{"id":16519,"date":"2020-07-28T10:26:12","date_gmt":"2020-07-28T10:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/?p=16519"},"modified":"2025-04-14T04:01:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T04:01:25","slug":"how-to-write-a-resume-that-passes-through-applicant-tracking-systems-ats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/how-to-write-a-resume-that-passes-through-applicant-tracking-systems-ats\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Your Resume Beat The Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 7<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

What\u2019s that? Your online job applications aren\u2019t yielding positive results? More than likely, it\u2019s because you\u2019re up against an inhuman force. Meaning \u2014 an Applicant Tracking System or ATS. And your resume isn\u2019t up to the task of beating it.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not up to date with modern job search lingo, an ATS is an automated filtering algorithm designed to assess resumes for fit at scale.<\/p>\n

If you want to ensure your resume doesn’t disappear into the abyss of the internet and actually makes its way into the hands of a human recruiter, you need to know how to outsmart an ATS software system.<\/p>\n

These systems have been around for years, and research shows that upwards of 95% of Fortune 500 companies are using them<\/a>.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re not going anywhere and you\u2019d be wise to learn the main reasons they reject resumes.<\/p>\n

(Related: How to write a CV that Australian recruiters will love<\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Robots Are Getting Smarter.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Artificial Intelligence (AI\u2014and specifically Machine Learning, or ML) is the technology that\u2019s powering these ATSs – and it is advancing by the day. This means the robots that stand between you and your next job<\/a> are smarter than ever.<\/p>\n

Gone are the days when an ATS was a simple keyword scanner acting as a gate-keeper for recruiters.<\/p>\n

Enter an age in which the bots have female names \u2013 Olivia, Mya, Vera, for example. Check out this chat between a robot and a candidate:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sure, part of their role is to improve candidate experience versus going through a lengthy online application process), but make no mistake.<\/p>\n

Like Luke Skywalker\u2019s R2D2, they\u2019re all about serving their master. And their main objective is to deliver the top 20% of applicants for any open requisition to their human recruiters.<\/p>\n

The screening criteria they use are the clincher.<\/p>\n

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If you happen to land in the 80% of applicants that didn\u2019t make the cut, and you\u2019re truly a stellar candidate, both sides clearly lose.<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

How, then, to make it into the top 20%?<\/p>\n

You can save a lot of time and get outstanding results by using our premium CV services in Sydney and Melbourne<\/a> or my executive resume writing service<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, if you prefer to write your resume<\/a>, read on \u2013 my tips below will help you craft a resume that passes the ATS.<\/p>\n

But first, let\u2019s review some helpful background on the most current ATS technology.<\/p>\n

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We’re Not In Kansas Anymore, Toto.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Until recently, most ATS used a technology known as semantic search<\/em>.<\/p>\n

They were programmed to look for specific keywords while screening resumes, they tallied up the totals, and the resumes with the most keywords were passed along.<\/p>\n

This created an unfortunate phenomenon known as \u201ckeyword stuffing\u201d, which resulted in the creation of many resumes which were littered with scads of repetitive keywords and very little professional narrative.<\/p>\n

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In 2024, however, the robot that reads your resume looks for context.<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Sort of like a human would. It scans to see how your skills (those keywords) perform in the context of your work experience.<\/p>\n

The resumes with the most relevant context are the ones passed along. So in a way, your keywords are more important than ever – as is avoiding the practice of \u201cstuffing.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while the technology remains far from perfect, it\u2019s a major improvement indeed.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to beat the bots at what they do best.<\/p>\n

\"applicant<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Use Standard Resume Sections.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The ATS robot will scan your resume and look for expected sections<\/a>. For example, it\u2019s likely to be programmed to search for information on:<\/p>\n