Hi Lisa,
A quick Applicant Tracking System (ATS) question regarding abbreviations: is it okay to abbreviate United States as “US,” or does an ATS need the periods U.S.? Same question for academic degrees: PhD or Ph.D.?
Thanks so much!
Elyse
Hey Elyse,
Either works for ATS. My style guide states to use periods in U.S. but this is not necessary for PhD.
But, I tend to lean toward mirroring the job posting. Does the ad use abbreviations or the full word?
Another trick is to spell out the full word and then put the abbreviation in parenthesis beside the full word the first time it appears. I then use the abbreviation for the rest of the document.
My last tip is to be consistent across the whole resume. Nothing is more off-putting than inconsistent language.
Thanks for reading!
Lisa
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