In the current competitive job market, your resume may first go through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before a human recruiter even sees it! ATS searches, sorts, and ranks resumes accordingly and relates them by keywords and resume format to know whether they fit into the job description. 

Unless your resume is well optimized to work with these systems, it may end up being rejected regardless of your qualifications. 

Tips for Writing a Resume For ATS

Whenever you plan to create a new CV or resume, you must consider if its fit for ATS. This is how to write an ATS-friendly resume that ups your likelihood of getting an interview.

Fill in a standard, simple form

Excessive creativity in the design, graphics, and uncommon layouts is a challenge for ATS software. Keep it clean, professional, with regular standard section titles such as Work Experience, Education, and Skills.

No text box, images, and fancy fonts. A simple format makes it easy for the ATS to scan and process your information.

Utilize relevant keywords

ATS systems compare your resume to the job post. Study the job advertisement and isolate key words pertinent to the job skills, certifications, and industry jargon. 

Naturally, integrate these within your resume, particularly in the work experience section and in your resume skills. To illustrate, in case the job advertisement states that you need to have project management and budget forecasting, use the exact words in that case, provided that they correspond with what you do.

Avoid unreadable file types

The .docx or .pdf format is best when submitting your resume through most ATS systems; however, read the job posting to determine any other specifications. Other systems fail to read PDFs properly, and otherwise, it is better to use a .docx file.

Maximise your skills section

Enlist both hard and soft skills pertinent to the employment. ATS scanning is particularly dependent on hard skills, such as a company name, “data analysis”, or a programming language, “JavaScript”. 

Keep your skills section concise and keyword-rich, so terms like “good communicator” should be avoided unless listed expressly in the job description.

Write for machines as well as humans

Although you are going to do your best to ensure that the ATS filter has been passed, it is worth remembering that a human being will eventually go through your resume. 

Demonstrate your accomplishments using clear bullet points, measurable outcomes, and action verbs. For instance: “When a target digital marketing campaign increased its sales by 25 percent over six months.”

Test the resume before submitting

A variety of online repositories enables you to review your resume to ensure it is ATS-friendly. Upload your resume and job description together and compare their match. This measure could help you identify missing keywords or formatting mistakes that could prevent you from getting the interview.

Conclusion 

Making a resume ATS-friendly does not mean that it should look robotic. However, ensure your qualifications are understandable to both software and recruiters. Finally, you can use MakeMyCV to help you create an ATS-friendly resume.