Follow These Simple Steps to Make Your Resume ATS-Friendly
Most companies nowadays rely on AI-based application screening software to review applications. In fact, over 50% of companies worldwide have incorporated AI into their hiring process.
These programs are known as Application Tracking Systems, or ATS for short, and they streamline the hiring process while reducing human bias when narrowing down applicants.
Learning how to write a resume that gets the green light from the ATS is crucial if you are looking to get hired by an established company. However, as AI-driven hiring is a relatively new system, many people still do not know how to make their resumes ATS-friendly. If this is your case, your resume automatically goes into the declined list, even if the person in question has one of the best skills and qualifications among applicants.
To decrease your chances of this happening, you must learn how to write an ATS-friendly resume. Luckily, it can be done in 6 easy steps:
1. Being ATS-Friendly: Upload Your Resume as a Microsoft Word Document
For many years, people saved and submitted their resumes as PDFs (Portable Document Format). A PDF is a file type that preserves a document’s layout and formatting, making it look the same on any device or program.
This format was a standard for most; however, because of ATS, a resume in PDF format can now decrease your chances of getting hired.
Although most Application Tracking Systems may be able to read PDFs, using Word formats (.doc or .docx) is often safer because some systems still struggle with complex PDFs or unusual fonts within PDFs.
To make sure your resume is given a real chance with an ATS, always upload your resume as a .doc or .docx Word document, which is the best format for the ATS.
2. Include Essential Keywords to Optimize Your Resume
Keywords are specific words or phrases found in the job description that highlight essential skills, qualifications, or experience that help an ATS match your resume to the job.
For example, if the job description requires a programmer, the keywords would most likely be Python, C++, Java and anything related to the field.
If your resume does not include the proper keywords for the job description, the AI will assume you are not a good fit for the role and reject your application. In order to convince the AI of your expertise, ensure that your resume has all the proper keywords.
Remember: use keywords carefully. If you put too many in your resume, it can actually hurt your chances because the software will flag it as suspicious. Instead, use your keywords in a normal way – that is, writing like a human being and using keywords in a usual way always works best.
Related: How to Craft the Perfect Resume
3. Keep Key Information Out of Headers and Footers
People used to put their names and contact info in the top or bottom sections of their resumes, known as headers and footers, because this made resumes look tidy and organized.
However, many ATS systems can’t read these sections, so they may miss important details and assume your resume is incomplete, even if all your information is there.
To ensure your information gets seen, it’s best to place these key details in the main part (the body) of your resume rather than the headers and footers. This simple change helps ensure the ATS bots (the little programs within the ATS that read and approve/disapprove your resume) fully read your resume.
4. Stick to Simple Formatting; Avoid Unique Styles
In the past, some people added images and graphics to make their resumes stand out. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work for companies using an ATS.
When the ATS receives your resume, it will convert it into a text-only file. This means if you have included graphics or anything fancy, it makes it much harder for the bots to read your resume and it will be moved into the rejected pile.
To ensure that the bot can fully read your resume and send it along to an interviewer, always make sure that you avoid fancy formats. Here are a few examples of things that you should not include in your bot-friendly resume:
- Photos or images
- Logos or graphics
- Custom bullet points. Stick to the standard circle or square.
- Colors used to highlight certain words
- Charts or graphs
- Columns or statistics
- Tables
- Unique fonts. Stick to Times New Roman or Arial.
- Formatting of words such as bolding, italicizing, or underlining
5. Preview Your Resume with a Plain Text Converter
There is a simple way to ensure that your resume is bot-friendly: copy and paste the full document into a plain text converter.
To do this:
- Copy the text: Open your document, select all text (Ctrl + A or Command + A), then copy it (Ctrl + C or Command + C).
- Open a plain text editor: Use a program like Notepad (Windows), TextEdit (Mac), or a free online plain text converter.
- Paste your text: In the plain text editor, paste your text (Ctrl + V or Command + V).
…then, simply look at the document and you can see what the bot sees.
When going through a text-only converter, certain things might become disorganized or even be deleted. In this situation, the bot would reject your application due to unreadability or lack of crucial information.
In today’s competitive job market, optimizing your resume for ATS is essential to getting noticed by employers. Ensuring your resume is clean, organized, and ATS bot-friendly can make a huge difference in passing the initial screening and landing an interview.
If you want to learn more about crafting a standout resume and mastering the job search process, Academy of Learning Career College offers a comprehensive Job Search and Resume Writing course. This course will equip you with essential tools and strategies to create an effective resume, navigate online applications, and confidently approach your job hunt.
Visit Academy of Learning Career College to take the next step toward career success.