Photo credit: Patrick Daxenbichler from Getty Images

Let’s talk about ATS. If you’re not familiar with ATS, it stands for applicant tracking system, and it basically serves as the gatekeeper for your resume when you apply online.

If you’re like a lot of job seekers, you have questions about whether or not your resume is ATS-friendly. 

If you’re like some, you may even break into a sweat at the mention of the term and the thought of those scary little bots, rubbing their tiny bot hands, and thinking up evil ways to prevent your precious resume from reaching the hands of a hiring manager.
 
3 questions that rise to the top of my clients’ lists of concerns when it comes to ATS:

• How can I present my skills to ensure they get read?
• Do columns, tables, and other formatting affect readability?
• Is it OK to use text boxes, graphs, and images?

Well, my friend, I hope the following answers will put your mind at ease and help you with your resume-writing strategy.

#1: How can I present my skills to ensure they get read?

Skills sections are typically presented in one of three formats: columns, tables, or inline (meaning you just list them across the page and separate them with some sort of symbol or vertical bar).

Any of these are fine, as long as there’s a space between the skill and other terms or symbols. 
 

Triple check for typos.
 

Of course, correct spelling is key to readability, so triple check those terms, with both a digital spell-check tool and your own eye. I work with a lot of technical people, and the unique spelling of apps and tools can be especially challenging to spell correctly. 

I usually ask clients to provide 1-3 similar job descriptions at the beginning of our work together. One of the reasons I do this is so we capture the skills that matter to the reader—both human and robotic.

As you review the job descriptions, pull out your physical or digital highlighter and identify those job-specific terms the company lists. Then you can add those skills to one of the readable formats I listed above.

Just remember that your skills should also be sprinkled throughout your resume—within context that’s meaningful for the human reader—once your resume gets through the ATS.

#2: Do columns, tables, and other formatting affect readability?

By now, ATS systems are sophisticated enough that you can ignore anyone who tells you formatting tools like shading, borders, and font styles (i.e. bolding and italicizing) will send your resume to the virtual graveyard. 

I can say, however, that you should stick to MS Word’s native font options. Times New Roman is definitely dated, but all MS Word fonts can be read by ATS.

As I mentioned earlier, tables are a good way to capture skills and key achievements. I often use this as part of my layout strategy if it works well for showcasing a particular client’s accomplishments.

You can insert a multi-column, 1-row table to do this. No need to add additional rows.

You can also use tables to showcase consistent YOY growth or other progress, rather than using tabs (which you have to measure across the page) or columns (which can be messy when you try to edit).

Although content in columns can be read by ATS, I use tables rather than columns because I find it’s easier for my clients to make updates on their own after we’ve worked together. 
 

#3: Is it OK to use text boxes, graphs, or images?

If you’ve worked with me, you know l may use word art (i.e. text boxes and graphs) or other graphics, but only if they add value to the document.

Sometimes job seekers might use infographic resumes—in addition to their main one—as a networking tool that they can hand out at an event or attach to an email. If you’re a graphic designer, a resume that’s filled with eye-popping artistic elements works well as a complementary calling card (and proof of your skills!).

But unless your graphics-heavy resume includes plenty of relevant text that can be read by ATS, you will still need a Word doc for uploading on a job site.

Likewise, a graph can provide a great snapshot of your achievements if done properly. Just understand that it won’t be read by ATS, so make sure any details contained by the graph are also included in the text (bullets, paragraphs, tables) of your resume. 

Graphs, text boxes, and other images should add value to your resume. Otherwise, leave it out.

Caveat: If a graph’s sole purpose is to add visual interest without emphasizing or simplifying readability of an achievement, omit it. More importantly, you don’t want the reader scratching their head trying to figure out what it all means, when the purpose is to provide an easy snapshot.

Here’s an example of when graphics work:

Say a job seeker has increased revenue in every one of their roles. I might want to share a quick-read text box next to each role so if the human reader is scanning, those details will pop. 

Another idea for using word art is if you have 3-4 top achievements you want to draw attention to. For example, I had a client who achieved 3 major milestones during her career:

✨ She developed her company’s first B2C digital platform.
✨ She built a $10B interactive business from scratch.
✨ And she launched her company’s first subscription service.

This information fits perfectly in text boxes at the top for easy human-eye scanning.

But…in addition to those graphics, in both client cases I made sure the accomplishments were included as regular text in other parts of their resumes so ATS would read them.

If you’d like to see what I’m talking about, you can get access to my samples by clicking here. 

Bonus: Headers and Footers

I’ve never been asked about whether headers and footers were readable by ATS, but this is worth an honorable mention.

ATS systems can’t read inserted headers or footers, so make sure your contact information at the top of your first page is typed directly onto the resume. 

You can then include these details in an inserted header or footer on the second page. In fact, I highly recommend that you use this tool on the second page, so the information stays put as you edit the main content around it.

I hope this clarifies your questions about ATS readability. If you have any other questions about optimizing your resume, send me a note and I’ll address it in the next issue.

Just remember: content always rules on a resume…not the graphics. At the end of the day, your resume will be read by a HUMAN, and your goal is to win that HUMAN over, even if you do have to make friends with those annoying little bots along the way. 

I’m cheering for you!