How to Optimize Your Resume for an ATS
September 3, 2023
Are you finding yourself looking for a new job? We can help.
As a job seeker, you want to create that perfect resume that will help you get noticed by recruiters. But before your resume is even seen by a human, it needs to get past the ATS, or applicant tracking system.
For companies and recruiting agencies, the ATS is a way to efficiently manage and track candidates and make the hiring process more consistent in order to stay in compliance with labor laws.
For job seekers, it’s a digital gatekeeper—one more step of the online application process you need to understand and master.
5 elements of an ATS-friendly resume
# Keywords
Priority one is getting keywords right. Be sure to include the most prominent keywords from the job description front and center in your resume.
“By weaving in relevant keywords into your resume, you're not only maximizing the odds that the ATS will see you as a strong fit, you're also maximizing the odds that a recruiter who's going to be screaming through a pile of applicant resumes will also see you as a strong fit and ask you to come in for an interview,” explains Foss.
To figure out which resume keywords to weave in, Foss suggests the following exercise:
First, highlight all of the hard skills required, such as AutoCAD, P&L Management, Project Management, etc. Second, identify all the soft skills required, like troubleshooting, curiosity, cross-functional collaboration. Third, find important action verbs, like “collaborate,” “grow,” “troubleshoot,” and “lead.”
# Job title
If you’re going after a job that’s similar to the role you’re currently in, but called something different, consider using the job title in the job description—as long as it’s an accurate and honest swap!
For example, if you want a “marketing manager” role and work experience but your current title is “content manager,” you may call yourself a marketing manager or “content manager/marketing manager” on your resume.
“That way, you're going to look like a stronger match, and you're going to make it easier for the human reviewer to understand how you connect,” says Foss.
# Certificates and licenses
Take note of any required credentials and licenses required for the role and be sure to list those qualifications exactly as they appear in the job description.
For instance, if you’re a project management professional but the job description is calling it PMP, use the acronym on your resume. That way, the match will be detected by the scanning software, says Foss.
# Educational requirements
If you have the educational requirements for the job, be sure to include your degree as it’s written in the job description.
But what if you don’t?
“If you have a job description that states a particular degree, say a bachelor's degree, is required for this job, and you have an associate's degree, you're not going to look like a strong match in the eyes of that software,” says Foss. “That doesn't mean you can't apply for this job, but you're probably going to be best served by finding an ‘in’ at that organization and applying directly.”
While an ATS is black-and-white, yes-or-no, she says, humans can detect grey areas
# Legibility
In addition to these four requirements, an ATS demands that it's legible in a specific way. We will explain.
Create a resume template for job applications that includes easy-to-see contact information at the top of the first page, as well as clear resume sections and bullet points. When the ATS fails and humans must detect grey areas, a neat, understandable, legible resume may be the tipping point.