How to Optimize Resume for ATS? - A Dependable Guide
Welcome, job seekers and career enthusiasts! Let’s talk about a little something that many companies use to make their hiring process more efficient: the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Now, picture this – you’ve put so much time and effort into crafting the perfect resume, only to find out it gets lost in the vast depths of the ATS. Frustrating, right?
Fear not, to help you with this, we have curated a dependable guide to help you align your resume for ATS success.
In this blog, we’ll unravel the mysteries behind these gatekeeping algorithms and equip you with practical tips and practices to make your resume shine in the applicants’ crowd.
Understanding The ATS and its Function
To optimize your resume for ATS, it’s essential to understand how these systems work. ATS software is designed to scan resumes for specific keywords, formatting, and other criteria set by employers. By familiarizing yourself with the algorithms of ATS, you can tailor your resume to meet these requirements.
Practices That Help Through ATS
Use Relevant Keywords
Keywords are the backbone of an ATS-friendly resume. Analyze the job description and identify the keywords and phrases that best represent the required skills and qualifications.
Incorporate those keywords strategically throughout your resume, focusing on the summary, skills, and experience sections. However, ensure that your keywords are naturally integrated all over your resume.
Let’s say you are a professional graphic designer looking to get a new job. What keywords would you integrate according to the job you are applying for?
Sounds confusing? Read on – Here is the solution.
Okay, how would you integrate keywords in your resume summary according to the job post defined below?
Job Description: Seeking a detail-oriented graphic designer with proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, strong typography skills, and experience in branding.
Can’t come up with something? Have a look at an ideal example
Tailored Resume Summary: “Highly skilled graphic designer proficient in Adobe Creative Suite with a keen eye for typography. Extensive experience in developing impactful and effective branding strategies.”
By mentioning the relatable skill in your resume summary, you can easily relate to your targeted keywords.
Choose an ATS-Compatible Format
This is also one of the crucial factors for optimizing your resume for ATS. Simple and clean formats are generally the most ATS-friendly. You may use any of three professional formats – Reverse Chronological, Functional, or Hybrid format (the combination of both reverse chronological and functional format).
Okay, let’s talk about how you would identify the right resume format.
Trust us, this only just sounds like a mystery, but it’s not. Here is the simple answer.
Being a professional graphic designer, you must go with the reverse chronological format. This format focuses on highlighting your professional background, which helps you to prove yourself as a relatable and capable candidate.
Suppose you are a fresh graduate or looking for a mid-level job. You may go with the functional format. This format prioritizes your skills more than your education. This will make your resume ATS capable and relevant to your potential recruiter.
Now last but not least is the Hybrid format. If you are making a career switch, this format can be the right choice. This would equally emphasize your education, skill set, and job experience.
However, to get a more effective resume format, avoid using fancy designs, tables, or columns as they may confuse the system. Stick to a traditional resume format (told above) with clear section headings, bullet points, and standard fonts (such as Arial, Calibri, Poppins, or Times New Roman).
Optimize Section Headings
Good Work Makes Your Good Luck. To optimize your resume for ATS, your heading should make the resume look nice and professional. Also, ATS software also prefers to pass the resumes having clear headings. This means ATS relies on section headings to identify and categorize information.
So, for better results, you may use standard headings such as “Summary,” “Experience,” “Education,” and “Skills.” Avoid creative variations that could confuse the system – Yes, due to AI emergence; this software is also getting more advanced day by day. But it is good to play your cards safely; Hence, don’t forget to ensure consistent formatting throughout your resume, using the same font style and size for all section headings.
Include a Compelling Summary Section at First
Okay, let’s face it. Your summary section is the first space that hiring managers usually review. So, try to make it relevant and impressive as much as you can – Just give your 100%.
This is how you can do it.
Place your summary section at the beginning of your resume serves as a snapshot of your qualifications, experience, and expertise. Craft a concise and compelling summary that highlights your most relevant skills and experiences. Incorporate important keywords while maintaining a natural flow. Aim for a summary of 2-3 sentences that captures the attention of both ATS and hiring managers.
Here is the ideal summary example for the marketing professional.
“Well-experienced and result-driven marketing professional with a proven track record in developing and executing successful digital campaigns. Proficient in data analysis and market research, with a strong focus on driving brand growth and customer engagement.”
Focus on Achievements
Have you ever wondered why do professionals share all their achievements? – No matter how huge or tiny they are.
Let us explain!
Your achievements at your workplace or in your professional journey actually prove and are brief about what you have conquered in your professional career. Not only this, these achievements may sound minimal to you, but these actually work as steps toward your career goals.
So, while listing your experience, emphasize your accomplishments rather than simply outlining your job responsibilities. Quantify your achievements wherever possible. This will not only make your resume more compelling to human readers but also help ATS systems recognize you as a valuable resource.
Okay, let’s get to the digital marketer’s example but specializing in social media marketing.
This is the ordinary way to incorporate job responsibilities in your work experience: “Managed social media accounts and created engaging content for the company’s online platforms.”
Now this is the compelling and ATS-friendly way to highlight your job responsibilities with achievement: “Increased social media engagement by 45% through strategic content creation and targeted audience analysis.”
Proofread and Tailor Each Resume
To optimize word resume for ATS, proofreading and customization is the key. It tends to chase the perfection of your resume, and everyone is eager to hire a perfectionist.
So, ensure your resume is error-free and tailored to each job application. This assists in avoiding generic resumes and common typos such as spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and formatting issues.
Furthermore, pointing out your own mistakes is a difficult task, even for us. What to do in this situation?
Here is a suggestion that could bring some perfection to your crafted resume.
- Take a break and read it again.
- Ask for another person to do this (proofread) for you – May be your friend or enlist any professional resume services provider company.
Okay, that’s for this piece.
Ending Note – Conquer your Ideal Job
Optimizing your resume for ATS is essential to maximize your chances of getting noticed by potential employers. Comprehending some complications, like how ATS works and what practices (mentioned in this piece), can help you to meet the ATS Algorithms and land at the interviewer’s desk. Still, if you are unable to optimize resume for ATS, you should contact us. We will help you with the right guide, which will be capable of meeting the ATS algorithms, and impress the hiring manager to get hired. And you may also read out article for impact of ATS on Executive Resumes.
Call Finest Resume Writing Services To Optimize Resume For ATS
Finest Resume Writing Services is the right choice for all types of resume writing help. We have a team of experts, including dedicated resume writers for every industry. This approach ensures that you will get an ATS friendly plus attention-grabbing resume to give a spark to your career. Contact us now, and let us assist you in getting hired at your ideal workplace.
Quick Questions
Keywords, format, and prominent sections help you to meet the ATS Algorithms and land you at the interviewer’s desk.
Ideally, your resume summary shouldn’t be more than 2 or 3 lines. Lengthier paragraphs might confuse the ATS bots, and as a result, you might face rejection.
Being a fresh graduate or an inexperienced candidate, you may utilize the functional resume format, as it prioritizes your work experience and skill set. These would align your resume according to the job description you are applying for. Ultimately get you past the ATS.
