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Resumes for a Digital Age

When you’re applying for a job, you work hard to make sure your resume will command the attention of the first person who reads it. But it’s increasingly likely that the first reader of your resume won’t be a person at all.

Inundated with hundreds—or thousands—of resumes for some positions, many companies are using technology to streamline resume screening.

“Any time you submit a resume, you should expect to have your resume scanned for keywords,” says Chandlee Bryan, career coach and owner of Best Fit Forward.

Companies use applicant-tracking systems to electronically sort through and store resumes. The systems search for keywords, sort the resumes, and give hiring mangers the most-promising candidates.

Although designing a resume that will impress both a computer and human readers may seem intimidating, there are some advantages.

“It used to be that when a recruiter said, ’We’ll keep your resume on file,’ it meant it was going in the garbage can,” says Barbara Safani, owner of Career Solvers and the author of “Happy About My Resume.” Now, they may actually mean it.

Experts offer these tips for making sure your resume stands out electronically and in person: