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A Guide On How to Make an ATS Friendly Resume


Finding a perfect job opportunity is a real struggle. It requires a lot of effort and skills. After all the efforts, failing to find the perfect job opportunity? Maybe it is because you are throwing your job applications in an empty hole.

Companies in the digitalized era have become highly innovative and time-saving. It is because of the integration of the software and technologies that help them to perform their tasks.

One of them is tracking the right application for the job vacancy they have. The “Applicant Tracking System- ATS” is software that most companies now use to track the right candidate for their company. The software receives filters, scans, and rates the job applications for the recruiters. It has imposed a challenge on job searchers to write and send resumes that are ATS-friendly. Job searchers put a lot of effort into finding a perfect job yet the failure of creating an ATS resume makes them lose the job opportunity for which they were a perfect fit. Although, it is not easy to make an optimized resume, yet by following the tips under, it can be effectively done:

Selecting the Right Type File:

Although it is a popular belief that PDF is the most ATS-friendly file type for resumes, not every software determines the PDF file. PDF files are known to be best at preserving the format and design for resume templates. However, sometimes they are not compatible with all ATS Software. Here, you need to pay close attention to the company’s requirements where you are planning to send your resume. You have to check whether there is specified that the file format must be PDF or Word file format. In case there is nothing mentioned regarding it, you should play safe and stick to Word document in docs or doc format.

In Header or Footer:

It is important to consider here that you should never put important information in the footer or header. It is not the ability of all the ATS software to parse and read the information that is stored in either the footer or header of a Word document. In fact, our research has identified that ATS does not identify almost 25% of the information, and this information is usually the one present in the footer and header. Therefore, it is important that you avoid adding your contact information such as name, email, phone number or address etc.) in the footer or header.

Keywords in the Resume:

People often make their resumes attractive by trying to adopt a different language. One must completely avoid this experiment. Remember one thing, the more you keep it simple, the more is elegant and attractive. It is not the era of fanciness. Try to stick to plain language and make use of the keywords. ATS looks for the keywords that employers specifically add to it. The resumes in the ATS are usually filtered through the keywords. You have to make sure that you use the words that match the job position and have more chances to be included in the software. For instance, if you are applying for a job that requires good communication and interacting skills, try to enter words like “Communication, Skills, Networking, etc.” It makes the software filter and rates your resume on the top.

Bullet Points:

If you use it correctly, highlighting accomplishments through bullet points is an accurate method of highlighting your skills and bringing your resume to the top. Also, a resume is not a letter or discussion that you must involve paragraphs. It has a higher chance of making the reader lose his/her interest in your resume. In addition to this, the software usually has bullets installed in them, and the bullet points are filtered more accurately than the paragraphs. Here, you have to ensure that you use the bullet points accurately and highlight your achievements, skills, and goals through them. For example, you can write as:

  • Communication Skills
  • Networking Skills
  • Certification in the field
  • A top performer in the XYZ field

Resume Design:

As we have highlighted above, less is more. Sticking to simplicity is the key route to success in getting the job opportunity. When designing your resume, you have to make sure that you choose the simplest design for you and stay away from fanciness as much as possible. Also, ATS software filters out and does not rank complex resumes, and therefore, people end up losing the job opportunity. So, here you must consider a simple resume design to remain on top.

One Application at a Time

Last, but definitely not least, the most important point is to not try to trick ATS by sending loads of resumes in the same job application. You must ensure that you are applying for one position in the company at one time. If you keep sending the resume on the same job application, you are highly likely to get into the ignored list.

The ATS system is a strong AI that is designed to ease the people working in the companies. If it detects the same resume numerous times, it may add you to the deny list and starts to ignore your resume. It can make you lose many job opportunities in the future.

Therefore, apply only once for the same job position in the same company by sticking to the above tips presented to you. Overall, we have given you the right tips to follow for resume building that is ATS friendly. Although it is an easy process to follow yet, there are still chances of making mistakes in it. Also, it can be challenging if you do not have experience in it.

Getting the right job is important for every individual, and if you are currently looking forward to availing yourself of an opportunity, you may not want to ruin it. Don’t worry, and you can buy resume online? We are here to assist you 24/7. Connect to our support now and get an ATS-friendly resume-building service now.