ATS & tools
How to beat the ATS myths and make your resume easier to read
The useful goal is not to outsmart a robot. It is to stop a good application getting muddled on the way in. Less secret code. More readable evidence.
By LaunchHire · Updated · Free guide
Separate parsing from selection
Parsing extracts information from your document. Selection is what an employer does with applications, requirements and other information. A parsing problem can put a date in the wrong field; that is different from knowing why an employer rejected someone.
Greenhouse documents examples of formatting that can fail to parse, including graphics and image-based documents. Fix the concrete file issue before assuming there is one universal rejection algorithm to defeat.
Reference: Greenhouse: unsuccessful resume parsing
Make the important facts ordinary to find
Use recognizable headings and keep each role’s title, employer and dates together. Put your actual skills in readable sentences and a concise skills section. Test the final export, not just the document in the editor.
Copy the PDF text into a plain text editor. Check the name, work history and reading order. This catches obvious problems; it does not reproduce every employer’s parser.
Before
Copied the job description into tiny white text.
Clearer
Described the relevant task under the role where I actually performed it.
Example wording to adapt to your own situation, not a claim or result to copy.
Do not turn keywords into fiction
Use terminology from the listing when it accurately describes your work. Explain an acronym once if it could be ambiguous. Adding invisible text, copied requirements or tools you have never used does not give you the missing experience.
If you have adjacent experience, describe it as adjacent. If a qualification is mandatory, answer the application question accurately. A resume cannot safely write around a requirement you do not meet.
Check what the application actually received
After upload, review autofilled fields where the portal allows it. Correct the employer names, dates and contact details. Follow the listing’s requested file format even if a generic article recommends something else.
A checker can help you spot questions worth investigating. It cannot promise that you will pass a particular employer’s screen. Keep a final copy so you know which version you submitted.
- Use selectable text.
- Review imported dates and names.
- Match terminology only when true.
- Keep a copy of the submitted file.