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Resume Advice: Style vs ATS compatibility?
After getting laid-off one month into the pandemic, I took the time to totally revamp my resume to give it a more modern, eye-catching design. Once I felt confident in the changes, I made sure to solicit feedback on my new resume from trusted professional colleagues, friends and mentors. I made the recommended revisions, and have since even received a few compliments from recruiters on the stylish, easy-to-read format of this new resume. However, after using the pdf version of this resume to apply to 20+ online job listings, it was recently flagged to me that a potential reason I may not be getting any responses is that my stylish resume is not easily parsed by ATS, the automated resume filtering system. A quick ATS scan online confirmed this suspicion: the beautiful resume that I've been making sure to customize before each job submission is likely not even being read by recruiters due to it not being recognized by the ATS scanners.
Here is where I face my dilemma: should I scrap my stylishly crafted resume for a far more plain but ATS compatible version? Is it worth sacrificing the individuality of my current resume to make it through the first gates of the infamous ATS robot?
Any advice, especially from those with recruiting/HR experience receiving applications, is appreciated!
YASMINE KHALILClient Development & Operations
118
07/01/20 at 10:04PM UTC
@Tiana, I can relate.
I also created an awesome looking resume which I shared with my mentors and received great feedback and compliments.
I landed some interviews, but not all the ones I had expected.
Learned from a career coach that ATS optimization IS 100% NECESSARY.
One exception...getting in the door via a referral.
So, I revamped my resume accordingly & although I can't yet say it's made a difference (just happened) I do feel much more confident when sending in my resume.
My advice...do it. If you prefer sticking with the resume you've created, at least use Jobscan.co to guide you with hard & soft skills that may be missing.
I recommend reading this article:
https://www.jobscan.co/blog/skills-to-put-on-resume/
Best of luck with your job search!
Anne BarnwellResumes that get results
791
06/27/20 at 1:37PM UTC
I have no doubt that the resume format you are using is causing the problem. Yes, you can also use two different formats--one to apply and one for the interview--but you should already slightly customize each resume for the job you are applying to. Then you would need to do the same for your second version in the interview and hope that you catch all of the edits and changes you made.
Instead I suggest using Word and including ATS-compatible design elements within the resume. Then you have one resume for each job you have applied to.
Tianaadmin assistant by day, creative writer by night
21
06/27/20 at 8:48PM UTC
Thank you for the advice!
Anonymous
06/26/20 at 5:24AM UTC
It took me two years to learn the hard way that the above comment is right on the money. What a crazy world. It's almost funny to think about how much time and effort I wasted on crafting eye-catching "modern" resumes, not to mention the labor involved in customizing each resume to ensure that it aligned precisely with each individual job posting. ATS has been my invisible enemy, secretly creating a wall between me and the job opportunities I so desperately need, but I didn't even know of its existence until about 3 months ago! It's sickening to realize that Artificial Intelligence is now dominating the HR industry and that resumes are not being seen by human beings. Regardless of industry or position, I guess the singlemost important skill for jobseekers these days is knowing how to "beat" the ATS.
Georgene HuangCEO & Co-founder of Fairygodboss
5.22k
06/26/20 at 1:27AM UTC
Tiana, our team did some resume reviews a few weeks back and your question came up very frequently -- so you're not alone! I would say that you're on the right track in terms of thinking about the fact that your resume has to be ATS friendly at some level. I would advise you have two versions of the resume:
- One resume is for when you are applying to a large company and know there is no human being to appreciate your design.
- Another resume for when you actually get to a human being during the interview process (or potentially at smaller companies where the reliance on an ATS is less heavy).
Hope this helps!
Tianaadmin assistant by day, creative writer by night
21
06/26/20 at 6:09AM UTC
This is WONDERFUL advice, thank you! I’ll be sure to hold on to my perfectly-crafted resume for the stage when a real human can appreciate it! But a ATS compatible version of my resume will be what I will be using for online submissions moving forward! Thank you so much!
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