ATS Advice8 min readUpdated October 2023
How to Make an ATS-Friendly Resume
When you apply for a job online, your resume almost certainly goes through an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before a human ever sees it. An ATS is software that employers use to collect, scan, and rank resumes based on keywords and formatting. If your resume isn't ATS-friendly, it might get discarded automatically, regardless of how qualified you are. This guide explains exactly how to format your resume so it successfully passes through these digital gatekeepers.
1. Use Standard Section Headings
ATS software is programmed to look for specific, standard headings to understand the structure of your resume. When you try to be overly creative with your section titles, the ATS gets confused and might fail to parse your information correctly.
Stick to the classics: "Experience" (or "Work Experience"), "Education", "Skills", and "Summary". Do not use quirky variations like "My Professional Journey" or "Where I've Been". The machine needs simple, predictable text to accurately map your data into the employer's database.
2. Avoid Complex Formatting and Graphics
While a heavily designed, colorful resume might look great to the human eye, it's a nightmare for an ATS. Most ATS software strips away all formatting and only reads the raw text.
Do not use tables, columns, text boxes, images, logos, or graphs. If you have a two-column layout, some older ATS parsers will read straight across the page, mangling your text. Stick to a clean, single-column layout. Avoid graphic skill bars (e.g., showing 4 out of 5 stars for JavaScript) because the ATS cannot interpret images, leaving that skill entirely off your parsed profile.
3. Stick to Standard, Web-Safe Fonts
To ensure maximum compatibility across all parsing software, use standard, web-safe fonts that are universally recognized. If you use a custom or rare font, the ATS might replace it with a default font, which could break your layout, or worse, fail to read the text entirely.
Excellent choices include Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Garamond, and Georgia. Avoid script fonts or overly stylized typography. While standard fonts might feel a bit plain, the goal here is readability and machine parsing, not artistic expression.
4. Optimize Your Keyword Strategy
The primary way an ATS ranks your resume is by looking for specific keywords related to the job description. If you don't have the right keywords, you won't rank high enough for a human recruiter to look at your file.
Carefully read the job posting and extract the required hard skills, software, methodologies, and job titles. Incorporate these exact terms naturally into your work experience bullet points and skills section. Use both acronyms and spelled-out versions (e.g., "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)") at least once, as different systems might be programmed to look for one or the other.
5. Save and Export as the Right File Type
Always check the job application instructions for preferred file formats. If they don't specify, a PDF is generally the safest choice because it preserves your formatting exactly as you intended across all devices.
However, some very old ATS systems still struggle with PDFs and prefer Microsoft Word (.docx) files. When in doubt, or if specifically requested, submit a .docx file. Never submit a .png, .jpg, or Apple Pages file, as these are rarely readable by standard ATS parsers. Our resume builder exports clean, text-parseable PDFs specifically tested against modern ATS software.