How to Make Your Resume ATS-Friendly
75% of resumes are rejected by Applicant Tracking Systems before a human sees them. Here's how to make sure yours isn't one of them.
What is an ATS?
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software that companies use to manage job applications. It parses your resume, extracts data (name, experience, skills, education), and ranks you against other candidates based on keyword match to the job description. Major ATS platforms include Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, iCIMS, and Taleo.
Use standard section headings
Stick to “Experience,” “Education,” “Skills” — not creative alternatives like “Where I’ve Been” or “My Toolkit.” ATS parsers look for exact heading matches.
Avoid tables, columns, and text boxes
Most ATS systems read left-to-right, top-to-bottom. Tables and multi-column layouts scramble the reading order, causing your experience to be misattributed or lost entirely.
Don’t put critical info in headers or footers
Many ATS parsers skip document headers and footers. Your name, email, and phone should be in the body of the document.
Mirror keywords exactly
If the job posting says “project management,” use that exact phrase — not “project coordination” or “managing projects.” ATS keyword matching is often literal.
Save as PDF (usually)
PDF preserves formatting across devices. Some older ATS systems prefer DOCX — if the posting specifies a format, follow it. Our templates generate ATS-safe PDFs.
Use standard fonts
Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, Helvetica. Custom or decorative fonts can render as gibberish when parsed by ATS.
Include a skills section
A dedicated skills section with comma-separated keywords gives the ATS a clean list to match against the job requirements. It’s also the fastest section for recruiters to scan.
Don’t use images or icons
ATS cannot read images. Skill bars, icons, headshot photos — all invisible to the parser. Use text instead.
Check your resume's ATS score
Our free ATS checker scores your resume across format, keywords, content, section structure, and technical elements — the same criteria real ATS systems use.