How ATS Works and How to Optimize Resumes for Them

Understanding the ATS (Applicant Tracking System)

Applicant monitoring system (ATS) is a software used by employers and recruiters for effective management of the recruitment process. This will help you to  sort, filter, and rank your work application by scanning your resume on appropriate keywords, experiences and qualifications. About 75%of the resume uses a resume before reaching the human eye. 

 

ATS operation method:  

Summary Antiss-ATS is scanned and  resume is divided into structured data to determine sections such as work experience, technology and education. 

Comparison of keywords. He finds the contents of his resume and compares certain keywords and phrases with work guidelines. The rating and filtering of the resume  are ranked according to the relevance and only the top of the hiring table.  

Remove unknown candidates. If there is no standard for resume, ATS can be automatically rejected. 

 

How to optimize ATS's resume  

1. Use that keyword 

ATS is based on keyword comparisons, so adjust your resume for each description of your work. Determine and include industry terms, technologies and names mentioned in the publication. Example: If the optimization of SEO and Google Analytics is mentioned in the description of the task, make sure this term naturally appears in your resume. 

 

2. Select a simple format that is convenient for ATS 

Avoid complex formats, graphics, tables, heat or images. These factors can confuse ATS and lead to wrong data interpretation. Use a clean layout with clearly defined sections.  Use standard fonts such as Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman. 

Save your resume to Word (.docx) or PDF (not a scanned image). 

3. Optimize the resume section 

• Contact Information: Make sure your name, phone number, email, and LinkedIn profile are correctly formed at the top.  
• Experience: The date and bullet are followed by clarifying the list of work and the company's name and explaining the achievements. Use behavioral verbs and quantitative results (for example, sales volume for 6 months). 
• Section: Turn on the appropriate hard and soft technique for the description of the task.  
• Education: Clearly mention the degree, institution and release date. 

4. Use the standard headline  

ATS recognizes the following standard section headlines: 

• experience 
• education 
• technology 
• Certificate  
• Project 

Avoid creative headlines such as “I did what I did or travel” because the system may not interpret it correctly. 

5. Avoid the elements that cannot be read 

• There is no table or heat 
• There is no graphic or logo  
• There is no special character or fashion font 

6. Set for each employment application  

General resume reduces the opportunity of passing ATS. To meet certain requirements, change your resume for each task. 

 

7 Modify and test your resume  

Check the grammar error before sending and check if it is ATS. If the format is not maintained as it is, the resume can be converted to a simple text and confirmed. 

 

Last thought 

For applicants in today's digital environment, it is important to understand how ATS works. Convenient formatting for ATS, corresponding keywords, and clear headlines can enhance the noticeable opportunity through interviews with recruiters. 

 

If you correctly optimize your resume, your resume will not be lost in  ATS and is assigned to potential employers!