Appendix 5: ATS-Friendly Resume Optimization Checklist
. Appendix 5 ATS-Friendly Resume Optimization Checklist Purpose of Appendix 5 Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are widely used by organizations to screen, rank, and shortlist resumes before human review. This appendix provides a practical, step-by-step checklist to help learners: Improve resume visibility in ATS Avoid automatic rejection Align resumes with digital recruitment systems Increase chances of human shortlisting A. Understanding ATS Screening An ATS scans resumes to: Identify keywords and skills Match job requirements with candidate profiles Rank resumes based on relevance Filter out non-compliant formats 📌 Important: A well-qualified candidate may still be rejected if the resume is not ATS-optimized . B. ATS-Friendly Formatting Checklist ✔ Use simple, clean layouts ✔ Avoid tables, text boxes, columns, and graphics ✔ Use standard fonts (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman) ✔ Font size between 10.5–12 ✔ Left-aligned text ✔ Save file in .docx or .pdf (as per job in...