Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are software programs employers use to screen resumes before a human reads them.
For a Physical Scientist, ATS look for role-specific keywords like spectroscopy, GIS, remote sensing, field sampling, water quality, laboratory analysis, data analysis, MATLAB, Python, QA/QC, geochemistry, hydrology, and EPA methods.
- Use plain section titles: Work Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications.
- Include clear dates and locations for jobs and degrees.
- List skills and tools explicitly rather than hiding them in paragraphs.
Avoid complex formatting. Don’t use tables, columns, text boxes, headers, footers, images, or graphs. ATS can skip or misread those elements.
Pick standard fonts like Arial or Times New Roman and save as .docx or a simple PDF. Fancy templates often break parsing.
When you describe experience, use exact keywords from the job post. If the job asks for ArcGIS and Python, write ArcGIS and Python, not just "mapping software" or "scripting."
Common mistakes include replacing industry keywords with creative synonyms, hiding dates in headers, and relying on visuals to show skills.
Also avoid leaving out certifications or lab methods that employers expect, like ASTM tests or EPA sampling techniques. Missing those keywords can stop your resume from matching.