ATS Resume – How to Write ATS Friendly Resume?

The modern internet has transformed the entire landscape of job searching. Companies receive more than thousands of applications every day. The employers or the hiring managers may find it daunting to sort and organize all those resumes. Thus, such companies use ATS or Applicant Tracking System for organizing job applications.

ATS rejects every application that it is unable to read. It lessens the burden of work for the hirers up to a certain extent. We are going to discuss how to write ATS friendly resume.

Applicant Tracking System (ATS):

ATS is software that employers use for managing the whole application process. The system gathers, goes through, and ranks all the applications. In the beginning, big companies used ATS because they got 1000s of applications each day. But, right now, companies, regardless of their size, are using an ATS.

ATS proves to be productive for the companies. It narrows the applications’ flood and saves both resources and time. ATS keeps things in place. Additionally, it is non-discriminatory. It means it does not focus on factors like gender, race, or age.

At the initial stage, the ATS system makes a job posting for a company. Then, it publishes the posting to websites, hiring platforms, email, or job boards.

The system scans a job application that comes in. It divides a resume into separate resume sections like languages, skills, and more. ATS looks for particular qualifications and keywords. It sees if the application suits the job application description or not.

Tips to know before creating an ATS-friendly resume:

You need to follow few tips to make an ATS-friendly resume writing:

• Only apply for the job that suits your qualification.
• Do not apply to several jobs at a particular company.

• Make use of the correct keywords. Provide the key information.

• Insert your keywords in the context. Do not stuff your resume with keywords.

• ATS is smart. So, do not try to cheat it by tweaking your resume.

• Select the correct file type. Choose PDFs or Docx file as it keeps everything intact.

• Make an easy-to-scan resume both for humans and robots.

• Avoid inserting fancy formatting, as ATS finds them hard to read.

Ways to write ATS friendly resume:

There are few ways to create an ATS-friendly resume. They are as follows:

Step 1: You will need to select the correct resume format. The reverse-chronological format is the simplest of all formats that ATS can read. It puts extra weight on your work experience by showcasing at the page-top.

After this, it will put your experience right from highest to lowest relevant. This particular format is quite popular among employers or hirers. In almost every case, the reverse-chronological format goes perfect.

Step 2: Select the correct type of file. PDF files are most popular, and most of the ATS can read them. Also, these files are good to maintain the format and design of a resume.

The old ATS models may often fail to read a PDF file. So, before you apply for a role, check the job ad.

If your job ad suggests you apply by using a Word Document, it means their ATS cannot read PDFs. So, you must apply by submitting a .doc file.

Step 3: Make use of an ATS resume template. The ATS reject several candidates for using resume templates that it fails to read. The system may scramble a fancy template. So, do not invest money in such things.

It is important to choose a tested-and-tried ATS-friendly template. These templates focus on experience and skills instead of symbols or graphs.

Step 4: Make use of a straightforward layout. Select a simple, common font. Set the font size big for headers. And for the content, make use of small fonts.

Make use of simple bullets for highlighting your achievements. A solid square or circle is the best option. Or else, any complex character may prove to be incompatible with ATS.

Step 5: Stay clear with your sections. Under the “Work Experience” section, list all your work experiences. Showcase your skills under the “Skills” section. This is the correct way for an ATS to understand what it is going through.

Step 6: For tailoring your resume, make use of keywords. These are short phrases or words that suit the requirements of a particular job.

For finding the ideal candidate, the system goes through all these keywords.

Take a look at the job ad for finding the correct keywords. Two kinds of keywords are there that you need to consider:

• Action verbs: It shows what you have fulfilled and accomplished in your job role. For example, solved, maximized, created, etc.

• Job-related skills: These showcase your primary qualifications and characteristics for the role, for example, problem-solving, research, data analysis, etc.

After scanning the job posting, list these keywords, and put them to use in the resume. Also, you must not insert your keyword at random places.

Step 7: For every employer, customize your resume. ATS has become widespread. It has become difficult to make a resume that gets straight into the hirer’s hands. So, make a custom resume for each of the jobs you are applying for.

Go through the keyword that your job ad states and focus on those keywords. Prepare a format that a robotic eye can read at ease. Indeed, you will need to invest effort and time in making a custom resume. But, in the long run, it will pay off.

Step 8: At last, you will need to run an ATS check on the resume. For making sure that your resume is ATS compatible, pick software to check it. Copy your resume information. Then paste it into the software. Then scan it. The software will tell you what your resume is lacking.

Conclusion:

Indeed, you will have to put in effort and time. But it is fruitful. When you make an ATS-friendly resume, you also make it easy for the recruiters to read. So, when making a resume that passes ATS, it will impress the recruiter as well.

Well, after preparing a killing ATS-friendly resume, opt for resume distribution services and get connected with maximum recruiters.