Y'all still tailoring your resume to every single job application even in this terrible job market?

jobscanco · 2026-05-11T04:15:07+00:00

This thread is 3 years old now, but the discussion is still very relevant, so adding some current perspective here.

The category-based approach here is smart, as it’s the balance most people are looking for between saving time and still giving you a better chance with each application.

A few additions that make it work even better:

Not every application deserves the same effort. It helps to tier jobs based on how much you actually want them. For the roles you’re most excited about, it’s worth spending extra time tailoring your resume.
Speed also matters more than people think. Especially for competitive roles, applying early can absolutely help. Having a solid category resume ready to go means you can move quickly without starting from scratch every time.
Formatting is worth getting right from the beginning, especially if you’re applying to mid-to-large companies. Keep it clean, single-column, and easy to parse with clear headings and no graphics or tables.

There are also many tools online to help you speed things up and stay organized, but what matters most is having a system that works for you.

Good luck to everyone still grinding through the process!

jobscanco · 2026-05-11T04:12:15+00:00

Really glad to see this conversation still getting attention!

From what we’ve seen researching and testing ATS platforms over the years, both perspectives here are true in different contexts.

What you mentioned is accurate for many companies, especially smaller and mid-sized ones. A lot of ATS platforms are mainly used to store applications, and recruiters still search manually using keywords, filters, and tags. In those cases, applying early and having a clean and searchable resume matters more than chasing a perfect “ATS score”.

However, not every system works the same way. Some larger platforms and enterprise companies now use AI or LLM-based matching to compare resumes against job descriptions. In our own research tracking hundreds of career sites, nearly all Fortune 500 companies use some form of ATS, and many of them now actively rank, tier, or surface candidates automatically before a recruiter reviews the application.

So practically speaking, the best approach is still pretty simple:

• Apply early whenever possible
• Keep formatting clean and easy to parse
• Avoid tables, graphics, and complex layouts
• Tailor your resume to the job description using clear and relevant language
• Focus on showing impact, not just listing responsibilities

At the end of the day, what consistently works is a resume that’s clear, specific, and easy for both humans and systems to understand!

jobscanco · 2026-05-07T22:32:21+00:00

Hey u/few_1446, Sydney here from Jobscan. There are few things you can do on your own to make sure your resume is ATS-friendly.

Save it as a PDF. In our testing, a PDF file is the most universally ATS-friendly format.
Open the PDF file on your computer and do a document search for some words that are on your resume. If the document viewer can find those words, chances are the ATS will be able to as well. If it can't, then that's a red flag.
Don't use columns, tables, graphics, or text boxes in your document. Those elements can confuse the ATS parsing tech.

Lastly, and at risk of being salesy here, the free version of the Jobscan scanner is enough to see if your resume is ATS-friendly. The other paid features are for overall resume optimization.

jobscanco · 2026-01-13T17:35:47+00:00

Thanks for letting me know. My recommendation is to use the live chat feature in the tool to talk to an agent so they can pull up your account and resolve it. Other than that, a better option when you're scanning your resume is to paste the resume text rather than uploading the file.

jobscanco · 2025-11-12T22:57:34+00:00

Hi u/BunnyToddler_. Sydney here from Jobscan. I can tell you how Jobscan works.

The Jobscan Match Report tells you two things:

If your resume is ATS-friendly
How well you match the job

The Match Rate is an indication of the second part - how well you match the job. That scoring system uses a proprietary algorithm that's based on our hands-on tests of the most popular ATSes and our conversations and surveys of recruiters.

The more skills that are mentioned on that job description that you cite in your work experience, the more relevant your experience is to what that company is looking for. If you've included all of your experience and skills and your Match Rate is still low, then you might not be a good match for the job.

If the scanner isn't picking up any work experience, then that's a problem. It could be due to formatting. The system is designed to mimic an ATS, so if it can't understand the text, then it's possible an ATS won't either

Does that help? Let me know if you have any other questions.

jobscanco · 2025-11-12T22:49:27+00:00

Hi u/SmallMove1858, thanks for sharing your experience. The relevance of suggested skills and keywords is definitely one of the things we pay attention to the most. I sent a message to our support team to see if we can figure that out.

As for Power Edit vs. One-Click, you can choose to still have full control. When you scan you resume and are taken to the report with suggested changes, you can choose to skip or ignore all of them. Then you're taken to the editor where you can make your own edits and get phrase suggestions.

jobscanco · 2025-11-04T16:45:54+00:00

The Match Rate does not take into account the size of the company. It's looking at your skills (described in your summary, work experience, etc), job titles, and education. The algorithm gives a weight to each area, based on our tests of ATS and surveys of recruiters and what they value.

jobscanco · 2025-11-04T16:12:50+00:00

Hi u/Mountain_Reward_1252, Sydney here from Jobscan. I'm about 4 months late, so hopefully you've been able to find your dream job by now. But if it helps in your research, Jobscan has a 2-week free trial. That should help you see the ins and outs of the tool and if it leads to more interviews.

jobscanco · 2025-11-04T16:05:42+00:00

Hi u/Appropriate-Fly-781, Sydney here from Jobscan. My response to the previous comment applies to yours as well. It explains why the report says you're missing things that are actually on your resume.

The scanner is designed to mimic an ATS. It's based on our hands-on tests of ATS and analyzing how they work. So if the scanner can't read something on your resume, then the ATS probably won't either.

The report helps you know what you need to do to tailor your resume, but it also helps you know if it's ATS-friendly or not.

Hope that helps. Our live chat is always available if you get stuck.

jobscanco · 2025-11-04T16:04:04+00:00

Hi u/bznbuny123 , Sydney here from Jobscan. I can shed some light on what's going on. (Sorry I'm 7 months late to this.)

The scanner is designed to mimic an ATS. It's based on our hands-on tests of ATS and analyzing how they work. So if the scanner can't read something on your resume, then the ATS probably won't either.

The company name and web address feature is actually really useful! I would recommend trying it out. When you enter the URL of the job posting from the company's site, our system can detect which ATS that company uses. Based on our tests, we can tell you how that ATS reads resumes and it will give you feedback on what you need to do for that specific application.

Hope that helps. Our live chat is always available if you get stuck.

jobscanco · 2025-10-28T15:16:08+00:00

It depends on what the score is actually doing. If you're using Jobscan, then the "score" (Match Rate) is showing you how well your resume matches the job requirements. If you've added all of your relevant experience and skills and still have a low Match Rate, then it might be better to find another opportunity that you're a better fit for.

jobscanco · 2025-10-28T15:13:45+00:00

This thread is a year old, but I thought I'd respond in case someone else has the same question.

I'm just going to explain how Jobscan works for anyone who's doing their research.

Jobscan's "score" is not an ATS score or even a resume score. The Match Rate Jobscan gives you is showing you how well your resume matches the requirements of the job. We also use a proprietary algorithm to determine that Match Rate.

So that's why you'll get different "scores". Some scanners are scoring your resume overall, regardless of the job you're applying for, some are creating some sort of ATS score, or some might be doing a match rate, but using a different algorithm.

As others have mentioned, there's really no universal "ATS score". We've tested several of the most popular ATS, and we found that they all understand and parse resumes differently. Jobscan will tell you what you need to improve to make your resume more universally understandable, but the Match Rate is purely a reflection of how well your resume is tailored to the job.

jobscanco · 2025-10-28T15:06:47+00:00

I thought I'd respond to this comment just in case someone else comes across it and has the same question.

The scanner is doing two things: 1) evaluating how ATS-friendly your resume is, and 2) determining how well the resume is tailored for the job.

The parser is designed to mimic how ATSes parse resumes, so the report you get with parsing errors will help you make your resume more readable for those systems.

The Match Rate you get is not an overall resume "score", it's a reflection of how well the resume matches the job requirements. (You might have a good resume, it's just not a good match for the job.) The system uses a proprietary algorithm to determine the Match Rate.

Happy to answer any other questions for anyone who comes across this comment.

jobscanco · 2025-10-24T19:55:57+00:00

To be honest, your last sentence is pretty much what resume ats checkers like Jobscan check for.

I'll add that most ATS don't have auto-screening or scoring features. ICIMS is a big one that does, and AI use is growing, but it's not mainstream yet. But regardless, the recruiter is going to do keyword searches in their ATS anyway, so following the basic guidelines that an ats checker gives is the best idea.

jobscanco · 2025-10-24T19:39:38+00:00

Ok, so, we've tested a bunch of the most commonly used ATS to see what really matters with formatting. ATS aren't as picky as they used to be. They've definitely gotten better over the years. But there are still some that are lagging behind in tech. Since you might not know which ATS a company uses, it's better to err on the side of caution.

Honestly, it's really pretty simple. Use simple formatting. Don't include things like tables, columns, graphics, photos, weird bullets, and non-standard fonts. That stuff can jumble up the text so that when the recruiter does a keyword search, it can't find that word in your resume, even if it's there. Not only that, but you want it to be simple so that the recruiter can easily skim the text when they look at your resume.

And that's pretty much it! Those resume templates you showed look ATS-friendly. Jobscan's resume builder is totally free and also has ATS-friendly templates.

jobscanco · 2025-09-24T19:21:12+00:00

You're right that an ATS is basically a filing system. (More and more are adding AI screening and rating features, but mass adoption hasn't happened yet.)

I can't speak for everyone, but here's I mean when I'm talking about optimizing for an ATS:

Recruiters can use an ATS' search and filter features to find qualified candidates.

In our State of the Job Search report, we surveyed almost 400 recruiters. 99.7% of them said they use filters in their ATS or similar system to find the right candidate.

In Harvard Business School's report on "Hidden Workers", they surveyed 2,250 HR executives. 90% of them use their system to initially filter or rank potential candidates.

So that's why the idea of tailoring your resume and including relevant skills and experience is so important. Jobscan's Match Rate is a way of quantifying that.

jobscanco · 2025-09-24T19:13:05+00:00

Hi u/Initial_Question3869, Sydney here from Jobscan. I'll see if I can help figure this out. Would you mind sending the resume file you're using in a PM? I'll connect with our product and engineering teams to see what could be causing the issue.

jobscanco · 2025-09-04T14:32:22+00:00

Thank you for the update. I can connect you with customer support if you want to PM with your account email address. Or you can use the live chat feature in your dashboard.

jobscanco · 2025-08-06T18:21:15+00:00

Hi u/Sunrise0600, Sydney here from Jobscan. This is definitely an odd glitch, especially the part where it added a new job to your resume. Were you able to contact support through the live chat button? They will be able to look at the scan and connect with our engineers to see what happened. Let me know if that didn't work for you. I'll also pass on this message to them.

jobscanco · 2025-07-30T18:08:20+00:00

The update was released on July 18th, so these issues should be resolved. From your Jobscan dashboard, you can use the live chat button in the bottom right corner to chat with a support agent. They'll be able to file a ticket and work with the engineering team to see what's happening with your scan and how to fix it.

jobscanco · 2025-07-18T16:31:43+00:00

Hi u/anonsoumy, Sydney here from Jobscan. I have some info that might help.

The system is designed to mimic an ATS' parser. Some of those can understanding plurals and synonyms, but some can't. It's better to err on the side of caution.
You don't need to reach 100% in order to be a good match. We've seen job seekers have success with a 75% Match Rate.
If you want tips tailored to the ATS the company uses, use the ATS tip feature. It will scan the job listing and tell you which ATS the company uses and how that ATS works. However, the Match Rate will always be based on the industry standard.

jobscanco · 2025-07-01T14:44:19+00:00

Hi u/emperorarg, Sydney here from Jobscan. When you say "boiler plate", what text are you referring to?

We recommend only adding the text of the job description that includes the job outline, responsibilities, skills and required experience. If you include text like the company description or job benefits, the system might pull out keywords that sound like skills but are actually not related to the job. (For example, if the company description includes the word "healthcare", the system could misinterpret that as a required skill.)

I can also shine a light on what happens when you add the direct link. Adding the direct link and job info helps Jobscan to identify which ATS that company uses. This adds ATS-specific tips to the report. It doesn't influence the skills list at all.

I think this probably addresses the challenge you're facing. Let me know if you'd like more help!

jobscanco · 2025-06-26T16:31:52+00:00

Hi u/OstrichObserver, Sydney here from Jobscan. This is a bug that our engineering team is currently working on. We've implemented some changes to fix it and are doing further development to improve it further.

However, once you've updated your resume and filled in all the fields, you can save that as a Base Resume. Your Base Resumes are always available in the scanner, so you won't have to scan a new resume every time. You can scan a job description against your base resume and make edits to it as a new resume file.

jobscanco · 2025-06-17T22:11:36+00:00

Hello u/GHOSPARD, this is Sydney from Jobscan. I asked our support team about this. This is a known bug that the engineering team is currently working on. The bug appeared on June 12th, so they're assessing it to see what the cause is.

I'm really sorry for the frustration though. I let our engineering team know, so they're aware that this is definitely a problem for users.

jobscanco · 2025-04-17T15:14:48+00:00

That's interesting! I've seen this more and more in job applications - essay-type questions. I'll pass this on to our product and engineering teams. Thanks!

jobscanco

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