How do I get past ATS scan and secure the interview? Best practices and examples.

In this article, we will discuss the following:

• How does ATS work?
• Which items do you need to adopt for ATS in general?
• Which file format is the best for ATS?
• How do you target your CV for a particular position?
• How can you speed up and automate this process with a free ATS checker?

How do I get past ATS scan and secure the interview?

Let's start with the general information. You have applied for a position and attached your CV. What's next? Your CV is usually scrapped by ATS automatically. The technology is 'looking for’ information in your CV in particular configurations on the document. Your name and contact information must be at the top. Skills usually are either at the top or at the bottom.

Guess what will happen with these fancy CVs?

A simple style resume with a clear structure wins a competition.

ATS software usually compares your resume with the job description. This method allows recruiters to focus on the candidates with the highest rank and demonstrate strong alignment with the job description and necessary qualifications. We will discuss later how to target your CV for a particular position.

Which items do you need to adopt in general?

If you apply for a European, American or Australian company, information must be written from left to right, from top to bottom. This is the way a human being reads and ATS scrapes your file.

Don't use additional columns to save space, and don't put any infographics, they are not going to be read correctly. Most applicant tracking systems do better at reading and interpreting a reverse chronological format because they rely on chronological data to parse your resume. The most relevant experience should be at the top!

There are also some recommendations about the fonts. They must be simple to recognize. These include Arial, Calibre, Cambria, Garamond, Georgia, and many others. The font size may be between 10 and 12 points, choose according to the amount of content in your CV.

Another crucial thing. As your resume is first recognized by automotive service in ATS, it is safer to avoid abbreviations. There are some exceptions to this rule. If there are industry-specific acronyms, it is better to add them to your CV.

For example, you have experience in search engine optimization or SEO. It is better to use both forms of this term throughout your document. Another example is PM and product manager, use both of them.

Which file format is best for ATS?

If nothing is specified in a job application, submit your resume as a .docx, .doc or PDF. If you want to see how it will look after scraping, choose the .txt format, it will show the text of the CV without formatting.

Last but not least. Check all spelling and grammar mistakes, otherwise, ATS won't recognize some information and it can affect your overall score.

How to tailor your resume for a particular job?

All crucial information is in the job description. The hiring manager or interviewer adds some keywords or phrases in the ATS, that are relevant to a particular position. So ATS will look for these particular items in your CV. That is another part of scoring your resume. These keywords are added in the job description too in case applicants know who exactly the company is looking for this position.

It can be for example work experience. So, if you have less than x years or you just wrote the start and end date at the previous position incorrectly, your resume will have a lower score.

Requirements and work experience are the most crucial areas in the job description. You need to identify keywords and then use them in your CV.

Try to line up some repetitive and emphasized information throughout the text and make your own experience relevant to it, with the usage of the same words or phrases.

Another good practice is to compare 5-10 similar positions according to the repetitive words and phrases used in the description of requirements, experience, and skills.

How can you speed up and automate this process?

Here is where AI is showing up. Use it for analyzing the work description and tailoring your resume to it.

Feed it with 10 similar job positions and ask it to do this work for you. You can ask it to find the main responsibilities within 1 description and rewrite your resume according to it. It will speed up the application process 10-15 times.

We have experimented with prompts for ChatGPT a lot and found the best way of using AI. Instead of offering a long list of keywords, our model analyzes the job description according to the main responsibilities and challenges and gives you suggestions according to your CV. You just copy and paste your own CV and job description. And get your tailored CV within 1 minute.