Recruiters across industries claim that upwards of 500 people will submit resumes for a single entry-level position*. So, how do HR professionals whittle these resumes down to a few good candidates? Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Put simply, ATSs are software programs that enable computerized handling of resumes. They store, organize and sort resumes based on requirements of postings by companies. ATSs are not used across the board, but for some of the most sought-after positions, these systems are becoming an industry standard. While this technology is helpful for recruiters/businesses, it can be a major obstacle for applicants. Recently, recruitment-insiders have been sharing tips to help you break through these system shortfalls:

• Keep it simple! No tables, graphics, headers/footers, fancy fonts. These elements oftentimes garble systems, leaving the whole document unreadable. While it may look appealing to you, it doesn’t to the system and won’t for the employer.
• Use basic formats. Don’t use elaborate header names–“Work Experience” to start your experience section will suffice.
• Don’t send a pdf. Most ATSs can’t read pdfs.
• Keywords–while they’re important (especially after reading job announcements/descriptions), computers are now better at noticing skills contextualized to a position, rather than skills as a stand-along. These computers are getting quite smart!
• Proper punctuation is important! I can never stress this enough. While you may think it makes you look more approachable to the average reader, ATSs often have difficulty reading paragraphs that are formatted incorrectly. Use well-placed commas, periods and always capitalize words that should be capitalized.
• The 1-page resume limit is a thing of the past. Don’t feel required to
• Do it right the first time–most ATSs will not allow for duplicate applicants. If you try to trick the system, your resume runs the risk of being blocked out completely.

The bottom line: computers are smart, but you can still out-smart them. Do you have tips/suggestions?

*these numbers vary per industry, position, etc.