Resume & Cover Letter Guide: ATS Optimization Tips
Optimize your resume and cover letter: ATS-friendly formatting, keywords, achievement-focused content, a 3-part letter structure and a pre-submission checklist.
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Quick answer
To optimize a resume and cover letter, use a clean single-column layout with standard headings, mirror the job description's keywords where truthful, focus on achievements, and save as PDF or DOCX. Write a short three-part cover letter: why this role, the value you bring, and a clear close.
Key takeaways
- Use standard headings and a simple layout without columns, graphics or tables so applicant tracking systems can parse your resume.
- Mirror keywords from the job description where they honestly describe you, and focus on achievements over duties.
- Keep the resume to one page early in your career and two pages when senior.
- Structure a cover letter in three parts: the hook, the value and the close.
- Run a final checklist: proofread, professional file name, working links and consistent formatting.
Your resume and cover letter work together: the resume shows what you have done and the letter explains why it fits this role. This guide covers how to make both easy for software and people to read.
Resume Essentials: How to Optimize for ATS
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software employers use to store, parse and search applications, so a resume should be simple enough for it to read accurately.
- Mirror keywords from the job description where they honestly describe you.
- Use standard headings such as Experience, Education and Skills.
- Avoid columns, graphics and tables, which can confuse parsers.
- Save as a standard PDF or DOCX file.
For more detail, see our ATS guide, or run your resume through the ATS check.
What Content Works Best on a Resume?
Content that focuses on achievements and gets to the point works best.
- Focus on achievements ("Increased sales through a new outreach process") rather than only duties.
- Quantify results with numbers, dollars or percentages when you honestly have them.
- Keep it to one page if you have under about ten years of experience, or two pages if you are senior.
- Replace an outdated, generic objective with a short summary. See how to write a resume summary.
Resume Mistakes to Avoid
- Using generic, non-specific buzzwords
- Including a photo, unless it is expected in your country
- Listing irrelevant hobbies or personal details
- Typos and grammatical errors, which can quickly cost you the interview
How Should You Structure a Cover Letter?
A cover letter should be concise and use a three-part structure: the hook, the value and the close. Do not ramble; focus on a relevant story.
- The hook: why this role and why this company. Show specific interest.
- The value: connect one or two top achievements directly to the employer's needs.
- The close: restate your interest and suggest a next step, such as a call.
Dear [Hiring Manager],
As a long-time user of [Company Product], I was thrilled to see the opening for [Role]. With my background in [Field] and a recent win where I [Key Achievement], I am eager to help your team achieve [Company Goal].
In my current role at [Current Job], I [Action taken], which resulted in [Quantifiable Result]. This experience directly addresses your need for [Skill from Job Description]. I am particularly excited about the opportunity to bring my expertise in [Skill] to [Company Project].
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my background matches your needs. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best regards, [Your Name]
Our cover letter guide has more examples.
Pre-Submission Checklist
Check these items before you send the application.
Before you submit
- Proofread for typos
- File name is professional (FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf)
- Contact information (email and phone) is correct
- Hyperlinks to your portfolio and LinkedIn work
- Run through an ATS checker and fix flagged issues
- Formatting is consistent (fonts, bullets)
Ready to Optimize Your Application?
Use the resume builder to create a clean, ATS-friendly resume, then write a tailored cover letter. Next, prepare for the call with our interview preparation guide.
Written by the Woberry Editorial Team
We research each guide from primary sources where we can, name the source for every statistic we quote, and review, fact-check and edit every draft before it is published. We update a guide when the advice or the underlying data changes.
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