
One final reason to try to do this is often to assist anyone watching your resume in understanding what you are doing without confusing or industry-specific jargon. The recruiter or person responsible for hiring isn’t necessarily an expert on the job’s functions. Make your resume easy to understand!
Examples of spelling out abbreviations:
- CPA (Certified Public Accountant)
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- MBA (Master of Business Administration)
5. Include relevant information
The ATS scans your resume to work out if it contains relevant information and knowledge for a selected job. Don’t submit two pages of experience from a sales position for an accounting job. The ATS will presumably reject you because your resume contains little or no relevant information.
If you don’t have any relevant experience, attempt to include education, skills, or maybe reword your past experience, so it’s relevant to the position. You’ll leverage your transferable skills to raised match what this job is trying to find. Now that we’ve gone over all the ideas let’s put it all at once with an honest resume format to use for ATS scans.
How do I do know if my resume is ATS-friendly?
Compare your resume to the ATS optimized example above. Concentrate on those aspects:
- The traditional, reverse-chronological format
- Relevant keywords used throughout the resume
- Simple formatting with clear headings
- Degrees and abbreviations are spelled out.
- All experience relates to an equivalent career target.
How to Beat an Applicant Tracking System?
Optimizing your resume for ATS is a crucial part of the fashionable job searching process. Without listening to keywords, formatting, other ATS-friendly elements, qualified candidates can slip through the cracks.
Here are some quick recommendations on the way to beat applicant tracking systems:
1. Tailor Your Resume to the work Description.
One-size-fits-all resumes don’t work well for contemporary job searches. Customizing your resume for every job gives you the simplest chance of being identified as an excellent candidate. Tailor your resume headline to match the role and prioritize your most relevant skills and knowledge.
2. Match Your Resume Keywords to Skills Found within the description.
Optimize for ATS search and ranking algorithms by paying close attention to the keywords you include on your resume. Keywords are most ordinarily the hard skills requirements listed within the description. Include as many relevant skills and keywords as possible on your resume.
3. Use Long-Form and Acronym Versions of Keywords.
Recruiters and hiring managers may search by keywords when trying to find candidates. Some ATS will only return exact keyword match results, which suggests that if you included the term “Search Engine Optimization” without its acronym counterpart, your profile might not appear during a recruiter’s look for the term “SEO.”
4. Use Chronological or Hybrid Resume Format.
Formats that deemphasize work history, just like the functional resume format, don’t work well for applicant tracking systems that calculate more traditional reverse-chronological formatting to know an applicant’s experience. Recruiters also are most conversant in chronological and hybrid resume formats.
5. Don’t Use Tables or Columns.
Even though tables and columns can improve readability for human readers, they’ll cause parsing errors within the ATS.
6. Use a Screen-Friendly, Traditional Font.
For readability, it’s best to use a standard serif or Helvetica font. Some ATS will automatically change unfamiliar fonts, which may alter the planning of your resume.
7. Don’t Use Headers or Footers.
The information in headers and footers may stray or cause parsing errors inside and ATS.
8. Use Standard Resume Section Headings.
Section headers like “Where I’ve Been” in situ of “Work Experience” may confuse applicant tracking systems, causing them to arrange information incorrectly.
9. Save Your File as a .docx if Possible
A docx. file is most compatible with ATS.
Why Are Applicant Tracking Systems Important?
Applicant tracking systems help ease the workload of recruiters and hiring managers, especially now that the web makes it faster and easier than ever for job seekers to use for jobs. In fact, job board sites like Indeed and LinkedIn allow job seekers to use employing a saved resume and just one click.
As long as applying is that easy, job postings are getting to receive more applications than hiring teams can realistically read. While applicant tracking systems aren’t perfect, they’re an honest way for recruiters to efficiently range in on top candidates.
Many ATS goes beyond simple applicant tracking to supply communication, interview scheduling, and onboarding functionality. ATS also saves resumes for later. If an applicant isn’t the proper fit, recruiters and hiring managers can search the system later to uncover resumes that match new positions. If you’ve ever been contacted months later by a corporation you applied to, ATS was probably behind it.