Does my resume need to be ATS compliant?

A common concern I hear is whether your resume will ever be seen by a person, or simply scanned and rejected before a recruiter or hiring manager ever sees it.

This is a valid question as more and more organisations use 'Applicant Tracking Systems' or ATS to manage their recruitment process. These systems have been around for many years and are mainly used to help recruiters effectively manage large volumes of roles and applications in one place. Currently, humans will always be involved in the recruitment process and making decisions on the best applicants.

AI will continue to enhance the recruitment process, and one way this is being implemented is by using AI to rank applicants based on their suitability for the role. However, this is still only done by a minority of organisations.

Whether you are applying through an ATS or sending a resume directly to a contact, the key essentials for writing a resume remain the same, although there are a few things to be particularly mindful of when it comes to ATS.

Presentation

• Use a clean, easy-to-read format with clear headings, bullet points, and plenty of white space.

• Make it easy to scan and include the most important information upfront.

• Keep it concise. There are no hard-and-fast rules, but try to keep it to 2-3 pages. One page is fine for students or those early in their careers.

• Proofread your resume carefully for any errors in grammar, spelling, or formatting. Ask someone else to read it for you!

• ATS consideration: Online resume formats (such as from Canva) may look impressive, but they are often confusing to read, and an ATS will remove any design features and colour to scan for information. Using multiple columns can also mean the ATS does not read the information correctly.

• ATS consideration: Follow the instructions for the document type when making an online application. Some ATS cannot easily scan information from PDF documents, so it may be safer to use a Word format.

  
  

Highlight Your Value

• Highlight your skills - these can include technical skills, personal skills, specialised training or certifications.

• Instead of simply listing job responsibilities, quantify your achievements with numbers and metrics whenever possible.

• There are different approaches to quickly highlight your value, such as a value proposition, a summary of key skills, or a career highlights section.

• Even if you aren't looking for a job, update your resume annually while your achievements are at the front of your mind.

Tailor Your Resume

• Make sure your resume addresses how you meet the key criteria required for each job application. Directly address how you meet the requirements in your professional summary, and back it up throughout your resume.

• It may be worthwhile having a 'Master Resume' that you can tweak for different roles.

• ATS consideration: ATS can scan your resume to check for suitability for the role. This is typically done by scanning for keywords. Review the job description and make sure your resume includes the keywords highlighted for the job.

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