Resumes should have clean, professional formats that are optimized for Applicant Tracking Systems. 

Definition of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) ” Software applications that are used by employers to manage the entire recruitment process, from receiving applications to hiring employees.

Why does the Résumé Team make such a big deal about ATS? ” When a résumé is uploaded, it will most likely not be read by a human until it is read by the ATS. The résumé writer writer’s goal is to optimize the résumé for ATS so that it eventually gets into the hands of a person.

ATS Formatting Guidelines

  • Fonts ” ATS can read most standard fonts

Sans Serif fonts: Arial, Arial Narrow, Calibri, Century Gothic, Lucida Sans, Tahoma, Trebuchet, Verdana

Serif fonts: Book Antiqua, Bookman, Cambria, Century Schoolbook, Garamond, Georgia, Palatino Linotype, Times New Roman

  •   Symbols ” Use asterisks, dashes, hash tags” only symbols found on your keyboard. 
  •   Borders and Lines ” Fine to use if not touching any text. If in doubt, leave them out. 
  •   Bullets ” Fine to use but avoid fancy shapes. Make sure bullet is not touching any text.  
  •   Name ” List name and name alone on first line of the document.
  •   Contact Information ” Use city/state/zip code for local search, or omit if more beneficial to your client. List one phone number and one email address. You may include LinkedIn profile and/or other links. Links should be made live.
  •   Abbreviations and Acronyms ” Spell out the first time, show acronym in parentheses, and then use just the acronym.
  •   Section Headings ” It is essential to use common headings”Summary, Career Summary, Profile, Professional Profile, Professional Experience, Work Experience, Experience, Employment History, Education, Education & Training (or separate Education and Training headings) Certifications Technology Profile, Technical Expertise, Technical Skills, Professional Activities, Community Involvement, Languages”
  •   Employment Experience ” List company name first, with location (city and state). List the job title, with dates (months and years preferred). List every job separately with dates, description, and accomplishments ” no job “stacking.” 

ATS Formatting Dos and Don’ts

Dos

  •   Do stick to standard fonts

Sans Serif fonts: Arial, Arial Narrow, Calibri, Century Gothic, Lucida Sans, Tahoma, Trebuchet, Verdana

Serif fonts: Book Antiqua, Bookman, Cambria, Century Schoolbook, Garamond, Georgia, Palatino Linotype, Times New Roman

  •   Do only list one phone number
  •   Do make LinkedIn addresses and websites live for easy accessibility

Don’ts

  •   Do not use Headers and footers for important information, such as contact information; ok to use for page numbers
  •   Do not use graphs, charts, graphics, or logos
  •   Do not use accent marks
  •   Do not include parentheses or quotation marks for client name

For a nickname, use a dash after the last name (Shou-Yan Wang ” Jason)

  •   Do not send PDFs” always Word (PDFs are not universally recognized”.yet)

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