What is ATS and How Does it Concern My Resume?

Roughly 250 applications are received for each posting that is listed on job searching platforms. Now imagine this for 30+ vacant positions. As you can imagine, this creates a huge workload for hiring managers recruiting for multiple positions. Therefore, many companies utilize ATS as a means to manage a high-volume of incoming resumes.

ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System and it allows companies to easily sort incoming resumes. These systems keep the resumes that exhibit potential, and “discard” the resumes that do not match the job description. Ultimately, the most important question becomes: How can I beat ATS? Read below to learn 4 ways to ensure that your resume makes it through ATS and into the hands of a hiring manager.

1. Strategically Mirror the Job Posting

Throughout our education, we have been warned of the consequences of plagiarizing! However, preparing your application documents is the perfect time to ignore that advice! About 75% of resumes will never make it into the hiring managers hands…why? Because these resumes did not incorporate important key words and phrases from the job description! If “analysis” is mentioned three times or more in a job description, it is guaranteed that ATS systems are looking for the word “analysis” in your resume and cover letter during the initial sort.

2. Utilize Simple Templates

We have heard the saying that first impressions are everything, and this is the most common reason that many of use choose the cutesy resume templates that are available. However, did you know that resume templates that include pictures, graphs, and tables are decreasing the chances of your resume getting through ATS systems? While these templates are easy on the eye, they often confuse ATS systems, causing some of your information to be jumbled, or worse…lost. 

3. Stick to the Hybrid Format

There are three different kinds of resume formats: functional, chronological, and hybrid. Most recruiters and resume writers recommend the hybrid resume, as it is a combination of the former two resume formats. Hybrid resumes follow the following structure: summary, skills, work experience, and education. Utilizing the hybrid format assists ATS systems and hiring managers in quickly finding the information that they want. Once your resume makes it into the hands of a hiring manager, they are looking for specific information in specific places.

4. Save Your Resume in Multiple Formats

Have you ever heard of the saying, “If you stay ready, you won’t have to get ready?” Well this is prime advice for the job search process. Upon completing your resume, make sure that you have it saved as both .pdf and .doc documents. Also, be sure to keep your resume saved to your email and to the cloud. Ultimately, saving your documents in multiple formats and in multiple places works in your favor.

Now that you have put your blood, sweat, and tears into crafting your ATS-proof resume, it is time to put it to the test! Save a third copy of your resume as a “plain-text” file. This allows you to see how your resume appears without all of the bells and whistles of bolding, underlining, and spacing. If all of your information has been retained and is easy to read, guess what? You officially have an ATS-proof resume! If not, go back to work to address and adjust the areas that were omitted or unable to be converted.

Diana Williams, Resume Tailor