What Are The Secrets To Making An ATS Friendly Resume

Technology is changing the way we do everything, and that includes applying for jobs.

This is why you need to have an ATS-friendly resume if you want to stay competitive in today’s job market.

ATS stands for application tracking system. This is a computer software program that saves employers time and money by automating the tracking, assessment, and selection of job applicants.

Most people don’t think about it, but where do you suppose your resume goes when you submit it? Most of the time, it goes directly into an ATS database.

The ATS then scans your resume for specific keywords and assesses your qualifications for the role.

Based on this information, the ATS ranks candidates and produces a shortlist of the most qualified applicants.

1. Use keywords properly so the ATS can read them

ATS software can’t differentiate between similar skills, so you need to use keywords exactly as they appear in the job description.

For example, if a job description asks for “leadership experience,” you should include the keyword phrase “leadership experience” on your resume rather than simply listing your leadership roles.

Also be sure to include both long-form versions of keywords and acronym versions. For example, if you have experience with customer relationship management software, you should include both “customer relationship management” and “CRM.”

By including both versions of important keywords, you’ll give yourself the best chance of getting your resume noticed.

2. Don’t try to trick the ATS

ATSs have brought up a whole new host of problems with applicants “trying to cheat the system”. You might have come across advice about how to tweak your resume to fool an applicant tracking system—by pasting keywords in white, pasting the entire job description in white, repeating the keywords as many times as possible, or adding a section labeled “keywords” where you stick various words from the job description.

Don’t do any of this!

Any tricks that have to do with pasting keywords in white will immediately be discovered because the ATS will display all text in the same color on the other end. So even if this gets your application flagged to a human recruiter, they’ll see that you added the full text of the job description or just wrote “sales sales sales sales” somewhere and move onto the next candidate as quickly as they can. Not only are you failing to prove you’re qualified for the job, but you’re also showing that you’ll cheat to get ahead!

3. Avoid putting important details in the header or footer

Many ATS are not capable of reading and analyzing the information written in the header and footer section of your resume especially if your resume is in a word document format as it is unable to identify those portions.

So, you must avoid putting important details like your phone number, email address, and such other details in the header or footer section and add it to the main part of your resume.

4. Apply only for those job roles you are qualified for

Never lie about your experience to get past the bots.

Make sure you’re truly qualified for the roles you’re applying to. This doesn’t mean you have to hit every single job qualification or apply to a job only if you have the traditional background for it. But if you don’t have the core skills needed to perform a job, you’re better off not wasting your time or a recruiter’s.

Wrap up

Don’t forget that you are writing this resume for prospective employers, not for yourself. Consider whether the information you include in your CV will aid a recruiter in assessing your qualifications for a specific position when deciding what information to include.

To perfect your CV writing skills, kindly consult with our professional CV writers today!