Tag: #Resume

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How to Make Your Resume ATS-Friendly and Land More Interviews – Guest Post By Sajan Prajapati

Given the current job market conditions, one can be a well-qualified applicant but still lose in the hiring process, not due to lack of talent or anything else associated with experience, but because the resume is unsuitable for applicant tracking systems (ATS). Currently, as the dependence on technology increases for recruitment processing, resumes should be made similar to how businesses enter the technology evolution to offer online or digital solutions. Making your resume ATS-friendly becomes not an option but essential if you want to be at the top regarding interviews and careers.

So, dive into this article for the strategies, tools, and best practices to help you create a strong ATS-optimized resume that catches the eyes of software algorithms and, more importantly, human recruiters.

What are Applicant Tracking Systems

Before we dive into optimization techniques, let us first understand what an ATS is. An Applicant Tracking System is a software application that helps recruiters organize the recruitment process by classifying, filtering, and ranking applicants based on specific criteria. Therefore, it means that ATS software scans resumes for keywords, formatting, job titles, and relevant experiences they possess to determine how well a candidate fits a certain position.

If your resume is not formatted or written in a way that aligns with what the ATS is looking for, it might never reach the eyes of a hiring manager, even if you are the perfect fit for the role.

Why It is Important to Optimize for ATS

Many large organizations receive hundreds or thousands of applications for a single job. Thus, ATS has been created by recruiters to shortlist applicants quickly. Reports say that almost 75% of the resumes are discarded exclusively through these ATS systems before a human sees them. Therefore, all job seekers must understand and apply ATS-friendly techniques to avoid being rejected automatically.

With the increase of startups, mid-sized companies, and even freelance platforms gradually adopting some applicant screening technology, the importance of having an ATS-compliant resume has only increased.

Key Strategies to Make Your Resume ATS-Friendly:

1. Stick to the Basic Headings and Structure

An ATS looks for well-known section headings, such as “Work Experience,” “Education,” “Skills,” and “Certifications.” Creative or vague headings like “What I’ve Done” or “Learning Journey” might confuse the system, losing important information. Use basic terms.

In reverse chronological order, arrange your resume. ATS systems understand this format best, and recruiters generally prefer it.

2. Leverage Digital Tools for Optimization

Several online sites offer tools for analyzing and rating your CV against job descriptions to recommend ways to improve it. These tools identify keywords you haven’t included, formatting problems, and other things that might weaken ATS compatibility.

It’s also easy to use a resume maker app with templates that are already ATS-optimized, which saves time from formatting mistakes.

3. Use Simple Format

Most job seekers showcase their artistic impressiveness by over-designing their resumes, often with multiple designs, usually featuring graphics, columns, or images. Such demesne can confuse the different algorithms of an ATS while parsing. Just use a clear and minimalist layout with:

  • One-column format
  • Standard fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri
  • Bullet points instead of text boxes
  • Does not integrate any images, charts, or logos

Most ATSs cannot read information in headers, footers, or tables; thus, they are best avoided.

4. Save Your Resume in the Right File Format

The most recommended format acceptable by the ATS is .docx (Microsoft Word). Though PDFs are now commonly used for uniformity in appearance, not all will parse this file type correctly, especially older ATS.

To play it safe:

  • Save in both .docx and PDF for application purposes.
  • When you do submit your resume to an online job portal, use .docx unless the portal specifies otherwise.

5. Do Include a Professional Summary, Not an Objective

A well-written professional summary immediately tells the ATS and the recruiter about who you are and what benefit you bring to the company. The objectives speak more about what an applicant wishes than what a company requires.

For example: Professional Summary: “Results-oriented digital marketing strategy with over six years of experience in SEO, content marketing, and paid media. Proven ability to increase organic traffic by 150 percent within six months.”

Such summaries contain many keywords, metrics, and role-defining phrases that are easily picked up by ATS systems.

6. Prove Your Accomplishments with Quantified Results

Do not note the responsibilities, but instead show, with the accomplishment’s impact, what was done. Number your achievements and include a percentage or specify a specific period.

Example:

  • Improved SEO strategy that resulted in a 60% increase in website traffic.
  • Reduced customer attrition by 20% through a feedback-based retention system.

These bullet points impress professional recruiters and hold crucial keywords that ATS tools look for.

7. Alter Your Resume for Each Job Application 

Using the same resume for every job may be tempting, but modifying the resume for each specific application significantly increases your chances of evading an ATS. Tailor accordingly, tweaking into:

  • Changing the headline and summary
  • Interchanging job descriptions to fit the way it is presented in the job posting 
  • Replacing like or accentuating different skills depending on the requirements of the role 

It is usually very difficult for a generic resume to pass through the screening process compared to one tailored for a specific job.

8. Include Both Acronyms and Full Terms 

ATS could usually be designed to capture an acronym or its full form, but usually not both. To guarantee your resume goes through well, it should contain both versions whenever relevant.

For example:

  • “Experienced in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay-Per-Click (PPC), Customer Relationship Management (CRM).”

This ensures that whether the ATS is searching for “SEO” or “Search Engine Optimization,” your resume will match.

9. Keep Away from Exotic Fonts and Symbols 

Icons and rare fonts might not parse well when interpreted by ATS software. Use a standard font, such as Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, or Times New Roman, and avoid including symbols, icons, or emojis. Use standard characters for your bullets and dividers. 

10. Insert Relevant Keywords

Keywords are the primary criteria used by the ATS for filtering. These are specific words or phrases from the job description definitions, such as job titles, required skills, tools, and technologies. Examples are SQL, Python, data visualization, or Google Analytics for a data analyst job.

  • Browse several job descriptions for your target role.
  • Pick common keywords and blend them well, finding natural places to insert them into your resume.
  • Apply a mix of hard and soft skills, but give more weight to the hard skills and tools, as they are more likely to be recognized by the ATS.

But do not make keyword stuffing—repeating keywords unnaturally just to game the system. The ATS may catch it, and even if your resume slips in, human recruiters will find and assess it later.

11. Use Action Verbs to Begin Bullet Points

ATS algorithms scan resumes for dynamic action verbs that show initiative and impact. These include:

  • Manage
  • Lead
  • Design
  • Create
  • Achieve
  • Implement
  • Develop
  • Improve

Beginning every bullet with a powerful action verb improves readability and matches the algorithm’s search for performance-oriented candidates.

12. Update-Optimize at Regular Intervals

A resume should not be treated as a dead document. It said that each project you have completed or new skills and industries gained should also mean updating your resume. From time to time, update your resume with new additions, such as achievements and certifications, or optimize its keywords to stay fresh and ready when the right job opportunity comes along, without scrambling for the necessary components.

Final Thoughts: Making ATS Work for You

In a digital-first environment, mastering how to format and tailor your résumé for technology is as vital as how you present your experience. Knowing how ATS works and aligning your resume content and structure to it can significantly increase your chances of making it past the first round of screenings and into the hands of a recruiter.

Writing an ATS-optimized resume is a very complex task. However, the payoff is very much worth the effort. With the right approach, tools, and strategy, your resume will clear the bots and dazzle decision-makers.

Combining attention to detail, the strategic use of keywords, and clear formatting will make your résumé an effective tool in landing more interviews, getting quick action on those interviews, and ultimately securing the job you aspire to.

Author Bio

Sajan Prajapati is a content writer and digital marketing strategist specializing in SEO and content optimization. With over seven years of experience helping brands grow their online presence, he specializes in crafting engaging blog posts, articles, and product descriptions that resonate with readers and rank well on search engines. Sajan regularly writes for industry-leading blogs and enjoys sharing tips on content marketing and effective storytelling.

If you are interested in writing a guest post on my blog, please mail your pitch at swati.mathur1701@gmail.com

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Difference Between Resume Making and Resume Building

In order to understand the difference between a resume making and resume building first we need to know what Resume is:

Resume is a marketing documents which is used to make a favorable impression on the recruiter. This is the first point of contact so make sure that it is impressive and to the point. A Resume is a detailed summary of your credentials which greatly assist you in various arenas of your professional life. The sole purpose of your resume is to sell your credentials for the purpose of employment. Your Resume is to get you an interview, not a job! . An Interview call means your resume has made a favorable impression and your qualifications and experience have been found to be appropriate for the assignment. The thought of having to write a resume can be daunting for the most seasoned of players and even more in the current job market, so for fresher who wouldn’t know what to include, what to leave out and what format to followed can be a big dilemma. There are times when Resume is sent through e-mail, that’s when the need to know basics of E-mail Etiquette’s comes into picture. You can know more about resume making here.

Resume making is mainly putting your achievements on a sheet of paper. It has more to do with the structuring of your details. It can be done on a short period of time. While resume building is a continuous and a complex process which should begin very early and spread over a period of 3 to 4 years.. It is the act of visualizing the content of your resume.

So when should the task of resume building begin?

Ideally, when a student enters his/her graduation course and set her/her professional goal. The student should visualize what their resume should contain and start working towards achieving them, Let us now understand what should the resume contain and more importantly why? To answer this question, we need to think from the point of view of the interviewer. It is very common for any student to be tensed before a job interview. It is because, there is a lot of uncertainty regarding the type of questions that he/she might have to face in the interview. It is possible for a student to exercise control over the type of question they might have to face, at least to a certain extent. Yes that true but this can only happen when they start focusing on resume building.

Now this can happen if your resume has all these content:

  • Internships : Where a student will have a short term work experience in any company to get some entry level exposure to a particular industry or field. It is as much as learning experience as it is work. Here students spend their time on specific project of their interest, learning about the field, networking and developing hard and soft skills.
  • Workshops : This is where a teaching staff presents theme or concepts or the development of a skill related to the course of the study. Workshops gives more hands on learning however also allow more discussion, debate, interaction and presentation on a given topic.
  • Seminars: It is an important part of an academic program where a group of advanced students studying under a professor with each doing original research and all exchanging results through reports and discussions.
  • Project : This is nothing but a learning by doing. Students needs to do many mini projects and major project in their final here. This will give them exposure and deeper understanding of the concepts . A project is a chance to immerse yourself in a more ‘active learning’ experience. It will include activities such as planning, researching, creating, thinking critically, building, testing, and reporting.
  • Self Study: Using self-study, students are able to go beyond simply learning what their class textbooks and instructors teach them. By practicing self-study, they are encouraged to further explore topics they are interested in, developing stronger study skills as a result.
  • Paper presentation: Paper presentation is a technical event which is an individual competition where each participant is required to make a paper about a given topic or area, and then present it in front of the juries. It involves extensive research and originality.
  • Proactive technical orientation: The Technological  Orientation scale measures the tendency or habit of seeking to increase one’s repertoire of skills and uses of technology-based resources and programs; toward valuing the Internet and other technological means of accessing credible sources of information or researching a problem; toward being interested in staying current and learning about new technologies.

You are literally telling the Interviewer the areas to ask you questions from. Isn’t this better than having theoretical knowledge and being scared of the interview? When the questions are from your area of interest , your experience and efforts, should you be worry about technical excellence, inferiority complex. going blank or low confidence? Resume building helps you to build confidence and that lead to success. As the saying goes ” Failing to plan is equal to planning to fail”.

If a student understand the basic difference between resume making and resume building , he not only become successful and confident but will be prepared to face any tough situations with ease.

@SwatiMathur

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Ace Your Interview Skills – Campus To Corporate

This is my Fourth post on the theme Campus to Corporate. Hiring manager decides to call for an interview based on your impressive Resume and after you clear your other rounds like, technical, aptitude and group discussion.Therefore personal Interview is one of the most crucial in the process of recruitment as this is the final round which decides whether you are in or out.

Job interviews are of utmost importance for you as a job aspirants, especially if you are taking your first step in this regards. Hiring manager calls for an interview only if you pass through Group discussion especially if they are going for mass hiring. A good interview can make or break the confidence of a job seeker. In this world of employment it is more important than ever to have good interviewing skills due to increasing competition and the main reason for this is that graduation rates are increasing and students will leave college with more competition. If you fail to create a good impression it could cost you an opportunity.

This shows that having good grades and appropriate working experience is not enough to get your dream job, you need to have strong interviewing skills.

Planning and preparation before the interview

  • Collect as much as information as you can about the organization you will be going for an interview.
  • Go through the job description and requirement in detail as you will know what is expected from you.
  • Resume and Interview call letter should be carried along when you are called for an interview.
  • It is important that you confirm the date and venue before you head for the interview.
  • Groom properly and look your professional (Dressing) best.
  • Conduct mock interview with your friends and family members.
  • Be prepared with the expected questions you expect, read and reread and edit them to make them concise and practice these polished answers out loud, repeatedly.
  • Try to be positive and do not worry about outcome.
Continue reading “Ace Your Interview Skills – Campus To Corporate”
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16 Resume Tips for Freshers – Campus to Corporate

Resume is a marketing documents which is used to make a favorable impression on the recruiter. This is the first point of contact so make sure that it is impressive and to the point. Building up of Resume should begin as early as possible so that you have enough content to showcase to make perfect first impression. This is where the journey of campus to corporate really begins.

A Resume is a detailed summary of your credentials which greatly assist you in various arenas of your professional life. The sole purpose of your resume is to sell your credentials for the purpose of employment. Your Resume is to get you an interview, not a job! . An Interview call means your resume has made a favorable impression and your qualifications and experience have been found to be appropriate for the assignment. The thought of having to write a resume can be daunting for the most seasoned of players and even more in the current job market, so for fresher who wouldn’t know what to include, what to leave out and what format to followed can be a big dilemma. There are times when Resume is sent through e-mail, that’s when the need to know basics of E-mail Etiquette’s comes into picture. So here are few tips to help freshers in writing a Resume.

Continue reading “16 Resume Tips for Freshers – Campus to Corporate”