Is it wrong to tailor a resume to a specific job opening to increase your chances of getting considered for the job?
Companies, particularly large companies, have been using some sort of Applicant Tracking System (ATS) for decades. At first the systems that helped companies sort resumes were done manually, but as technology progressed, ATS began to make use of software applications often using algorithms to screen out applicants for jobs. Some surveys, particularly those done by companies that offer such ATS services, suggest that more than 98% of Fortune 500 companies employee ATS software in their hiring process.
It's reasonable to guess that companies that post job openings online and allow applicants to apply through some sort of online portal use some sort of software to dismiss those who are deemed not to meet the qualifications for a job and to move along those who do to the next phase of consideration for employment.
Even among companies that vigorously use ATS software, at some point, an actual human being engages in the process of reviewing resumes and applications for further consideration. But it can be frustrating to try to break through the algorithmic mishigas to get to that stage.
While the temptation might be to embellish or even fabricate experience to make it to a human being, fight that urge and never lie on a resume, even if you convince yourself you could correct the deception later.
It is fair game and wise, however, to use what a company provides you in its job advertisements to enhance your chances. Most any software algorithm being used is driven by the human being who decides what criteria the company most wants in an applicant. As a result, there are specific words in job ads that are smart to replicate in a cover letter or resume so they most likely match up.
The English language can be a curious beast and there are often multiple words used to describe the same thing. If a company describes a job function using particular words and you know you have experience with those functions but use different words to describe them, then it’s smart to edit your resume and cover letter to mirror the language used by the company.
There is nothing dishonest about rewording application materials to increase your chances of being positively screened by a potential employer, as long as whatever words you use are true. If companies are going to make it more difficult to get your resume to a human being who might be better equipped than an algorithm to grasp how suited you might be for an open position, then it’s totally fine to do what’s necessary to increase your chances of getting to that human being.
In their effort to streamline the job application process by using algorithms, companies might be missing out on exceptional employees simply because they don’t meet the exact screening criteria. Occasionally, people who were ruled out by screening software later get hired after someone at the company who heard about them and handed their resume and application materials to a hiring manager.
Until companies get back to a more human approach to job application screening, however, the right thing is do what you can honestly do to enhance your chances of getting employed.
Jeffrey L. Seglin, author of The Simple Art of Business Etiquette: How to Rise to the Top by Playing Nice, is a senior lecturer in public policy and director of the communications program at Harvard's Kennedy School. He is also the administrator of www.jeffreyseglin.com, a blog focused on ethical issues.
Do you have ethical questions that you need to have answered? Send them to jeffreyseglin@gmail.com.
Follow him on Twitter @jseglin.
(c) 2025 JEFFREY L. SEGLIN. Distributed by TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
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