Optimizing Your Resume for Applicant Tracking Systems
If you are applying to positions through job boards such as Indeed.com or Monster.com, or even through a large company’s website, chances are your resume may be scanned by an “applicant tracking system” before it makes it to a human resource official or hiring manager. Follow these guidelines to ensure that your resume doesn’t get “screened out” due to formatting or other issues.
File format. Not all file formats can be read by applicant tracking systems; even some of the more popular formats like .pdf. When prompted to upload your resume, it is best to follow the directions exactly – if you are asked for a resume in .doc format, be sure that is what you supply.
Tables, text boxes, and columns. Automatic tracking systems cannot scan and decipher the information that’s inside these particular formats, meaning that data won’t make it into your applicant profile.
Images. Just like tables, images and graphics also present a problem for ATS programs. It is best to keep them off your resume or hide them in the header. Most ATS cannot see information in headers and footers, so if you want to include graphics for the human viewers, keep them in those sections.
Headers and footers. And speaking of headers and footers, anything placed in these areas is invisible to the ATS and will not be used to create your ATS profile. Never put important information in these sections.
Borders, lines, and symbols. While some systems are becoming more adept at accepting advanced formatting, there is no way to guarantee a resume with borders, lines, or symbols will be read and scanned. Avoid using these elements when creating an ATS-friendly resume.
No special characters. Like tables, images, and other graphics, the ATS is not going to be able to decipher special characters. This includes, believe it or not, accents. So, avoid using accents because, for example, décor could instead turn out to be d*$co@.
Incorrect spellings. When searching your resume for certain keywords or phrases, they will be overlooked if they are misspelled. Manually proofread your resume before submission to check for spelling.
Job titles
While researching the position, be sure you pay close attention to the actual job title. For instance, if you are a Customer Service Manager in your current job, but the job title is for a Customer Care Manager, be sure that you include “Customer Care Manager” somewhere in your resume.
Education
Again, it is imperative that you precisely match your education and any special certifications, letter for letter. When the ATS scans your resume to identify your level of education or some specialized training, you want to be absolutely sure you get credit for them; even apostrophes and periods can sway the ATS against you.
Acceptable Formatting
Bold. Bold text is perfectly fine and recommended for your name, in section headers, job titles, and other areas of your resume that you want to emphasize.
Capitalization. Like bolding, using capitalization to add emphasis and draw attention is acceptable, and the ATS should have no problem translating it to your applicant profile.
Bulleted Lists. If you use a standard round bullet, the ATS will be able to read it just fine; just be sure to not use arrows or other special characters, as those will present a problem.
Fonts. Choose a standard font like Arial or Verdana and keep the point size from 10 to 12.
Colored Text. The use of colors in your content is okay; the system will still be able to read the colored words and translate them to your profile.
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Take control of your job search by making sure your resume is ATS-ready. Before you submit any application, double-check your formatting, match the job title and keywords exactly, and remove any design elements that could block your resume from being seen. These small but powerful actions can move your resume past the system and into the hands of a hiring manager — giving you a real opportunity to land the interview and the job.
