This is Why Your Resume Gets Rejected: ATS Resume Format & Tips 2024
Hi guys! Have you ever experienced applying for numerous internships or jobs without receiving any response? Many people face this issue because their resume is not ATS-friendly. In this article, we will cover three things: what ATS means, why it is important, and how to make your resume ATS-friendly.
What is ATS?
ATS stands for “Applicant Tracking System.” When you apply for any opportunity online, you submit your resume, and it goes through a process called “Screening.”
Screening involves software that examines your resume to determine if your qualifications, skills, and work experience are suitable. It rejects irrelevant resumes and sends the remaining ones to HR for manual screening.
Why is ATS Important?
If your resume is not ATS-friendly, the software won’t read it properly, making it seem irrelevant. As a result, your resume will be automatically excluded from the screening process and won’t even reach manual screening.
I have a batchmate from IIM Ahmedabad who wasn’t getting any interview calls. We used a free tool to check his ATS score, which was 32 out of 100. No wonder his resume was getting rejected. In today’s AI-driven era, recruitment processes are becoming more automated, making ATS even more important. Therefore, making your resume ATS-friendly should be a priority.
How to Make Your Resume ATS-Friendly
Here are two ways to make your resume ATS-friendly:
Use Online Tools:
- Tools like Ai Apply, they provide a score for your resume and suggest improvements.
- My friend’s score improved from 32 to around 60 after using the tool, but manual intervention is also necessary.
Manual Adjustments:
- Font: Use simple fonts like Arial or Times New Roman. Avoid italics, diagrams, and graphs.
- Chronology: List your work experience and education in reverse order, starting with the most recent.
- Headings: Use proper, slightly larger headings for sections like education, work experience, and skills.
- Bullet Points: Use bullet points under each section for better readability.
- Action Verbs: Use powerful action verbs to make your sentences more impactful. This signals the software that your resume points are strong.
- Keywords: Tailor keywords in your resume to match the job description. Tools like Skill Syncer can help identify missing keywords.
- Quantify: Use numbers, percentages, or metrics to highlight achievements.
- Format: Submit your resume in formats readable by ATS, such as .doc or .txt. Avoid PDFs.
- Length: Keep your resume one page long, as some ATS software only scans the first page.
- Grammar: Ensure there are no grammatical errors. Use tools like Grammarly or QuillBot to scan your resume.
When I incorporated these pointers into my friend’s resume, his score improved to 84. A score above 80 means your resume is good and likely to pass the ATS screening.
I hope this video helps you. If it does, please let me know in the comments. Thank you so much for reading. See you next time!
Thank you for the read !
