Haven't Been Getting Internship Follow-ups? (Resume Guide)

Are you a qualified candidate but still not getting responses or technical assessments from internships? It might be time to check if your resume is optimized for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Applying for internships can often feel like a fruitless effort, met with constant rejections. I faced the same challenge – my first 50 applications were flat-out rejected, leaving me questioning my GPA, experience, and unseen issues with my application. It turned out, the problem was my resume's compatibility with ATS.

In the current competitive job market, where the number of applicants far exceeds the available positions, companies have adapted by employing Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). These systems are crucial for managing the high volume of applications, allowing companies to process and organize applications both quickly and efficiently. Recognizing that your resume must resonate with an ATS before ever reaching a human reviewer is essential. You could invent time travel and indicate your feats on your resume, but it would all go to waste if your resume doesn't pass ATS screening. This understanding is crucial when refining your resume. Beyond adhering to basic resume principles like using quantitative language to describe your experience and ensuring there are no typos, creating a resume optimized for ATS compatibility is equally important. The tips below will increase your resume's chance of being successfully shortlisted for human review. After doing so much work this application season, don't shoot yourself in the foot by neglecting to make these simple tweaks to your resume.

1. Convert your resume to Docx/Word

One crucial insight regarding ATS software is their inherent bias towards .docx files. If you've been submitting resumes in PDF format, this might be a key reason you need to receive follow-ups from job applications. From personal experience, I faced the same hurdle. After numerous applications without response, I switched my resume from PDF to .docx format. Remarkably, this change led to a significant increase in follow-ups and technical assessments. Suppose you are like me and edit your resume on an application other than Microsoft Word, like Overleaf, Google Docs, or Adobe Acrobat. Push your PDF through a file converter, open it in Acrobat, and export it to Word. It may cause some issues with your font, but your resume will otherwise remain identical. If you take just one piece of advice from this article, make it this: Always submit your resume in .docx format. This straightforward but crucial change could significantly enhance your job application success.

2. Utilize as many keywords in your description as possible

The strategic use of keywords in your resume can open doors to exciting career opportunities in your field. In crafting your resume, particularly in fields like computer science and technology, it's vital to include keywords that strategically highlight your experience and skills. For tech professionals, this could mean listing coding languages you're proficient in, such as Java, C, Python, or SQL, and familiar tools or platforms like Jira. Similarly, if your expertise lies in management or marketing, emphasizing skills like lead generation and field marketing and proficiency in software like Adobe Illustrator are essential. These keywords showcase your relevant capabilities and play a critical role in aligning your resume with the standard terms and requirements an ATS system is programmed to identify. Effectively incorporating these terms can significantly enhance the visibility of your resume in a highly competitive job market. Your goal is to make it as easy as possible for a computer to quantify your skills and achievements.

3. Miscellaneous Tips

• Write section headers in all CAPS, bold, or both to draw attention to certain sections and make it easy for ATS to categorize application information
• Add projects, classes, and certifications that you are in the process of completing, but make sure to denote them as such (Ex. "Pursuing <certification name>" or "Data Structures and Algorithms (In Progress)"
• Include spelled-out versions of terms in additions, abbreviations, and acronyms (Ex. Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
• Formatted in a single-column style (no text boxes, multiple columns, tables, or graphics)
• Use mostly, if not all, black-and-white text
• Include months when listing dates and right align them (Ex. 09/2023 or November 2023)
• Use text above 11pt font
• Do not use accented or special characters (even if it is in your name); ATS cannot read it

Navigating the world of internship applications can be daunting, but understanding and leveraging the functionality of ATS can dramatically improve your chances. Remember, it's not just about having impressive skills and experience; it's also about presenting them in a way that resonates with the systems that first evaluate your resume. By taking these steps, you increase the likelihood of your resume passing through ATS filters and ensure that your qualifications are presented effectively to potential employers. It's time to take control of your application process and give yourself the best chance of securing an internship. With these tweaks to your resume, you're not just throwing another application into an endless void; you're strategically laying bricks to build a prosperous career.

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