STAR Workforce Blog

Most mid-size and large companies now screen resumes with an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before a recruiter ever opens them. These systems parse your resume into fields — job titles, dates, skills, keywords — and rank or filter candidates automatically. A resume that's formatted for a human reader (columns, graphics, unusual headers, text boxes) often parses incorrectly or drops content entirely, which is a big part of why so many qualified candidates never make it past this first step.

The fixes that matter most are almost always structural, not stylistic:

• Use a single-column layout with standard section headers (Experience, Education, Skills).
• Mirror the exact keywords and skill names used in the job description, not just synonyms.
• Avoid tables, text boxes, and headers/footers for content the ATS needs to read.
• Save as a standard .docx or text-based PDF — not a scanned image or design-tool export.

Our ATS Optimizer scans your resume against a specific job description and flags exactly which of these issues apply to you, with a keyword gap list you can fix in minutes.

For contract and consulting roles specifically, hiring managers and staffing coordinators are usually skimming dozens of submissions for one open requirement. A generic "I am excited to apply" cover letter gets skipped in seconds. What tends to get read is short, specific, and answers one question: can this person start this engagement and deliver on day one?

A cover letter that works for consulting/contract roles usually does three things in the first two lines:

• Names the exact role and, if relevant, the client or technology stack from the posting.
• States your availability (start date, contract length you're open to, remote/hybrid/onsite).
• Leads with one concrete, relevant accomplishment — not a summary of your whole career.

Our Cover Letter Generator builds a first draft tailored to the specific job description you paste in, which is usually a faster starting point than a blank page — always read it over and adjust it in your own voice before sending.