If you’re serious about getting a job, you must know how an ATS works. Otherwise, you’ll expend your time and energy making resumes no one will ever have a chance to read.
It stands to reason:
No recruiter has enough time to read 250+ resumes that a typical job offer attracts.
It’s the job of an ATS to initially separate the wheat from the chaff.
So the recruiter can focus on interviewing the best candidates.
If you want to get to the interviewing stage—
You must know how to make a resume that will get you past the ATS scan and impress the recruiter enough to give you a call.
Well, that’s what you’re about to learn.
This article will show you:
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1
First things first:
What is an ATS?
ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System, and it’s a piece of software that helps recruiters manage the recruitment process.
So—
Why should you even bother? After all, it’s for recruiters, not candidates.
Well, you should.
You’re an applicant and knowing how the system works can help you go a long way.
But first, some stats:
It’s estimated that over 75% of the recruiters use ATS software. Other sources say that up to 98% of Fortune 500 companies rely on Applicant Tracking Systems.
94% of those who incorporated some sort of ATS into their recruitment process say it has improved the hiring process.
And finally—
Realize that a typical corporate opening attracts about 250 resumes on average.
This last figure makes it obvious why recruiters are eager to process resumes with a little help from ATSs.
So—
How does the ATS work?
The ATS scores candidates’ resumes according to certain preset criteria and shows the recruiter which candidates are the best fit for the advertised position.
The scoring differs from one ATS system to another.
For example—
Taleo, one of the most popular ATS software solutions today, does the so-called keyword scoring. In other words, your resume needs to have a certain number of relevant keywords for the system to let your resume through.
Taleo also allows to set up certain knockout questions. These questions determine whether or not you meet the criteria set by the company.
A knockout question could be something like:
How many years of PM experience do you have?
If the answer is set to five, the system will either automatically reject anything that’s below that number or lower your candidate scoring.
Other applicant tracking systems work in a similar fashion:
They let the recruiters assign different weight to questions, sort the candidates on the basis of their answers, set up disqualifying questions, etc.
In fact, recruiters can easily customize their ATS resume scanning options.
Make sure your resume doesn’t miss a thing. Head straight to our guide: What to Put on a Resume (20+ Good Things You Should Include to Win)
2
Listen—
The perfect ATS resume doesn’t exist.
Why?
Because you can never be sure how the recruiter set up the system.
You may be a perfect fit. But if one of the most important criteria is your willingness to relocate and you’d rather not, you won’t get the job.
That being said—
You can prepare an ATS optimized resume to boost your chances.
Here’s how to make an ATS-friendly resume step by step:
In fact, you should treat the job offer as a benchmark for your application documents. No, you won’t know how the recruiter set up the system, but you can make informed guesses on the basis of what they specified in the ad.
Tailoring your resume to the job offer is crucial.That’s the best you can do to get invited to an interview. If you send a generic resume that doesn’t have much to do with the job offer itself, your chances of succeeding are close to zero. The following points specify what you can do.
Find a blank resume template that’s been optimized for the ATS resume test. How to identify one? It should be easy on graphical elements. If it’s a PDF, you should be able to copy the text and paste it into a blank document.
There are three main resume formats: chronological resume, functional resume, and combination resume. Of the three, the chronological resume is your safest bet as no ATS will have problems parsing it.
The best resume fonts are the ones that are readable to humans and machines alike. Choose simple, professional-looking fonts for your resume.
The resume section headings must be easy to navigate. First of all, the ATS will surely know where you described your experience on a resume if you label the section Experience rather than Things I Am Proud Of. Second of all, a recruiter will only spend 6 seconds scanning your resume, so don't confuse them about your resume education section by calling it What Made Me Into Who I Am.
Using the right resume keywords is essential. An ATS resume must follow the pattern set out in the job offer. So take a good look at the phrasing, and describe your experience imitating the language of the job posting. For example, if the employer is looking for a team-player, describe yourself as one. If you keep describing your teamwork skills as being collaborative and miss out the team-player keyword entirely, chances are the ATS resume test will miss it too.
Putting the right skills on your resume will surely show the ATS you deserve a high candidate score. Again, you can use synonyms (collaboration or teamwork), but try to include the original wording at least once, just to be sure. Plus, if your resume goes past the ATS scan, the recruiter will also get to see you’re perfectly qualified to get the job done.
Once you focus on optimizing your resume the ATS scan, it’s easy to forget you’re doing all this so that a human will have a chance to read it. Make sure your resume profile and all the other sections read well and impress the recruiter with the achievements you put on your resume.
Yes, your resume must read well, but it also has to pass the resume ATS test. So, remember to include the right keywords, phrasing, and focus on the areas delineated in the job ad. Let the job offer serve you as a benchmark for your resume. And avoid including extra elements such as tables or footers—ATSs don’t like them.
Pro Tip: You can use an online ATS resume checker that will compare your resume against the job offer to see how much your resume overlaps with the requirements of the job ad.
If you follow the steps above your resume will be 100% ATS-compliant.
If you’re not sure your resume has all the necessary elements, read our guide on what to put on a resume to make sure you don’t miss a thing.
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
3
Here’s the thing—
One of the essential stages of making an ATS-compliant resume takes place before you start writing anything.
When exactly?
When you choose your resume template.
Why?
We’ve said it before, let’s say it again—
The ATS must be able to parse your resume. If the content of your resume is ATS-friendly, but the template isn’t parsable, your resume will fail the ATS scan anyway.
So—
It’s crucial to select a resume template that looks professional and passes the ATS test.
Here’s an example of what your ATS-friendly resume could look like:
Why is this ATS resume template effective?
First off—
It follows the reverse-chronological resume layout. As such, it’s easy to scan for the ATS and the recruiter.
The fonts are simple and readable, with different weight and styling to guide the recruiter’s eye.
Each section is easy to identify. The resume profile comes up top, followed by the experience and education sections. The resume’s certifications section comes last and offers additional insight into the candidate’s qualifications.
At this point, it’s important to notice that the selection of resume sections mustn’t be random.
The main difference between an ATS resume and a generic one is that the former is always targeted at a specific opening.
If the job offer clearly states that certain skills or qualifications are sought after, and you happen to have those, they should end up in an appropriate section of your ATS resume.
Just like you see in the example above.
So—
All the sections you see in the right-hand column (skills, languages on a resume, and hobbies on a resume) aren’t fillers at all.
All of them have been specifically chosen, to make the resume fully ATS compliant.
More than that:
All these sections, as well as the job description, have been spun around the ATS resume keywords found in the job offer.
Here are some more examples of ATS-compliant resume templates you can find in our builder:
ATS Resume Template—Newcast
ATS Resume Template—Diamond
ATS Resume Template—Enfold
ATS Resume Template—Vibes
ATS Resume Template—Muse
The ATS resume formats above are only a few examples out of 18 other 100% ATS-compliant templates you can find in our resume builder.
The best part—
You can switch between the templates with a single click to find the one you like best.
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Looking for the best resume layout? Look no more! Head straight to our article: Resume Layout: 20+ Templates, Examples & Complete Design Guide
Here’s all you need to remember about making the ATS resume:
Do you have any questions about creating an ATS-friendly resume? Or maybe you’d like to share your tips on passing the ATS resume test? We’d love to hear from you. Give us a shout out in the comments below.
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An employment gap is a period of time (months of years) when a job seeker didn't have a job. While out of work, employees use their time to have children, travel or go to school full time.
Great skills? Amazing layout? Good work history section? What’s the secret behind a *perfect* resume? You’ve come to the right place to find out.
