There’s a false perception among job seekers that Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) auto-reject resumes without relevant keywords. As a result, some people awkwardly pack their resumes with words from the job description.

But that’s not the reality. An ATS is used to integrate with other company internal systems and keep applications and reports organized. It’s the humans who do the rejecting. So only include keywords from the job description when they have a true purpose and align with your experience.

It’s easy to go overboard and put too much detail into each role you’ve held. But it’s not necessary to include everything. In the tech world, for example, anything you did more than three years ago is considered outdated.

Focus more on your last one or two major positions and how the skills you used there will make you a great fit for the role. This may mean the more recent jobs on your resume have more bullet points under them than the older ones, and that’s perfectly fine.

You want someone’s first impression of you to be of your skills — not your looks or your personal style. Avoid bias by leaving out your headshot or any graphics you designed.

Even a basic graph or line chart can work against you. You never know how someone will read a graphic representation of your skills. You may give someone the impression that you’re more or less competent with a particular skill than you actually are.

 If you have years of experience, there’s no need to list every job you’ve ever had. This only clogs up precious space.

Your resume should demonstrate you’re the perfect candidate for the specific job you’re applying to. So only include experiences that relate back to that job. The best way to make your resume impactful is to contextualize and support your achievements through numbers and percentages.

Your resume should demonstrate you’re the perfect candidate for the specific job you’re applying to. So only include experiences that relate back to that job. The best way to make your resume impactful is to contextualize and support your achievements through facts and figures.

It is best to stay factual and avoid filler words. Look for entire sentences that can be eliminated to save precious time for the recruiter.

Numbers allow you to paint a before and after narrative, clearly showcasing your positive impact on your working environment. Maybe you increased sales by 50% or increased email clickthrough rates by 500%. Either way, you made a real, measurable, positive impact.