Beat Applicant Tracking Systems
Learn how to optimize your resume to pass ATS screening and land more interviews.
What is an ATS?
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software used by employers to collect, scan, and rank job applications. Over 75% of resumes are rejected by ATS before they ever reach a human recruiter.
ATS software scans your resume for specific keywords, proper formatting, and relevant experience. Understanding how ATS works is crucial to getting your resume past this initial screening.
How to Make Your Resume ATS-Friendly
Use Standard Section Headings
Stick to conventional headings like 'Work Experience,' 'Education,' and 'Skills.' Avoid creative titles that ATS might not recognize.
- • Work Experience
- • Professional Experience
- • Education
- • Skills
- • Where I've Been
- • My Journey
- • What I Know
Include Relevant Keywords
Mirror the language used in the job description. Include both acronyms and full terms (e.g., 'SEO' and 'Search Engine Optimization').
- • Match job description keywords
- • Include industry terms
- • Use both acronyms and full terms
- • Keyword stuffing
- • Irrelevant buzzwords
- • Only using acronyms
Use a Simple Format
Stick to standard fonts, avoid tables, text boxes, headers/footers, and graphics that ATS can't read.
- • Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman
- • Standard bullet points
- • Clear section breaks
- • Tables or columns
- • Text boxes
- • Headers/footers
- • Images or graphics
Save in the Right Format
Unless specified otherwise, submit your resume as a .docx or PDF file. Some older ATS struggle with PDFs.
- • .docx format
- • PDF (if specified)
- • Plain text (.txt) as backup
- • .pages format
- • Image files
- • Compressed files
Spell Out Acronyms
Include both the acronym and spelled-out version of important terms to ensure ATS catches them.
- • Bachelor of Science (BS)
- • Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- • Only BS
- • Only SEO
ATS Optimization Checklist
Create an ATS-Optimized Resume
Our templates are designed to pass ATS screening and get you more interviews.