• Hiring managers outside your niche may not understand
• ATS may not recognize uncommon acronyms
• Reduces readability

• Replace niche acronyms with full terms on first use
• Add a brief lay‑person description
• Include a glossary only if needed

Utilized CRISPR‑Cas9 for DSB repair in HEK293 cells.

Utilized CRISPR-Cas9 (gene‑editing technology) to repair double‑strand DNA breaks in human kidney (HEK293) cells.

• Impact is vague
• ATS looks for numbers
• Hiring managers want measurable results

• Add percentages, counts, or funding amounts
• Show how your work advanced the project
• Use action‑result format

Conducted experiments on protein folding.

Conducted 30 protein‑folding experiments, increasing assay throughput by 45%.

• ATS expects standard headings
• Recruiters scan quickly
• Important info may be missed

• Place Education, Publications, and Skills after Experience for industry; before for academia
• Use standard headings like 'Professional Experience'

Skills, Experience, Education, Publications

Professional Experience, Education, Publications, Technical Skills

• ATS may not parse dates
• Creates visual clutter
• Confuses hiring timeline

• Use MMM YYYY (e.g., Jan 2020 – Present)
• Be consistent across all entries

2019 – 2021

Jan 2019 – Dec 2021

• ATS filters out resumes lacking keywords
• Missed chance to align with role
• Reduces relevance score

• Extract 5–7 core keywords from the posting
• Integrate them naturally into bullets and summary
• Use synonyms where appropriate

Performed data analysis on genomic datasets.

Performed bioinformatics data analysis on genomic datasets, utilizing Python, R, and machine learning to identify variant patterns.