Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) scan resumes for keywords and sections. They rank or reject resumes that lack key terms or use odd formatting.
For an Assembly Line role, ATS looks for terms like "assembly", "quality control", "lean manufacturing", "SOP", "conveyor systems", "PLC", "blueprint reading", "OSHA", "forklift certification", "cycle time", "preventive maintenance", "soldering", and "torque".
Use standard section titles. For example:
- Work Experience
- Education
- Skills
- Certifications
Avoid complex layouts. Don’t use tables, columns, text boxes, headers, footers, images, or graphs. Those can confuse ATS parsers.
Write clear, keyword-rich bullets under each job. Match terms from the job posting. If the listing asks for "lean manufacturing" and "cycle time reduction", include those phrases if you have the experience.
Pick readable fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman. Use .docx or PDF unless the employer requests another format. Keep design minimal. Fancy templates often break parsing.
Common mistakes include swapping key phrases for creative synonyms. For example, use "quality control" rather than "ensured excellence." Also don’t hide dates or contact details in headers or footers. ATS may skip them.
Finally, list certifications and tools clearly. Put "OSHA 10", "Forklift Certified", or "ISO 9001" in the Certifications section. That ensures the ATS flags them for matches.