r/Resume • u/olivermcox • 1d ago

ATS Keyword Optimization Recommendations

Hi all! I'm looking for a resume keyword optimization tool, one that compares the text of the resume with job description, and gives me a list of missing keywords/phrases, which I can click and have added (usually to a big list of skills at the end). Can you recommend top tools that do this? So far, all the tools I've tried are senseless AI ones that "rewrite" the resume into gibberish, offering no control

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u/DorianGraysPassport 1d ago

I want to address the United Nations to say this:

Don't believe the ATS myths. Off-brand resume writers often use them as a scare tactic to sell services. It has nothing to do with the template. There isn't a magical format that "passes."

There’s also no such thing as an ATS score.

Be among the first to apply. Don’t hesitate or take pause when you see a role you want. Use a single-column resume and customize it to meet the specs of every role you apply for, incorporating words from each job description into your headline, skills section, and summary section.

Then write how the keyword skills were exercised in practice, with context, in the experience section via bullets that start with an action verb. Reorder these bullets based on what the job description seems to prioritize.

None of the bullets should be generic responsibilities that anyone else’s resumes would contain. The bullets ought to be mini case studies, each with an action, impact, context, and metrics, with the metrics explained by the “how” behind them.

Always use varied action verbs, try to avoid repeating the same action verbs that start bullets more than once.

Otherwise, don’t overthink the template or ATS.

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u/olivermcox 1d ago

Are there studies on this? I'd love to hear about the relationship, statistically, between putting the work in and not. In my personal experience, the kind of customization you're talking about didn't move the needle at all, nor did heartfelt cover letters. Optimizing for ATS with keywords helped get on the radar, as did, bizarrely, applying for jobs in my locality.

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u/DorianGraysPassport 1d ago

Inserting keywords just means that you made the resume relevant for the roles you applied for. There is no such thing as optimising for ATS. I can’t redirect you to any studies, but I’d advise you to watch the recruiter Amy Miller’s YouTube channel. She has a series where she shows the inner workings of an ATS, proving they’re not something jobseekers should outmaneuver or use gimmicks to “beat”

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u/olivermcox 1d ago

OK interesting, what does "optimizing for ATS" mean to you? In SEO (my profession) we used to say that you'd optimize for search (way back in the day) by inserting relevant keywords to help with discovery. That's how I was thinking about it, i.e. it's looking for keywords, so put in the keywords.

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u/jhkoenig 1d ago

There’s a free option mentioned in my profile that does exactly what you’re looking for