How to get your resume past a computer screening system

When you apply for a job online, more often than not, a computer will read your resume before a human does. The first thing to get past is a parser. The parser will read through your resume, identify and separate each section (education, skills, background) and upload it into the company’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Applicant Tracking Systems help companies sort applications, filter out spam, and often, do the first round of rejections using the information that the parser picked out.

While it can seem confusing, it’s important to remember that computer screening is usually pretty straightforward. More often than not, it is just matching the job description with your resume. This means that there are a few simple things you can do to dramatically improve your chances of getting your resume in front of a person.

First, the basics.

Your resume format is more important than you think. Some formats are simply too confusing for computer screening systems, so ensuring your resume format is simple and straightforward could help you get more responses. When your format is correct, a parser will be able to identify all the great info in your resume. Here are the main things to be aware of:

• Most screening technologies can’t read text off of images. That means that your resume should be a word doc or a pdf, not an image or scanned pdf. If you’re using an image, your resume may appear blank.
• Keep your presentation straightforward. Don’t use complicated tables or columns. Use a simple, legible font. We recommend a single column format, as having two columns on a page can make it confusing to a parser trying to read your resume left to right. An exception to this is a very simple two column format where the side column is just your contact info, like the resumes exported off of LinkedIn. 
• Use common terminology and language. By this, we mean you should label sections with clearly identifiable titles like “education”, “volunteer experience”, etc. This can help ensure that your information is being filtered correctly into a company’s ATS.

Next, consider your language.

When it comes to the language on your resume, there are really two things we want to bring to your attention, matching the job description, and strong, relevant language. 

• Remember that this screening system is probably doing a side by side comparison of your resume and the job description of the job you applied for. So any language included in the job description that you didn’t put in your resume is a missed opportunity. Not just that, but not including language the way it was written in the job description is a missed opportunity. What do we mean by this? If the job description asked for “7+ years of product management experience” and you included “I have almost a decade of experience managing the development of various tech products”, you aren’t getting credit for that first skill in most screening systems. A human would know that you’re qualified, but a human is not the first reader. If a job description asks for a “collaborator” and you wrote “team-player”, you missed an opportunity for an easy skill match.
• Include all of the keywords from the job description that you can in your resume. It is worth taking the time to edit your resume for each application you submit. If there are a few different kinds of jobs you’re applying for (for example, you’re applying to “social media manager”, “content partner”, and “community engagement” jobs), consider making different versions of your resume for each job in order to maximize keyword overlap.
• Use industry terminology. If your company calls your job “a level 4 leader” but the industry more commonly considers that position a “Managing Director”, then choose the latter for your resume. It’s okay if it isn’t your exact job title, a more widely understood job title will help a computer (and a person!) understand what you do.
• Just a note: we strongly advise against tricks like copying and pasting the job description into your resume, we find most systems can figure that out now, just try to incorporate their keywords naturally.

Clarity and confidence is key. Both computer screening systems & humans prefer a strong language. 

• Use STRONG language. Some computer systems look for power words like “executed”, “led”, “drove”, “dedicated”, etc. This language will help you stand out as a confident, capable applicant. A recruiter or hiring manager will also get the impression that you’re a confident and capable candidate. 
• Remember that this is your resume. It is the place you should be tooting your own horn. Don’t talk about others or your “team”, it is implied you didn’t work on your own. Focus on yourself, your accomplishments, and your contributions.
• Keep it simple, ditch the paragraphs and replace them with easy to read bullet points. Don’t include unnecessary details about job responsibilities or old positions that aren’t relevant to your work right now. This isn’t just easier for a computer to read, it’s easier for a human as well.

Lastly, be thoughtful about your effort.

The job search is hard during the best of times. You can do everything right and you will still experience rejection. We have found that most people who apply for a job online simply don’t hear back. In our 2020 survey, most professionals reported that they found their last job via a referral, co-worker, friend or family member. You don’t have to have a massive professional network to have an in. If you see an interesting job posting, go to that company’s LinkedIn page to see if anyone you’ve ever worked with works there. Or perhaps someone who went to the same school as you. It doesn’t hurt to reach out and let them know that you’re considering applying for a job at their company. Most people are more than happy to help. Ask them what it’s like to work at that company, what they wish they’d known when they started, etc. You can also reach out to the poster of a job opening on LinkedIn. This is typically a recruiter, and they appreciate active outreach from candidates.

When it comes to applying online, we typically find applying on a company website directly is a bit more effective than applying on a third-party job board. The exception to that rule being third-party job boards that offer a niche high touch experience (like a search firm or Meytier, of course). 

In conclusion, keep at it. Job searches are hard. Optimizing for computer screening is important, but at the end of the day, it’s only one part of your job search. Read our top interview tips here.

Have questions about this article or the job search? Shoot us an email at content@meytier.com