Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

What is an Applicant Tracking System? (ATS)

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software used by many companies to track and manage candidates during the hiring process. The software can come equipped with different capabilities depending on the needs of the company, and recruiters and hiring managers and other HR staff use this software to manage and analyze candidates and even support onboarding.

Now that you’re familiar with some statistics on Applicant Tracking Systems, let’s talk a little about how they’re used by most companies. Each organization has unique needs which determine the specific features that their ATS will provide but these are some more common uses of ATS.

• Source and attract qualified candidates through the use of artificial Intelligence (AI) that can create profiles of ideal candidates. This helps them to remain competitive and refine and better target the candidates aligned with the jobs.

• Manage the candidate journey from first contact through hire. ATS systems provide greater visibility of each candidate in terms of where they are in the process.

• Improve efficiency and lower cost by using an automated system instead of a laborious manual process to increase visibility into the hiring cycle and increase communication with key hiring stakeholders.

• Enhances the application process for candidates and supports a seamless onboarding process.

They’re here to stay. While applicant tracking systems are not perfect, with 62% of companies reporting that qualified candidates slip through the cracks with an ATS and only 25% of resumes are ever seen by a real person, 94% of companies admit that using an ATS has improved their hiring process.

Writing an ATS-Friendly Resume

While applicant tracking systems demonstrate significant benefits for employers, they’ve added a layer of complexity to creating a resume because your resume now needs to be written not just for people but bots as well. How do you then optimize your chances to beat the bots?

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are designed to look for keywords and metrics. If your resume is in a format that the ATS cannot read or recognize, unfortunately your very impressive background will never be viewed. Your resume will be discarded before it can even be seen by anyone. Knowledge is power. Now that you have this insight, you’re better equipped to make a decision regarding your resume. Here are some tips to help you create an ATS friendly resume to maximize your chance of landing an interview.

• Pick the Right Layout – With the right layout you can optimize your resume to give yourself the best chance of landing the interview. Seventy-five percent of resumes are rejected because the ATS couldn’t read their resume. Now you might understand why after sending out so many resumes you may not have received a call back. Using the right template and simple layout which includes an easy-to-read font is key.
• Fonts – Applicant systems are best able to scan and capture your information correctly when you use a common easy-to-read font.

• Headers and Footers – Many applicant tracking systems are unable to identify vital details such as contact information which is typically stored in the header and footer.  This is a major formatting culprit. It’s important to avoid templates that have information stored outside the body of the page.
• Columns – Not all applicant tracking systems are created the same and some systems will read columns left to right instead of column by column. Avoid layout options that include columns as your neatly arranged columns will become jumbled and indiscernible by the ATS. Instead, use simple layouts to ensure your information is successfully captured by the ATS.
• Headings – Make sure your headings are clear and concise in order to maximize your information being captured by the ATS. Use simple conventional headings such as Skills, Work Experience and “Education”. The top half of your resume is the most valuable space on your resume as this is where recruiters and hiring managers will look first.  It’s important to take advantage of this and list your headings in order of significance. However, the order in which you list your headings may differ depending on a few factors. If you’re a student or recent college grad it would make more sense to list your education or internships in the top half of your resume, whereas if you have more professional experience under your belt your experience would be listed in the top half of your resume.

• Key Words – Seventy-five percent of large companies automatically scan resumes for keywords to determine candidate relevancy, so incorporating the right keywords into your resume will help you get past the bots. This doesn’t mean just sticking any and every random keyword into your resume. Make sure they have the right context. Review and leverage the job description to identify the keywords that the employer may be looking for and incorporate those through your accomplishments.  

• Formatting – Use simple standard formatting. As tempted as you might be to create that super snazzy resume with lots of colors and fonts and interesting formatting, keeping it simple is the best way to go. Creating a resume that is eye-catching, yet ATS friendly is indeed a balancing act, but avoid those fancy formatting that could prevent the ATS from being able to capture your information.

Things to Avoid

• Images – Image files are oftentimes not compatible with ATS software
• Logos – Maximize the space on your resume and omit logos as ATS will not pick up logos
• Text boxes – Omit this information asthe ATS may be confused by the information hierarchy of a text box
• Graphics – As an ATS may not be able to correctly interpret information in a graphic, it’s best to omit this as well
• Tables – An ATS may be be able to read the information in the table in the correct order

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Easy Resume Templates is committed to helping job seekers receive as much assistance as possible as they navigate the job search process.  With our Team of Certified Resume Writers, Recruiters, and other HR professionals, we aim to provide expert knowledge, tips, and tools to help job seekers optimize their resumes and cover letters to not only get the interview, but land that job. Our team has significant years of experience within their specific fields and share their wisdom and knowledge to make the resume writing process easy and seamless. Let us help you land that job.
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When you use one of our templates, you are confident that you’re using a template that was created by experts to perform well with any ATS system. The templates are customizable and easy to use, and will allow you to create your resume in no time. You’ll be one step closer to getting your dream job.

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