Almost all companies nowadays have adopted Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to find the best curriculum vitae (CV). In this regard, graduates must know how to write an ATS-friendly CV that helps land them a job.
This was conveyed by psychologist Ardian Rahman Afandi, Head of the Career Center at the UGM Faculty of Psychology, during the pre-graduation meeting at the UGM Faculty of Agriculture on Wednesday, November 22.
Afandi explained that the structure of CV writing has several key points, including personal information, a summary of oneself, educational details starting from the latest education, work or organizational experience, skills or expertise, and certification of expertise.
With the amount of information that needs to be included, graduates need to limit the number of CV pages to a maximum of 2 pages.
He advised the graduands that writing an ATS-friendly CV includes the need to have action verbs, tasks or projects, and metrics or results to detail the experience and achievements.
“Some action verbs need adjustments. One example is the commonplace term ‘help,’ which can be replaced with a more sophisticated word like ‘assist.’ Keywords will help recruiters recognize the extent of your experience,” said Afandi.
He also added five main guidelines for writing an ATS-friendly CV: clear, concise, complete, consistent, and current. Afandi emphasized that not only CVs are needed for career preparation but also social media, which needs to be managed as well as possible to create a positive impression.
“You probably use a lot of social media platforms, especially Instagram. While applying, it’s time to start paying attention to your Instagram profile because recruiters will also observe your personality from social media,” he concluded.
Authors: Hanita Athasari Zain and Agung Nugroho
Photo: UGM Faculty of Agriculture