ATS-friendly resume: the guide to getting past automated screening

Many companies use an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) to receive, sort and search job applications. Before a recruiter ever sees your resume, it is often read by software first. Here is how to make sure it is read correctly.

What does an ATS actually do?

An ATS extracts the text from your resume and sorts it into fields: contact details, work experience, education, skills. Recruiters can then filter or search candidates by keyword, job title or degree. If the software misreads your document, some information may be missing from your profile, even though it appears on your resume.

Contrary to a common myth, an ATS does not always "reject" applications automatically. But a poorly parsed resume is harder to find, and less convincing once it is displayed.

1. Keep the structure simple

A single-column layout, or two clearly separated columns, is the safest choice. Avoid:

• complex tables and floating text boxes;
• important information placed in the document's header or footer;
• text embedded in images or charts.

2. Use standard section headings

Software recognizes common headings best: "Work Experience", "Education", "Skills", "Languages". A creative heading such as "My Journey" is riskier: keep the creativity for the content.

3. Mirror the keywords in the job posting

Re-read the posting and note the skills, tools and job titles that come up repeatedly. Include the ones that genuinely match your background, in the context of your experience. For example, write "Project management (Agile and Scrum)" rather than a bare list of words.

Never add a skill you do not actually have: the interview would catch up with you.

4. Choose the right file format

A .docx file, or a PDF exported from a word processor, can be read by most ATS. Avoid scanned PDFs, which only contain an image. Always follow the format requested in the posting, and give your file a clear name, such as FirstName-LastName-Resume.pdf.

5. Keep formatting clean

Use a standard font (Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, Garamond…) between 10 and 12 points. Icons are fine when they accompany text, but never replace information with an icon alone: spell out your phone number and email address.

6. Be precise with dates and job titles

For each position, list the exact job title, the company and dates in a consistent format (for example "03/2023 – 06/2025"). This lets the software rebuild your career history correctly.

Checklist before you hit send

• Standard section headings
• No key information in the header, footer or an image
• Keywords from the posting, backed by your experience
• .docx or text-based PDF with a clear file name
• Readable font and consistent dates

Tip: copy all the text from your resume and paste it into a plain text editor. If the order and content still make sense, an ATS is likely to read it correctly.