How To Tailor Your Resume To A Job
One of the easiest ways to optimize your resume is to read the job description, identify relevant keywords, and naturally incorporate them into your document.
Let’s look at a practical example to help you understand how to do so.
Below, we’ll analyze two documents:
- A job description for a hotel development posting
- A sample resume tailored to that posting
Step 1: We started by highlighting the most important responsibilities of the role and the required skills that we would like to mention on the resume.
When reading the job description, focus on two key sections:
- Key Responsibilities
More specifically, pay attention to hard skills and industry terminology.
We evaluated a job description for a Head of Hotel Development position with Sonder and highlighted key terms that would be worth incorporating into the resume.
We encourage you to follow a similar approach.
To make the process easier, simply print out the job description on paper and grab a highlighter!
Step 2: We incorporated keywords related to those we identified in the job description.
Now that we identified key terms, we added them to the resume.
In doing so, we made sure to:
- Incorporate a few keywords that were exact matches in a natural manner to avoid the perception of keyword stuffing
- Include similar terminology that wasn’t explicitly provided in the job description
- Avoid directly copying and pasting long phrases from the job description
We highlighted the key terms on the resume below.
How To Format An Ats
The final thing you need to do to create an effective ATS resume is to make sure the formatting is ATS-friendly.
When you submit your resume to an ATS, it immediately strips out as much formatting as possible in order to analyze and parse the plain text.
This is why you should NOT use tables and columns in your resume. These design elements might look nice from a visual perspective, but they can interfere with the ATS ability to accurately read and interpret your resume. This could lead to your resume ranking lower or even rejected outright.
Your best bet is to stick to a simple design thats easy to read, and use clear headings and formatting structures.
Here are 8 tips for making sure your resume can be properly read by an ATS:
What Is Your Match Rate And How Can You Increase It
Sometimes its not enough to simply include important keywords in your resume .
Many ATS automatically compare your entire resume to the job description. This includes all of your work experience, education, qualifications, and skills.
Recruiters can then sort applicants based on how well they match the job description. If your resume doesnt have a high enough match rate, the recruiter might not consider you for the role.
Heres an example of how an ATS assigns a match rate to each applicant. This particular ATS uses the term Req Rank instead of match rate.
If you want to receive a high match rate, follow these three steps to make sure your entire resume is as relevant and targeted as possible:
You should also be aware that theres more than one type of ATS, and each type determines match rate differently.
For example, some ATS software recognizes plural versions of keywords while others do not. Knowing which ATS youre dealing with can change how you create your resume.
Read the full article: An Inside Look at iCIMS ATS Job Applications
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Tip: Create A Skills Section
A Skills section on your resume is a great place to include relevant keywords. These are generally hard skills, job titles, location, and work experience.
When including skills, think hard skills versus soft skills. Hard skills are concrete, such as Spanish fluency, financial analysis, and Python. Soft skills are important to the employer, but they are better proved in person than on your resume. Soft skills include hard working, team player, and interpersonal skills.
How Do I Know If My Resume Is Ats Friendly
Compare your resume to the ATS optimized example above. Pay attention to these aspects:
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Traditional, reverse-chronological format
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Relevant keywords used throughout the resume
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Simple formatting with clear headings
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Degrees and abbreviations are spelled out
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All experience relates to the same career target
If youâre having trouble comparing your resume on these factors by yourself, we have a free ATS resume scan tool that can help you out.
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Layout Tone And Readability
The key attribute of a top resume review is to have a perfectly composed layout, coupled with a professional tone, and a good readability score. Despite offering free resume checks in USA, we do not compromise on the quality of feedback!
As a committed resume writing agency, we write resumes and related write-ups to help our customers achieve their professional goals.
Send As A Word Document
A Word document, specifically a .doc or .docx file, is easily processed by all ATS out there and itâs also preferred by the majority of hiring managers. Although most ATS systems now process a PDF, some applicant systems still have trouble with them.
In our team of expertsâ opinion, it isnât worth the risk to preserve your formatting on an online job application! Send your resume as a Word .doc to rest assured that your resume can be read easily by any ATS.
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How Do Resume Checkers Work
In general, online resume checkers and scanners work in the same way. It’s pretty straightforward. All you need to do is upload your resume/CV and the job description of the position youre applying for, and the resume checker will analyze it instantly. Some sites might require you to create a free account to use it or leave your email to which the result will be sent.
Below are some elements that free resume checkers scans for:
- Format: word count, file type, sentence length
- Compliance with ATS
- Use of words: keywords from the job descriptions, words to avoid using, or repeated words
- Standard sections that need to cover
- Design and layout
- Grammar and spelling check
Aside from these, different resume checkers may provide additional feedback and even expert suggestions on how to write a powerful resume.
How An Ats Resume Checker Works
The applicant tracking systems use artificial intelligence to evaluate and categorize your skills, qualifications, education and more. The best free resume checkers let you upload your resume and paste the job description to help you tailor your pitch to the companys needs. They look for keywords, educational requirements, job title matches and experience levels and tell you whether the ATS will judge you as a good candidate. The free versions reveal basic comparisons, and a paid level may walk you through revisions and tailoring tips.
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Get A Personalised Cv Score In Seconds
Powered by Artificial Intelligence, the platform calculates a score for your CV that is based on hundreds of algorithms that make up 20+ checks. Your CV’s scorecard is made up of four categories: Impact, Brevity, Style and Soft Skills. These categories mirror what employers look for when reviewing CVs and applicants. A higher the score, the better the CV. Use this score to find out how your CV stacks up against the competition. You can upload your CV to the grader to get as many CV reviews as you need, for free. It’s like having a personal career coach by your side.
The Best Free Resume Checkers
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This week I look at free resume checker services that help you prep your resume to get past a companys applicant tracking system .
Two confessions before I begin:
Quick Links
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Why Employers Use Applicant Tracking Systems
When you think about it, todays employers are faced with a daunting task when it comes to hiring new employees.
This is because the internet has made it easy for job seekers to submit applications, so they submit a lot of them. Many of these applicants are unqualified and figured it was worth a try.
The result is that corporate recruiters now receive hundreds and sometimes even thousands of resumes for every job opening. This is why they need an ATS.
These automated systems simplify and speed up the hiring process, saving businesses time and money.
ATS software simplifies and speeds up the hiring process, saving businesses time and money.
The top ATS feature many benefits, including:
- Easier communication among hiring managers
- Faster applicant screening
- Reduced time spent on repetitive tasks
- Improved net hiring score
- Improved cost per hire
- Improved quality of hire
As a result of these benefits, ATS have become an essential part of the modern recruiting process.
How Can I Measure The Results Of Sponsoring My Job On Indeed
Indeed makes it easy to measure every aspect of their recruitment campaign. With Indeed Analytics, a feature available with Sponsored Jobs, youll be able to understand the performance of your jobs across Indeed. Here you can see high-level metrics, such as CPA , applications, clicks, apply rate and total spend, and determine where to dive deeper.
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How Do I Make An Ats
To create an ATS-compatible resume, youll need to refer to the job description of the position youre applying for. From this job description, youll be able to identify the job title, skills, and keywords you should include on your resume. You should also format your resume properly by sticking to a simple design thats easy to read, with clear headings and font type.
Which Keywords Should I Include On My Resume
If you have a resume ready to go, the Resume Scanner option is going to be your best friend here.
The Resume Scanner will show you which keywords are important for this role and it will show you how well you’ve optimized your resume for those keywords.
When you run the scan, pay attention to the Skill Gap column. This will show you which keywords you have optimized for and which keywords you might need to add in. The number in the red circle aligns with the amount of times this keyword should show up on your resume:
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What Is An Ats Optimized Resume
There is no universal trick to beating applicant tracking systems.
Getting past an ATS and landing a job interview requires a well-written resume that is mindful of ATS algorithms as well as the people pushing the buttons.
Heres our simplest advice for how to beat an ATS:
- Dont use tables or columns as they often cause major parsing errors.
- Use a traditional resume font like Helvetica, Garamond, or Georgia.
- Dont use headers or footers as the information might get lost or cause a parsing error.
- Use standard resume section headings like Work Experience rather than being cute or clever .
- Save your file as a .docx if possible.
You can automate a lot of this process by using Jobscans resume scanner, which quickly tells you how to optimize your resume to get the best results.
What Is An Applicant Tracking System
An applicant tracking system or ATS is a software application helping companies structure and organize their hiring process by automating time-consuming administrative hiring tasks. An ATS enables hiring managers and recruiters to attract, source, interview and evaluate candidates faster and more efficiently.
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When Should I Sponsor My Job
If you need to hire quickly or youre hiring a hard-to-fill position, sponsoring your job can make a huge difference.
Here are a few things to consider when deciding if you should sponsor your job:
- If you need to make a hire urgently, sponsoring can help you get more quality applicants in less time.
- If the hiring market is competitive for the role youre hiring, sponsoring your job can attract more candidates.
- If youre hiring in a location with smaller pools of talent , sponsoring your job can give it a boost so that its seen by more people.
Which Applicant Tracking Systems Work With Indeed
Many employers use applicant tracking systems to manage online recruiting. For a full list of applicant tracking systems integrated with Indeed, visit our ATS Integrations page.
If you dont have an ATS, Indeed has technology available at no charge that will allow you to track applicants when advertising on our site. You can manage all candidates that apply within your Indeed Employer Dashboard. In your dashboard, you can review applications, schedule interviews and view recommended candidates. This dashboard is available for all employers that post jobs directly on Indeed.
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Expert Feedback On Your Resume
Know what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for.
Our resume checker scans your resume to ensure your resume is impactful and includes job-specific keywords. The resume analysis provides numerous resume checks to include date formatting checks, proper use of words, and many other resume checks.
Cv Keyword Optimisation Tool
Use the Jobscan CV optimisation tool below to assess whether your CV effectively incorporates target keywords recruiters search for when filtering applications using applicant tracking systems.
Simply copy and paste your current CV and the job description for the role you are applying for into the boxes below.
The tool will analyse your CV and provide a percentage match score that serves as a benchmark of whether your document is sufficiently optimised for a target role.
Once you receive your results, review 4 the key areas of feedback you should pay close attention to below. You dont need to get caught up in achieving a perfect score!
1. ATS Findings
Check that your Education, Section Headings and Date Formatting align with the requirements provided in the ATS Findings section of the report.While some of these checks do not affect your percentage match score, they ensure key information on your CV is properly formatted and will correctly import into the ATS.
2. Recruiter Findings
While keyword optimisation is important, your CV ultimately needs to leave an impression on the recruiter or hiring manager who reads it.
Because recruiters want to see specific examples of the value you added in each role, the Measurable Results section of the report can help you benchmark whether you are incorporating enough metrics into your CV.
We also recommend carefully reviewing the Words to Avoid section, which outlines overused terminology and CV clichés that make recruiters cringe.
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Running Into An Issue Bug Or Other Problem
If you are running into a problem with the ResyMatch tool or you have a feature suggestion, we’d love to hear from you! Shoot us an email at
While we don’t have the resources to reply to every request , we do read every one and work the suggestions into future versions of the tool. We also ask that you read the FAQs below before emailing because we have gone ahead and answered the most common questions there
Why Do You Need An Applicant Tracking System
Using an applicant tracking system enables recruiting teams to hire faster. With an ATS, your hiring process and candidate pipeline is more efficient. You can attract more applicants, quickly filter out non-relevant applications and easily identify the best candidates to move forward. Another benefit of an ATS is the visibility you have on all your hiring initiatives by centralizing all the aspects of the hiring process. No more lost CVs and candidates waiting for a follow-up. No more endless meetings with your hiring team to make a decision. An ATS makes hiring simple and efficient.
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How Do I Add Screener Questions To My Job Post
When you post a job on Indeed, the Applicant Qualifications page will show you a list of pre-made questions or you can make your own. You can use a variety of question formats like:
- Request for file upload
After youve selected the questions youd like applicants to answer, you can mark must-haves as deal breakers. If you mark any screener questions as deal breakers, applicants who answered in a way that did not meet your requirements are automatically deprioritized and placed in your Rejected Tab. You can review these applicants at any time and move them to Reviewed instead.