What You Need To Know About beating Applicant Tracking Systems
The majority of companies now use an Applicant Tracking System. This guide contains everything you need to know to beat the ATS and get your resume into the hands of a real person.
It isn’t just a trend — Applicant Tracking systems (ATS) are here to stay. Reports from the past few years suggest that up to 75% of companies use an ATS, including nearly 100% of Fortune 500 companies. Luckily, getting your resume past the screener isn’t as hard as you may think. This guide contains everything you need to know about how to beat the Applicant Tracking System and get your resume into the hands of a hiring manager.
What is an Applicant Tracking System?
Applicant Tracking Systems are automated programs that scan resumes for specific keywords and filter out any that don’t meet their criteria. But even the ATS isn’t perfect — in fact, most hiring managers admit that some qualified candidates are probably being filtered out.
How do Applicant Tracking Systems actually work?
Here’s a look at an Applicant Tracking System in action:
- A company has an opening for a Software Engineering role that requires experience with Java.
- The job opening is posted on popular job search sites like Indeed.
- The hiring manager receives 250+ applications from people with backgrounds in sales, marketing, and human resources as well as those with software engineering experience.
- The company searches its ATS for the keyword (“Java”) in all resumes.
- The ATS shows resumes that have the relevant keyword (“Java”) and those without.
- The hiring manager reads only the resumes that mentioned Java.
The benefits? The hiring manager now only has to read a manageable number of resumes and hasn’t wasted their time on a hundred job applicants without the necessary experience. Potential downsides? Some exceptional candidates may have resumes that couldn’t be read by the ATS and were discarded in error or may have forgotten to explicitly include Java knowledge on their resumes. Despite that risk, more and more companies are making the switch. That’s where we come in — our guide aims to minimize the number of job seekers getting unfairly rejected.
How an Applicant Tracking System works and filters applicants
How to beat the Applicant Tracking System: A step-by-step guide
It might seem complicated, but beating the ATS is only about two things: readability and relevancy. What does that mean in practice? Let’s break it down, step by step.
An infographic that shows you the key things to keep in mind to get past applicant tracking systems
Readability: Make your resume readable
An ATS scans your past experience and skills to determine whether you're a good fit. If it can’t read your resume, it will assume you don’t have what the company is looking for and will automatically discard your application. Obviously, we don’t want that to happen, so here’s how to prevent it.
Don’t scan and upload your resume — this can make it nearly impossible for the ATS to read. Not sure if your resume is scanned? Open it in Chrome, Preview, or Adobe Acrobat Reader and see if you can highlight/select the text.
Ensure your resume content is highlightable like here, so it gets read by ATS
If you can’t highlight the text, neither can the ATS, and this means it won’t be able to read it.
Use a standard template
This one is good advice whether you’re preparing your resume for an ATS or not. A single-column layout is best; while some ATS is getting better at reading multi-column layouts, they can still glitch and parse things incorrectly. For example, if your work history is in one column and your education is in another, an ATS could read them as one single section and fail to properly understand your experience.
And don't use tables — similar to multi-column layouts, tables rarely get parsed correctly by ATS, so it’s best to avoid them entirely. Use tabs and right/left aligns to structure your resume instead.
Use a standard one-column template to ensure your resume gets read correctly by ATS
Don’t fall for the common misconception that you need to use a fancy or creative template in order to stand out — keeping it simple is the best strategy.
How To: Download our ATS friendly resume templates, which are already optimized for ATS to give you a headstart.
Use a PDF format
It’s almost always better to submit your resume as a PDF. Why? Different versions of Word can change your layout, fonts, and formatting — chances are you’ve worked hard to make sure your resume looks good, and you shouldn’t risk messing that up. It’s also more easily shareable - with PDF, recruiters and hiring managers don’t need to have Office installed to read your resume. That said, you can use Word if it’s been explicitly asked for.
How To: Create your resume in a simple program like Word or Google Docs. Using Photoshop or fancy online resume builders might seem like a good idea, but the PDF you create will end up as an image that isn’t highlightable.
Use standard section titles
This is another thing hiring managers don’t love, and it gets even worse when an ATS gets involved. Avoid trying to liven up your resume with non-standard section titles like, “My career in a nutshell.” “Work experience” already says everything it needs to, and it’s what the ATS will be scanning for, so don’t make it any harder to find than it needs to be.
Again, avoid using icons, images, or creative fonts — if the ATS can’t identify the section, it won’t know what it’s reading. And stick to reverse chronological order for your work experience. Not only is that the standard that recruiters expect, but it’s also how ATS are programmed to interpret your experience section.
Use standard section titles so your resume gets read correctly by ATS
Make sure the ATS — and the real person who’s going to read your resume afterward — understands exactly what you mean (without having to think too hard about it).
How To: Read our no-nonsense guide on how to title your resume sections.
Don’t get creative with fonts and images
When it comes to resume visuals, it’s time to go back to basics. Stick with standard sans serif fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Garamond. Some newer fonts convert letters to special characters which often get scanned incorrectly by the ATS.
The same rule applies when it comes to using pictures. The ATS also won’t process images, so avoid icons, graphics, pie charts, and diagrams. And not just because of the ATS — recruiters and hiring managers also prefer a simple, clean resume. Some resume builders often suggest showing skills as bar charts or graphs - avoid doing this!
How To: Find the best fonts to use on your resume.
Relevancy: Keep it relevant to the job
Now that you know an ATS can actually read your resume, it’s time to make sure it reads the right things! Tailoring your resume to target the skills and experience the employer is looking for will give it a high enough score to get it past the ATS and into the hands of a recruiter.
Use the right keywords
The best way to beat Applicant Tracking Systems is to use the right keywords. How do you know which keywords are the right ones? Look at the job ad! Employers will generally include a list of "must-haves" — the skills and experience they're specifically looking for. These are the important keywords you'll want to include. And remember to save the job description when you apply — the employer may take the opening down by the time you get to the interview stage, and you’ll want to have it handy as a reference.
How to beat the Applicant Tracking System by using Targeted Resume to find out if your resume has the important keywords an ATS is looking for
How To: Upload your resume to our Targeted Resume tool. It will do the job for you by analyzing the job posting and telling you what keywords you’re missing.
Avoid keyword stuffing
Including keywords = good. Keyword stuffing = bad. So what’s the difference? Use keywords in the right context and don’t overuse them. It’s better to use a handful of keywords naturally throughout your resume than to have a whole section of gibberish. The latter may help you get past an ATS, but it’ll get that same resume thrown out as soon as it hits a recruiter’s desk. The trick is to identify the most relevant or “high value” keywords and use those sparingly — never compromise the readability of your resume for the sake of including less relevant information.
How To: Check out our database of resume skills and keywords. Simply search for the title of the job you’re applying to and it will generate a list of high-value keywords for you to include.
The best place to put most of those keywords is in your skills section. This can be easily customized for each job you apply for and will only take a couple of minutes. The results are well worth the effort!
Use a skills section to include keywords from the job description and help get past ATS
You can list skills by category to make it even easier for the hiring manager to read.
Use keywords in your work experience section to get past ATS
Another great place for keywords is in your work experience section. This approach allows you to demonstrate how you’ve used those skills in action by including them as part of your bullet point accomplishments.
List your skills in your project section to ensure you get past ATS
You can also include keywords in your projects section if you have one. Including hard skills along with quantifiable metrics is a good way to optimize your resume for a real person at the same time.
How To: Check out our detailed blog post on how to write a resume skills section.
If you can, try to include each keyword exactly as it appears in the job description. This means using the same spelling and abbreviations, but not including endless variations of the same keyword or twisting your sentences until they’re no longer grammatically correct. If the keyword is an acronym, include both the full and abbreviated form.
You should also use the exact job title you’re applying for somewhere on your resume. If you’ve held a similar job before, this one is pretty easy. If you’re applying for a Business Analyst position and your current title is Analyst or Data Analyst, consider changing it to Business Analyst, using a combined Data Analyst/Business Analyst title, or using the term Business Analyst in your bullet points. Using a slightly different version of your job title isn’t dishonest as long as it’s still a true reflection of your actual job (and this goes double if you have a buzzword-filled title like Business Ninja — it’s best to change that to a more standard title no matter what).
How To: Read more about how to list work experience on your resume in a way that will get you past ATS.
Don’t use buzzwords
Buzzwords and soft skills have no place on your resume. Every employer is looking for motivated, hard-working team players with leadership skills, but it’ll take a lot more than simply saying you fit the bill to make that convincing. Even if they’re on the job description, keywords like those are ones you can leave off your resume guilt-free. Instead, demonstrate those qualities through your accomplishments. "Delivered [project] as a project manager in a cross-functional team of [x] people,” tells a recruiter or hiring manager about the size of the teams you’ve led and your specific role, and it’s a lot more effective than simply stating that you have leadership experience.
It goes without saying that hiring managers and recruiters will never, ever search resumes in their ATS for words like “hard-working”, “determined” or “go-getter”! These are meaningless buzzwords to them and will not help you get past the ATS — and makes your resume worse off.
How To: Show, don't tell! Demonstrate soft skills on your resume by including accomplishments that show how you used those skills in action.
Tips for career changers
If you’re changing careers and have never worked in a similar role to the one you’re applying for, consider including a resume summary — a short paragraph briefly outlining your experience and what you’re looking for. For example, if you’re a project manager and you want to move into a marketing role, you could write:
Project management and marketing professional with 5 years of experience seeking a position as a marketing lead in consumer software. Managed launches of two large-scale projects including [project description], resulting in a 45% increase in quarterly revenue.
A resume summary gives you a chance to include skills and keywords that might not have a place elsewhere in your resume. This doesn’t mean you should say you’ve held a similar role if you haven’t — instead, use it to emphasize your transferable skills. If you’ve upskilled or completed any relevant qualifications, draw attention to them here as well as include them in your education section.
How To: Read more about how to write a resume summary if you're changing careers or use our handy resume summary generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many companies use ATS?
It's hard to put an exact figure on the number of companies using ATS. Different surveys over the past few years have put the overall number somewhere between 55% to 75%. what we do know is that a) a majority of companies use ATS, and b) bigger companies are more likely to use them than smaller ones — in fact, a whopping 99% of Fortune 500 companies now use Applicant Tracking Systems.
What do ATS look for?
It's important to understand that resume scanners aren't 100% automated — there's always a real person at the other end of the ATS software. The hiring manager decides what non-negotiable skills or experience they’re looking for and programs the ATS to scan for those keywords. ATS will only ever scan for hard skills, so while "PMP" or "InDesign" may be ATS keywords, "time management" won't be.
How do ATS algorithms work?
Again, that depends on how the company has decided to use its ATS. Most ATS are programmed with basic filters — for example, scanning for resumes that use the keyword "sales" or looking for resume gaps by scanning dates of employment. Sometimes, resumes that don't match the ATS algorithm will be automatically discarded; other times, these keywords will simply be flagged to make your resume easier for hiring managers to skim, or your resume may even give a preliminary score to speed up the recruitment process.
ATS can also be used earlier in the job application process. When submitting an online application, you'll often need to answer questions about things like your background and availability. Some of these are knockout questions — for example if the application asks whether you possess a certain qualification or are willing to travel, answering "no" to these questions can lead to automatic rejection.
How effective is ATS?
According to a report from Harvard Business School, over 80% of employers agree that qualified candidates are being screened out of the hiring process because their skills and experience don't exactly match the criteria in the applicant tracking software. That's why it's so important to use the right keywords — if in doubt, always check the job ad, as ATS keywords are likely to use the same phrasing.
Why do companies use ATS?
If it’s so flawed, why use it? The simple answer is, it saves companies time and money. The average job posting gets over 250 applicants, and a lot of those are the result of job hunters mass applying to every semi-relevant job they can find. Instead of paying an employee to manually read through every application, an ATS can quickly scan resumes and filter out unqualified applicants, narrowing down the pool to a much more reasonable size.
Will a real person read my resume?
Yes! The ATS is just the first step. Once your resume gets past the ATS, it will be manually reviewed by a human recruiter or hiring manager. This means no keyword stuffing or cheap tricks like including a copy of the job description in your resume. The ATS doesn’t decide who gets the job — just who gets in the front door.
Are some Applicant Tracking Systems different?
There are different kinds of ATS, but they all do the same thing. You don’t need to worry about figuring out which specific ATS you’re up against — the steps above will ensure your resume gets read by all ATS, no matter what software they use.
Can I cheat the system?
There's no reliable method of cheating ATS. Beating Applicant Tracking Systems isn't about finding a shortcut — it's about including the right keywords and making sure ATS can easily read your resume.