Résumés & ATS

Résumés that pass the ATS and the recruiter

Most résumés are read twice before a person decides: once by an applicant-tracking system that parses the file into fields and ranks it against the posting, and once by a recruiter who gives it a few seconds. A résumé has to survive both, and the two fail it for different reasons.

This category explains how ATS software actually reads a document — which layouts and file formats parse cleanly, why columns and text boxes scramble your work history, and how keyword matching weighs a skill you demonstrated against one you merely listed. Then it turns to the human reader: leading with outcomes rather than duties, quantifying impact without inventing numbers, and tailoring each version to the role without rewriting your career.

You will find before-and-after bullet rewrites, an honest take on what "ATS-friendly" means, and the formatting rules that keep a single-column résumé readable on every screen.