Resume Optimization

Overview

JobLeap helps you optimize your resume for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and human recruiters by analyzing job descriptions and extracting critical keywords you should include.

Keyword Extraction

How to Extract Keywords

Find Target Job

Search for and identify a job you want to apply for

Ask for Keywords

“What keywords should I include in my resume for this [role]?” “Extract ATS keywords from this job description”

Receive Analysis

JobLeap identifies:

Required technical skills
Preferred qualifications
Industry terminology
Action verbs
Certifications mentioned

Tailor Resume

Incorporate relevant keywords naturally into your resume

ATS Systems Explained

What is an ATS?

Applicant Tracking System (ATS):

Software that scans and filters resumes
Used by 90%+ of large companies
Screens applications before human review
Ranks candidates by keyword matching

How it works:

Parses resume text
Extracts keywords and phrases
Matches against job description
Scores and ranks applications
Top-ranked resumes reach recruiters

Why Keywords Matter

ATS screening:

Missing keywords = automatic rejection
Exact matches often required
Synonyms may not be recognized
Skills must appear verbatim

Example:

Job requires “JavaScript”
Your resume says “JS”
ATS may not make the connection
Include both: “JavaScript (JS)”

Keyword Placement

Best places to include keywords:

Skills section: List all relevant technologies
Work experience: Use keywords in context
Summary/Objective: Include top 3-5 keywords
Project descriptions: Natural keyword integration

Avoid:

Keyword stuffing (looks spammy)
White text tricks (ATS detect this)
Irrelevant keywords just to match

Critical Keywords to Include

Technical Skills

Programming Languages
Frameworks & Libraries
Tools & Platforms
Methodologies

Include exact names:

JavaScript (not JS)
Python 3.x
TypeScript
Java 11/17
C++ or C#

Pro tip: Include versions if job specifies

Soft Skills

While technical keywords are critical, include these too:

Leadership: Team leadership, mentorship, cross-functional collaboration
Communication: Technical writing, stakeholder management, presentations
Problem-solving: Debugging, troubleshooting, optimization
Impact: Metrics, KPIs, performance improvement

Quantify achievements with keywords: “Improved API response time by 40% using Redis caching and database optimization”This includes: API, Redis, caching, database, optimization

Resume Tailoring Tips

Read Job Description Carefully

Highlight required vs. preferred qualifications
Note repeated keywords (appear 3+ times)
Identify “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves”

Mirror Job Language

Use exact terminology from posting
If they say “machine learning,” don’t say “ML”
Match their phrasing and keywords

Prioritize Relevant Experience

Lead with experiences matching the role
Emphasize relevant projects
De-emphasize or remove unrelated work

Customize Skills Section

Reorder skills to match job priorities
Group by relevance (frontend, backend, etc.)
Remove skills irrelevant to this role

Update Summary/Objective

Include top 3-5 keywords from job
Match their seniority level (junior, senior, etc.)
Highlight most relevant achievements

ATS-Friendly Formatting

ATS Formatting Mistakes to Avoid:Bad for ATS:

Tables and columns (parsing fails)
Headers/footers with info (often skipped)
Images or graphics (can’t be read)
Fancy fonts (may not parse correctly)
Text boxes (content gets lost)
Multiple columns (order gets confused)

Good for ATS:

Simple, clean layout
Standard fonts (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman)
Clear section headings
Bullet points (use standard • or -)
Consistent formatting
Standard file format (.docx or .pdf)

ATS-Optimized Structure:

Contact Info (name, phone, email, LinkedIn)
Summary/Objective (2-3 lines with keywords)
Skills (categorized list)
Work Experience (reverse chronological)
Education
Projects (if relevant)
Certifications (if applicable)

Using JobLeap for Resume Optimization

Example Workflow

You: "Senior ML engineer jobs in San Francisco"

JobLeap: [Shows job listings]

Action Verbs for Impact

Use strong action verbs that appear in job descriptions:

Development
Improvement
Leadership
Analysis

Developed / Built / Created
Implemented / Deployed / Launched
Engineered / Designed / Architected
Programmed / Coded / Developed

Quantifying Achievements

Performance Improvements

Instead of: “Improved application performance”Better: “Reduced API response time by 40% through database query optimization and Redis caching implementation”Keywords: API, response time, database, optimization, Redis, caching

Scale & Impact

Instead of: “Worked on data pipeline”Better: “Built data pipeline processing 10M+ records daily using Apache Spark and Airflow, reducing processing time by 60%”Keywords: data pipeline, Apache Spark, Airflow, processing, scale

Team & Leadership

Instead of: “Led team on project”Better: “Led cross-functional team of 5 engineers to deliver ML recommendation system, improving user engagement by 25%”Keywords: cross-functional, ML, recommendation system, user engagement, metrics

Common Resume Mistakes

What NOT to do:

Lying or exaggerating: Will be caught in interviews
Including irrelevant keywords: Wastes space, looks desperate
Keyword stuffing: “Python Python Python” - obvious and spammy
Using only acronyms: Include both “Machine Learning (ML)”
Generic summaries: Tailor to each application
Typos in keywords: “JavaSript” won’t match “JavaScript”
Missing obvious keywords: If job says “Python” 5 times, you need it

File Format Best Practices

.docx (Recommended)
.pdf
.txt (Plain Text)

Pros:

Universally compatible with ATS
Easy to edit and update
Preserves formatting well

Cons:

Can appear different on different systems
May shift formatting

Best for: Most applications

When in doubt: Use .docx unless the job posting specifically requests PDF