⭐️   The goal of an ATS is to understand if you're a good fit for a job. It will thus try to determine your most recent work experience and your hard skills (e.g. software, languages, programming languages) from your resume.

⭐️   Almost every company uses some kind of resume screening software or applicant tracking system. If you're applying for a job online, you can be pretty confident your resume will go through an ATS.

⭐️   Unfortunately, it goes without saying that companies miss out on some high quality hires by using ATS scanners.

⭐️   If your resume takes both these into account, there's nothing else you need to worry about. You'll be confident that your resume will be read by all kinds of resume software.

⭐️   With our free resume scanner, you'll also get detailed feedback on how to improve your resume's impact and bullet points. That way, you'll also impress a recruiter after the initial resume screen.

⭐️   Modern ATS are getting better at scanning multi-column layout but there are several ATS that fail at reading multi-column resumes in the way you'd expect it to - e.g. if your education and work experience were side-by-side, ATS might interpret your work experience as part of your education, or might not correctly interpret your recent work experience.

⭐️   There's a common misconception jobseekers have that to make their resume stand out, they need to use a fancy or creative template. Though, if you speak to experienced hiring managers and/or recruiters, they'll tell you that creative / fancy resumes are not only harder for ATS to read, but also harder for them to read too! Unless you're applying for a very creative role that requires a portfolio (and even then, not always!), you'll want to make sure you use a standard template that follows the guidelines

⭐️   Here are sample templates you can use if you are a Student, Recent Graduate or Experienced Hire.

⭐️   Always make sure your PDF was generated in either Word or Google Docs. This will ensure your text is highlightable.

⭐️   Refrain from creating your resume in Photoshop or online resume builders. While you can download/export the PDF from these tools, the text appears as an image and is often not highlightable / selectable as above.

⭐️   If you're wondering if you should use Word or PDF, read this.

⭐️   It might seem that your resume might look 'boring' without fancy fonts or designs. However, we can assure you that simple resume formats are what recruiters prefer themselves.

⭐️   Similarly, avoid creating your resume in Photoshop or graphic design software - tools like this convert text into images, making them unreadable by ATS.

⭐️   These sample resume templates are professionally designed and well-formatted for Applicant Tracking Systems.

⭐️   Don't use fancy fonts or icons in your section titles! This could result in your sections not being identified correctly.

⭐️   An ATS needs to identify your work experience to judge if you're a good fit, so especially make sure your work experience is labelled correctly.

⭐️   Use reverse chronological order when describing your work experiences.

⭐️   It takes only a couple of seconds to 'keyword optimize' your resume.

⭐️   Save the job description on your computer when you apply for a job. The employer might remove it by the time your interview is scheduled.

⭐️   We actually have a free tool, Targeted Resume, that's you should use here. One thing that's specifically useful about the tool is that it smartly identifies 'high value keywords'.

⭐️   Remember your resume will need to be read by a recruiter eventually! Use the right keywords in the right context, and don't compromise your resume's readability.

⭐️   It's important to mention that while you add in keywords, don't just add in variations (of keywords, tenses) where they don't make sense. Grammar is so important when your resume eventually reaches a recruiter / hiring manager, so you want to make sure your resume is grammatically correct.

⭐️   Specifically for acronyms, you want to be using the full forms as well as the abbreviated forms.

⭐️   For example, don't just say you are a 'team player' or 'strong leader'. Instead, give a specific example of professional achievements you've made in a team or as a leader. "Delivered XYZ project as project manager in a cross-functional team of 10 people..." gives recruiters a much better indication of the size of teams you've worked in as well as the role you had.

⭐️   Your resume should be a summary of your accomplishments, not your responsibilities. It should not read like a job description.

⭐️   Use action verbs and numbers to describe your accomplishments. Here's an example of how to write effective bullet points.

⭐️   Use an engaging LinkedIn headline. See examples here.

⭐️   Write a better LinkedIn summary. Generate one here.

⭐️   Make sure your LinkedIn matches up with your resume, including your job titles and work history.

⭐️   Use the free LinkedIn Optimization tool to get actionable tips on how to improve your LinkedIn profile and optimize it for specific keywords. Most users see an overnight uptick in new recruiters reaching out to them for the roles they want.

⭐️  Remember to consider the perspective of the employer! The reason employers use ATS is because they get way too many applications for their HR function to manually review. They of course want to find the candidates that are best fit for the role, and in essence, that's all they use an ATS for. So, make it easy for ATS to know you're a good fit by using the right keywords and ensuring your resume's readability.