3 Proven Steps to Get Your Resume Past AI

Artificial intelligence has become a dominant factor in job searches and hiring. Companies are using AI-powered tools and applicant tracking systems (ATS) to sort through countless resumes.

By 2027, 25% of organizations will use AI-driven ATS to screen candidates. This means that when you apply for a job, your resume might not reach hiring managers at all if it isn’t optimized for the algorithms.

However, there’s plenty you can do to ensure your document will pass system criteria.

In this guide, we’ll explain how AI evaluates applications and show you how to modify your resume to actually have it reviewed by a human recruiter.

Here’s an AI-tailored resume example that you can use right away.

Understanding AI in resume screening

The main reason employers use ATS is simple–to save time. Companies can receive thousands of applications for a single job posting. Can you imagine how many hours it would take recruiters to sift through all of them if they had to do it themselves?

To determine if candidates are a good fit for a role, the systems scan resumes for keywords. These usually include terms related to or describing your experience, qualifications, and skills—as well as a multitude of technical jargon.

How AI reads and ranks resumes

The terminology and formatting you use on your resume can determine whether ATS interprets your content favorably.

Some systems categorize applications into “yes, maybe, no” piles while others assign specific scores. Usually, only the highest-ranking resumes make the cut.

This means that even if you’re qualified for a job, your resume might get filtered out automatically if the AI decides it doesn’t match the job description well enough.

It’s understandable if all of this gives you some tech dystopia vibes. But the reality isn’t as grim as you might think.

Have you considered that you too can tap into the power of AI and use it to get past ATS software? For example, did you know that Enhancv’s ATS resume checker is used every day by thousands of applicants all over the world?

How to get your resume past AI

In this section, we’ll show you how to beat AI and get your resume in front of a human recruiter. The best part is that these practices will also help you impress them.

1. Target keywords

The first and probably most important step to get your resume past AI is to optimize it with keywords. These are the words and phrases that the ATS is set to look for when going through applications.

Here’s a breakdown of the process:

• Identify target keywords: Read the job description carefully. Look for specific requirements: qualifications, skills, experience, and industry jargon.
• Use keywords in context: Merely having them on your document isn’t enough. Weave them naturally into your resume summary and work experience entries to describe who you are as a professional.
• Have a skills section: A dedicated hard skills section is the perfect way to list your technical abilities which also happen to be keywords. This way both ATS and recruiters can evaluate your skillset and determine if you meet the requirements.
• Use long-tail keywords: Target niche roles with more specific language. For example, instead of “marketing,” which is a broad term, use “digital marketing strategy.”

Does this already seem like a lot of work? Well, once again, this is something that AI can help you with.

To give you an example, let’s take a look at a job posting.

As you can see, we’ve highlighted certain parts of the text. These are the keywords we want to target.

To achieve this, we used Enhancv’s AI-powered resume builder to create an experience section that’s perfectly tailored to the job description.

To make this experience section even more effective, we used numbers and metrics to quantify the achievements of the candidate. This increases their chance of passing the initial ATS screening.

2. Optimize structure and readability

The next step in building a resume that gets ATS approval is to have proper structure and guide the bots with clear, specific writing.

Here’s how:

• Use standard resume headings like “Summary”, “Work Experience”, “Skills”, “Education”, etc.
• Maintain consistent structure and formatting throughout the different resume sections.
• Use a spell-checker to ensure your content is written correctly.
• Opt for standard, easy-to-read fonts like Arial, Rubik, Calibri, or Helvetica to ease human readability.

3. Use an AI-safe file format

Uploading your resume in an unsupported file format is a rookie mistake. The reality is there are only two safe options when it comes to ATS.

• .pdf (Portable Document Format): It’s quickly becoming the most preferred option for resumes because PDF preserves the resume formatting across platforms and devices.
• .docx (Microsoft Word Document): It’s a popular choice, used mostly out of nostalgia or not knowing there’s a better option.
• Other formats: If your document ends in .txt, .odt, or .rtf, then it’s better to move to one of the formats above as you run the risk of sabotaging your application.

Frequently asked questions

Dealing with AI can be confusing, so you might have a few more questions in mind.

How do I know if a company is using AI to screen resumes?

If you’re applying to a medium-to-large organization, chances are they’re using ATS to filter out undesirable candidates. Check the job posting for any mentions of ATS or something along the lines of “applications will be reviewed automatically.”

Should I opt out of AI resume screening?

Opting out of AI resume screening is possible with some job applications. However, this might mean that you are opting out of the application process altogether. If you go through the effort to optimize your resume to get past ATS, you might as well not opt out of AI screening.

How many keywords should I include in my resume to pass AI?

Instead of obsessing over a specific number, you should make sure that your content mirrors the job description. After you identify the most important keywords, there’s no need to mindlessly spam them, just mentioning them once in proper context is enough. After all, your goal is to write a good resume that’s easy to read by recruiters as well.

Does AI reject resumes that have images?

This is a possibility with older ATS. However, the latest software is quite good at doing its job.

Is AI going to replace human recruiters?

No. The purpose of ATS is to streamline hiring. These systems help recruiters to quickly identify the most qualified candidates and get them to the interview stage. In the end, a human decides which candidates will get a job offer.

Conclusion

AI is rapidly changing the world. More and more organizations around the globe are adopting it in their recruitment process. However, by following the best practices outlined above, you’ll easily get your application past ATS. Don’t forget that it’s still equally important to have a resume that’s impressive to humans.