2025-2026 Purdue University Career Success Handbook

The Age of AI, ATS, and You!

Strategic Alignment with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

Employers rely heavily on ATS software to screen large candidate pools. Not all ATS systems perform equally—some effectively recognize qualifications, while others miss critical details due to formatting or keyword mismatches. Consider these practical tips to ensure your resume is ATS compatible: » Align your resume’s keywords and phrases with those used directly in the job description. » Use AI to improve clarity and keyword alignment. » Use clean, simple formatting to ensure ATS readability. » Avoid using templates, tables, and columns in your resume » Test your resume regularly to confirm ATS compatibility, using ATS-friendly tools such as: • Wisedoc – This system is an AI tool provided by the CCO that offers ATS optimization, scoring, and resume feedback capability built into platform. • Jobscan – Offers freemium reviews. Pay is required for higher level services. • AI Tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude – With the right prompts, all of these tools can act as if they were ATS software used by employers.

Practical Prompt Samples

When submitting prompts to generative AI, remember to assign it a role and be specific on what you want it to deliver. Be cautious not to submit private, identifiable information. So, remove, as necessary.

Example Prompts:

If you do not have bullet points on your resume, consider asking:

» I’m a sophomore majoring in Public Health and am working on updating my resume to apply for a specific job. I’ve included both my current resume and the job description below. Can you provide 5 revised or sample bullet points that better align my experience with this job?

If you have bullet points on your resume, but want enhancement guidance, consider asking:

» I am a Mechanical Engineering junior and here is my resume and a job description. Can you provide 5 bullet point suggestions to better align my resume content with this job description?

If you are trying to optimize the order of bullet points, consider asking:

» I am a senior English Education college student and here are bullet points from my resume. Can you optimize the sequence of these bullet points based on the job description provided?

RESUMES

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