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ATS Resume Tips

Optimize your resume to pass Applicant Tracking Systems and land more interviews.

What is an ATS?

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software used by over 99% of Fortune 500 companies and 75% of recruiters to filter job applications before they reach human eyes. The ATS scans your resume for relevant keywords, proper formatting, and role-specific qualifications. If your resume isn't ATS-compatible, it may never be seen by a hiring manager.

1. Use Standard Section Headings

Stick with conventional section titles like "Work Experience," "Education," "Skills," and "Professional Summary." Creative headings like "Where I've Worked" or "My Toolbox" confuse ATS parsers. The software looks for predictable labels to extract and categorize your information correctly.

2. Incorporate Job-Specific Keywords

Carefully read the job description and identify key terms, skills, and qualifications. Naturally weave these into your resume — especially in your professional summary, skills section, and work experience bullet points. Our AI resume builder automates this process by analyzing the job description and optimizing your content for maximum ATS match.

3. Avoid Tables, Columns, and Graphics

ATS software struggles with complex layouts. Avoid tables, text boxes, columns, images, charts, and icons. Stick to a clean, single-column format with standard fonts. Our templates are designed to be ATS-friendly while remaining visually appealing.

4. Use a Clean File Format

Submit your resume as a DOCX or PDF. While PDFs preserve formatting, some older ATS systems parse DOCX files more reliably. Our free resume builder lets you export in both formats so you can choose what works best for each application.

5. Quantify Your Achievements

Use numbers, percentages, and concrete results to describe your accomplishments. For example, "Increased sales by 30%" is far more impactful than "Responsible for sales growth." ATS algorithms weight quantified achievements higher when ranking candidates.

6. Tailor Every Application

Never send the same resume to multiple employers. Each job description has unique requirements. Our AI resume builder tailors your resume to each specific job posting, automatically adjusting keywords and emphasis to maximize your ATS score.

7. Keep It Simple

Use a standard font like Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica at 10-12 points. Save your file with a professional name (e.g., "John_Doe_Resume.pdf" rather than "resume_v3_final(2).pdf"). These small details matter to both ATS systems and recruiters.

Use Our Free ATS Resume Builder

Instead of manually optimizing your resume for each application, use our free AI resume builder. It analyzes job descriptions, extracts key requirements, and generates an ATS-optimized resume in seconds. No sign-up required. You can also check your resume's compatibility with our free ATS score checker.