RESUME WRITING & THE DREADED ATS - Part I

I’ve avoided this topic, ATS, for a long time, so it is about time I added my $0.02 to the mix.

I am not a proponent of looking for job opportunities on job boards and submitting electronic resumes but it is inevitable many of you will. So here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind.

1: First you need to create a new version of your resume exclusively for ATS and electronic submission.

2: Be carful in the fonts you use; Arial, Georgia, Lucinda, Tahoma or Trebuchet is fonts I find work best with ATS.

3: If you have a border on your resume or you used some shading in some of the boxes for visual appeal get rid of them. Also if you have text boxes or you used a unique type of format, like the one I use for my bio-rez, place the text in a simpler styled, more traditional format and use the fancier one on the interview.

4: Spelling mistakes are harmful when it comes to human beings, but some folks will overlook them. Not ATS. If a word, especially a key word is misspelled the ATS will not auto-correct or know what you’re talking about.

5: A company uses language in a job posting that they are comfortable with, so I suggest you go over your resume and wherever possible use the exact same words and phrases they use to describe skills, experience and responsibilities. The ATS is programmed to look for these words so feed it accordingly.

6: I don’t know where this started or why, but nix white text key word insertion.

7: Stick to the facts. Lose some of the frilly adjectives and KISS.

8: If you have special characters or fancy bullet points get rid of them. I replace them with asterisks. : For ATS I will add special sections with keywords for technical skills, business skills and special skills and I will include industry specific acronyms that the ATS is programmed to look for such as CRM, FCMB, GAAP etc.

9: Do this for every job and the odds of a resume passing through ATS will be increased considerably.

10: Save and submit this resume in .doc and PDF only.

f you want me to review your resume send it to perry@perrynewman.com. There is no charge or obligation involved.