How to write an ATS-friendly resume in Malaysia

Many employers now filter applications with an applicant tracking system (ATS) before a recruiter reads them. If your resume can't be parsed, or doesn't match the language of the job ad, it may never reach a human.

We have run resume workshops at UPM, UiTM and Hari Belia Negara since 2024, and the same mistakes come up every time. Here is how to avoid them.

1. Mirror the job description

Read the job ad and list the skills, tools and duties it mentions. If the ad says "stakeholder management" and your resume says "worked with different teams", an ATS may not connect the two. Use the employer's wording where it honestly describes your experience.

2. Keep the format simple

• Use standard section headings: Experience, Education, Skills
• Avoid putting key information in tables, text boxes, headers or images
• Use a clean, common font and export to PDF unless the employer asks for Word
• Spell out abbreviations at least once, for example "Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)"

3. Show results, not just duties

"Handled social media" tells a recruiter very little. "Grew Instagram engagement for a student club by planning a weekly content calendar" tells them what you did and why it mattered. Start bullets with strong verbs and add numbers where you have them.

4. Tailor every application

One generic resume sent to fifty jobs performs worse than ten tailored ones. Adjust your summary and top bullets for each role so the most relevant experience appears first.

Let AI do the heavy lifting

ResumeForge AI, built by AMZ Labs, scans a job description for the keywords an ATS is likely to score, tailors your resume to match and gives you a compatibility score as you edit. It is the same process above, done in seconds.