Is Your Resume Ready for ATS?

ATS refers to Applicant Tracking Systems. These systems help recruiters and employers automatically scan resumes. In years past, experts advised candidate to include keywords on a resume so the ATS could pick up keywords. The early systems were based on semantic search functionality that facilitated the identification and counting of keywords. Due to advancements in ATS, that advice is somewhat outdated.

Today state-of-the-art contextualized resume scanning applications are used to examining keywords in the context of the entire document. Modern ATS applications identify dates associated with certain positions, accomplishments, and functions. Contextualization tools also parse words associated with the primary keyword, such as job titles and all the functions generally related to a job title.  In other words, these applications are smart enough to decipher the validity and relevance of each keyword.

Keywords remain important to the resume and must be included. Most applications use both primitive semantic search tools and contextualized parsing tools. If your resume is well-written, the appropriate key words should be naturally apparent in your resume.  A good test if you are hitting the key words is to compare your resume to the job posting under consideration.

Excessively-formatted resumes, including those embedded with pictures, graphics, and logos can be incompatible with ATS software. In some cases, your document can be booted from the system and removed from consideration because graphics can “choke the system.”

Another mistake to avoid is placing your name and contact information in a footer. This can cause the system to boot you or render that information invisible to the system, resulting in a missed opportunity for you.  It is best to place your name and contact information in the body of the resume, preferably  at the top of page one.

The bottom line is to keep it simple.  If you write your resume to include your major skills, functional experience, and accomplishments, you should hit the keywords and meet the contextual criteria.  If you have questions about your resume, contact us for a complimentary critique.

For more tips on formatting other areas of your résumé, review these blog entries: Résumé Help: Sales and Marketing Job and Stronger Bullet Points on Résumés and Cover Letters.

Résumé Help - Profile Polish…No Pronouns Please!

The first several lines of Ben’s résumé could be putting his job search on hold.  If Ben made changes using basic résumé guidelines, he could overcome this problem.  Résumé guidelines are not arbitrary.  They are based on an understanding how the human brain receives written communication and how recruiters and employers select candidates for an interview.  Every style used and every word chosen is either supporting your career goal or harming you in your effort to gain an interview invitation.

Looking at Ben’s profile, we notice that he begins every sentence with “I.”  Pronouns are never used on résumés.  Résumés are written in the staccato style and one aspect of that style is that the pronoun is omitted.  Why is this particular style used?   The staccato style facilitates a quick read. It enables a reader to get right to the heart of the issue.

Another problem using “I” throughout the profile is that it is redundant.  It has the same basic sentence structure.  It reminds me of a first-grader’s report on “how I spent my summer vacation.” So, not only is Ben boring his poor readers, he is showcasing a deficiency in writing skills. 

The profile is loaded with “I….I….I….I.” It truly is all about what Ben wants.  When I read this I know exactly what Ben wants.  It would more compelling to the reader to know the unique value that Ben offers the company.  The employer is reading the long queue of résumés to find someone to solve their problems and make them money.  They are not looking for ways to help Ben grow and become a manager.

In Ben’s defense, this is a common problem with résumés, especially candidates with limited work experience.  None the less, if Ben wants interviews, he must re-write the résumé profile.  If your résumé suffers from this affliction, start fresh and make a list of the skills and experience that you are bringing the employer.  How do you fill their needs?  Use that information to craft a succinct opening profile using less than 100 words.

Would you like to read more articles related to this entry? If so, please check out these entries:

Adding Impact to the Top Third of Your Résumé

Objective and Summary Format

Average Résumé s Don’t Get Job Offers

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If you would like a résumé critique, please contact Debra Wheatman at debra@careersdonewrite.com or visit us at http://careersdonewrite.com. The Résumé Help blog appears weekly on Mondays. 

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Using correct verb tense

Dear Deb,

My sister helped me by writing my first résumé last weekend.  In my current job she used the verbs, “supervise,” “control” and  “write.”  Shouldn’t it be “supervises,” “controls” and “writes?”   I don’t want to insult her because I know she spent a lot of time writing it for me.  But, I would be embarrassed if an employer caught her error. 

Darius B.

Dear Darius,

Your sister is correct.  Résumés are written in the first person, which means it is as if you speaking from your point of view.  Also, résumés are written in the staccato style to facilitate a quick read. In the staccato style, pronouns (such as “I”) are omitted as well as any articles (the, an, a).  Additionally we do not spell out numbers (9 instead of nine).  So, in a standard style statement, you may say, “I supervise a staff of 9.”  In a résumé, we would write, “Supervise staff of 9.”

Thanks for sharing your question.  That is a very common concern for individuals not familiar with résumé standards.

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If you have a question for Deb, please email debra@careersdonewrite.com. The Ask Deb column appears every Friday on our blog at the Careers Done Write website.