How to prep your resume for applicant tracking software
Without these 4 steps, you might as well throw your resume in the garbage.
You want an internship or a job.
You’ve applied to dozens of companies. You’ve heard back from zero. You’re frustrated. You start to think it may be something you included in your resume. I’m here to tell you that it might!
Like you, I applied to dozens of companies and never received a response. I was curious about why companies never got back to me.
I turned to my career services department. They told me about applicant tracking software. They told me I needed to change my resume so it was easier for the software to read. That’s exactly what I did.
A little background about ATS.
Companies use applicant tracking software to expedite the recruitment process. ATS systems scan virtual resumes and identify candidates that meet specific criteria.
Once the ATS finds candidates that meet the specific criteria, the program narrows down the resume pool. Only those applications that meet specific criteria get passed to the hiring managers.
99% of Fortune 500 companies use Applicant Tracking Software or ATS to screen candidates. AND among all recruiters and hiring managers, 75% use ATS.
So what can you do to optimize your resume so it doesn’t get tossed by the ATS?
Here are 3 tips to optimize your resume for Applicant Tracking Systems so you can make the robots happy and get the job you want.
Step 1: Tailor your resume to the job description
Every job has a job description. Read the job description and modify your resume to include keywords that are listed in the description. For example, let’s say you are applying for a job in supply chain management. The job description mentions words like “Terminal Logistics”, “Warehousing”, and “Demand Planning”. Update your resume to include these keywords.
When you are writing the keywords, make sure to use long-form and acronym versions of keywords.
For example, if you have CPA on your resume, also type out “Certified Public Accountant
Recruiters change the ATS algorithms to weed-out candidates who do not use certain keywords in their resumes. Make the changes so your resume makes the cut.
Step 2: Write your resume in chronological order
Make it easy for the system to read your resume. Although you think it may be nice to have a super fancy formatted resume, keep it simple. The robots don’t care if your resume looks pretty. They just want to be able to read it.
Step 3: Use standard section headings
Don’t get too fancy with your headings. Section headings are important because they help the ATS understand the experiences under your headings. If you get to fancy with your headings, you risk confusing the ATS.
Stick with these:
Work Experience
Education
Skills
Certifications
Step 4: Make sure you end your bullets with periods!
You have all of these really well-written bullet points, but if you don’t end them with bullets, the ATS system won’t be able to read them properly. Make sure to end your bullets with periods!
For additional tips about resume writing and writing solid bullet points, check out 3 Resume Writing Tips to Secure Your Dream Job
If you want to see how compatible your resume is with a certain job, use this link https://www.jobscan.co/?partner= . Scroll down a little bit, and there will be two fields. One where you paste your resume and another where you paste the job description, qualifications, etc. It will give you a score based on how optimized your resume is for the job you are applying for.