6 Tips to Create an ATS Friendly Resume in 2024 [10+ Templates]

Summary: An ATS-friendly resume can increase the chances of selection and puts you on the list of top applicants. Let’s find out how you can create one below!

In today’s competitive era, most organizations use the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to find out about relevant job applicants for specific job positions. Most ATS systems compare your resume to the job description automatically. The comparison is made on the required work experience, skills, and also education qualifications. Therefore, it is important for you to create an ATS-friendly resume that can be easily scanned and understood by an ATS system and ensure your application is among top applicants.

For that purpose, you can add important keywords to your resume that match the job requirements. Further, you can also use multiple ATS friendly resume templates to create your CVs. Let’s learn more about ATS-compatible resumes and a few tips to create one below!

What is an ATS-friendly Resume?

An ATS-friendly resume is a kind of resume that can be read and understood by any applicant tracking system (ATS). The resume is formatted in such a way that any ATS system can easily understand the resume content. To make the resume ATS-friendly, relevant keywords are added to the resume that can be easily detected by the ATS system. Further, the resume formatting should also be modified to compliment the requirements of an applicant tracking system.

Why Do You Need an ATS-Friendly Resume?

The majority of submitted resumes never reach the actual recruiter due to improper formatting and incomplete job information present in resumes. These resumes get rejected by ATS during the application scanning process. Hence, to pass through the initial screening process, it is necessary that your resume is ATS-friendly.

To make your resume ATS-friendly, it is important to properly format it and include all the skills and experience required for that specific job position. When your resume becomes ATS-friendly, you will get into the list of top applicants and the chances of your selection will also increase.

In this article, you will learn how you can create an ATS friendly resume in a few simple steps.

What is Your Match Rate and How Can You Increase It?

The match rate is the percentage of information in your resume matching the required job description. If the match rate is low, it means your resume does not match the job requirements. On the other hand, if the match rate is high, it implies that the experience and educational qualifications present in your resume match the given job description.

Recruiters generally refer to the match rate to filter out relevant applications from the talent pool. In case, if you have a low match rate, you can follow the given practices to improve it and ensure you include all the relevant data required for a given job description:

• First, you need to look closely at the job description you want to apply for and find the relevant skills, qualifications, and expertise required.
• Next, closely look at your own resume and identify how well it matches the job description. If there are a few areas where you feel lacking, then try to add important skills, experiences, and qualifications required.
• Lastly, add relevant keywords to your resume but ensure you do not overuse them because the resume should be readable.
• You can also use an ATS-friendly template to create your resume

How to Create an ATS-Friendly Resume in 6 Steps?

Follow the given steps to create an ATS compliant resume that can be easily read and interpreted by an applicant tracking system.

Step #1 – Find the Job Title and Put It in Your Resume Headline

The resume headline should be short and relevant to the job position you are applying for. For example, if you are a Finance Manager, then you can write your headline like this, “Finance Manager with 10+ years of experience in the banking sector”. Make sure to always include the job title in your resume headline clearly. In this way, when the ATS filters out job applicants, your resume will appear on the top.

Step #2 – Find Relevant Skills and Add Them to Your Resume

In addition to job titles, the recruiter will also search for relevant skills and experience required for the specific job role. Therefore, it is important for you to include all the relevant job experience in your resume to match the job description. If you are applying for the position of marketing manager, make sure you include all experience and skills like Communication, Project Management, and Content Management in your resume.

Moreover, ensure that too many keywords have not been used in resume as it may make the resume hard to understand for ATS and recruiter.

Step # 3- Add Relevant Keywords to Your Resume

It is important to add relevant keywords related to the job description in your resume to increase the chances of your resume being selected by the recruiter. For instance, if you want to apply for the position of “Marketing Manager”, make sure to include this keyword in your resume. Further, add other keywords like work experience and skills in the resume exactly as they appear in the job description.

Moreover, ensure that too many keywords have not been used in resume as it may make the resume hard to understand for ATS and recruiter.

Step #4 – Choose an ATS-Friendly Resume Format

Once relevant keywords are included, it is important to create your resume in a format that can be easily read and understood by an ATS system. Not creating the resume in an ATS-friendly format might lead to the rejection of your job application.

The most commonly used ATS-compliant resume is reverse-chronological order. Within this format, all your work experience will be added in the reverse manner, i.e., the recent work experience will come first, and past experiences will come later. While highlighting the work experience, make sure to include the following details like Company Name and Location, Job Title, Start and End Dates, Achievements and Responsibilities.

Step #5 – Make Your Resume Easy to Scan

Your resume should be easy to read for both the recruiters and ATS systems. Therefore, it is essential that the resume should be properly formatted for easy scanning and interpretation. Here are a few tips that you can implement for this purpose:

• Use simple language that can be comprehended by the recruiters and ATS systems.
• Use professional fonts like Garamond, Calibri, and Times New Roman to create a resume.
• Keep 1-inch margins on all sides of your resume to eliminate overcrowding sentences.
• Use Bold, Italics, and Underlining to highlight specific data and keywords
• Use Word document and PDF file format that can be easily scanned by any ATS software.

Step #6 – Things to Avoid When Formatting Your Resume

While creating ATS friendly resumes, make sure to avoid the following mistakes:

• Avoid using tables and columns to represent your data in a simple, precise manner.
• Do not use headers and footers as it can make it difficult for ATS to parse your data.
• You should not use images, symbols, and graphics as they can confuse the ATS.
• Avoid using fancy or creative headings and use straightforward options for mentioning your Work Experience, Education, Achievements, etc.

Try Our ATS Friendly Resume Templates

With ATS friendly resume templates, you can easily create resumes that can be quickly read and comprehended in an ATS system. Here are some of the most common templates that you can use for this purpose:

Key Takeaways

• Using ATS-friendly templates, you can create a resume that can be read and interpreted by an ATS system.
• Adding relevant job-related skills and keywords to your resume can help you to be one of the top applicants.
• Save your resume in Word and PDF format to be quickly read by ATS software.
• Label all the sections separately to make it easy for ATS to search for relevant experience, certifications, etc.
• Through the free ATS resume scanning, you can get the match score for your resume.

FAQs Related to ATS Friendly Resume