Applicant Tracking Software and Your Resume
You may have heard that you need to make sure your resume is “optimized for ATS”. This is because, in today’s digital job search market, more companies have adopted the use of Application Tracking Systems (ATS) to help sort through candidates at a quicker rate.
There is a lot of conflicting information out there about how companies use ATS systems and what you should do as a result. Read on for our informed perspective.
Application Tracking Systems (ATS)
What is ATS and how does it work?
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is computer software that streamlines the hiring process by making it easy for businesses of any size to filter, manage, and analyze candidates (Oracle, 2024). Applicant tracking systems can create profiles of ideal candidates, sort through resumes, and rank them based on how well they match an ideal profile (Henderson, 2024).
How is an ATS used?
Recruiters often use ATS to filter resumes by searching for key skills and job titles.
Example: A recruiter is hiring for an Administrative Assistant position and received hundreds of resumes. They can narrow down results by filtering their search by the job title “Administrative Assistant.” This isolates candidates that have done the exact job before (Henderson, 2024).
Recruiters can also filter resumes by multiple terms (e.g. Administrative Assistant AND data entry AND payroll). This is why it is important to read and analyze the job description (multiple times if you find it helpful) and make note of keys words (e.g. software skills, soft skills, language skills, exact job titles). By reading the job description and predicting which keywords might be used in a recruiter’s search, you’ll increase your chances of moving on in the hiring process (Henderson, 2024).
Why is it important to optimize my resume for ATS?
Currently, companies large and small use ATS to manage their hiring process. As ATS software is designed to identify keywords related to the job you are applying for, if your resume does not contain those keywords, the recruiter using the ATS may filter you out.
Essentially, optimizing your resume for ATS is important to increase your chances of getting noticed and getting an interview.
How do I know if my Resume is ATS-friendly?
Tip #1: Use the position description
Make sure to read through the position description and pull out keywords and phrases that are notable or repeated throughout the description. You can find these keywords under sections like preferred skills, required skills, qualifications and so on.
PRO TIP!
If you have access to a printer, feel free to bring out a highlighter to mark keywords the old fashioned way. Or you can also use a word cloud. Copy and paste the position description and catch those repeated phrases. One of our favorites is wordclouds.com.
Tip #2: Tailor your resume
Tailor your resume to the position description.
Make sure to integrate the (relevant) keywords you found into your description of your experience. This will highlight your skills and experiences for the ATS.
Remember to be specific in your descriptions. Think about what, how and why.
What did you do? Quantify it.
How did you do it? Include process, tools, and skills.
Why? What was the result? How was it measurable?
Tip #3: Simplicity works
It’s important to remember that ATS is a scanning software and, unfortunately, not all ATS software is built alike. Some systems are ‘smarter’ than others. The simpler the resume style, the easier it will be for ATS to scan and organize the information on your resume.
File type: Plain text documents are the most ATS-friendly file type, but they limit format options. Instead, a MS Word document is recommended.
You can use a PDF file if the application specifies that PDFs are accepted. However, sometimes a PDF cannot be fully scanned by ATS software, so in general, it’s best to stick with Word documents.
Design: ATS was created to remove all design from a resume and only pull out text. It’s best to avoid columns, graphics, and fancy fonts. This information might get jumbled around or missed completely by some ATS software.
You can use some minimal design, like color, bullets, font type and scannable graphics. It’s important to be intentional and organize your content to highlight what you most want a person to read.
PRO TIPS!
We recommend having two resumes -- a simple ATS friendly resume and a designed resume. You can upload your designed resume to the “additional documents” field when applying to some positions.
You can “ATS test” your resume by copying and pasting your resume content into a plain text document to see if everything is picked up.
We recommend using software like SkillSyncer to see how well your resume matches a job description and get a report on how to improve it to better get through an ATS.
Tip #4: Two Audiences
Remember that you are tailoring your resume with two audiences in mind: ATS and the recruiter/person on the other side.
Be sure to include relevant skills, experiences and content in your resume that a person can read and connect to.
Avoid overstuffing your resume with keywords, because, although the ATS software might not pick it up, a person will notice.
Tip #5: Use Your Cover Letter
Your cover letter can be your place to stand out. As of now ATS does not scan cover letters, so use yours to highlight your personality, skill sets, and experiences that make you valuable.
Sources:
Hanna, K. (2024, May 24). Creating an ATS-Friendly Resume: Templates & Format. MyPerfectResume. https://www.myperfectresume.com/career-center/resumes/how-to/ats-friendly/t3
Henderson, R. (2024, May 8). What is an ATS? 8 things you need to know. Jobscan. https://www.jobscan.co/blog/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-applicant-tracking-systems/
Indeed Editorial Team. (2024, July 1). Best resume file formats (plus how to save your document) | indeed.com. Best Resume File Formats (Plus How To Save Your Document). https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/resume-file-format
What is an applicant tracking system? Oracle. (2024). https://www.oracle.com/human-capital-management/recruiting/what-is-applicant-tracking-system/