An ATS — applicant tracking system — is the software that sits between your resume and the recruiter's inbox. It parses your resume, scores it against the job requirements, and decides whether a human ever sees it.
Around 75% of resumes are rejected by ATS before a human reads them. Here's how to not be in that group.
1. Use the exact keywords from the job description
ATS systems are not smart. They match keywords — often exactly. If the job description says "project management" and your resume says "programme management," you might not match.
Read the job description carefully. Where it says a skill or tool you have, use their exact phrasing.
2. Avoid tables and multi-column layouts
This is the most common formatting mistake. Many ATS parsers read left to right, top to bottom. A two-column layout often gets read as one jumbled line of text.
Stick to a single-column layout for any resume you're submitting to a company that uses ATS (which is most companies over 50 people).
3. Use standard section headings
ATS systems look for familiar labels. Use standard headings:
Work Experience(notWhere I've BeenorCareer Journey)Education(notAcademic Background)Skills(notThings I Know)
Creative section names are filtered out or misclassified.
4. Submit as PDF — but only if the job posting allows it
PDF is generally safer than Word because it preserves formatting. However — some older ATS systems parse PDFs poorly. If the job posting specifically asks for a Word document, send a Word document.
When in doubt, submit PDF. Most modern ATS systems handle it fine.
5. Spell out acronyms at least once
Write "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)" not just "SEO." Some systems don't know the acronym even if they know the full phrase.
This is especially important for certifications and tools that have both short and long forms.
6. Don't put important information in headers or footers
Page headers and footers are often skipped entirely by ATS parsers. If your name, phone number, or email is only in the header, it might not get parsed correctly.
Put your contact info in the main body of the document.
7. Keep formatting simple
Avoid:
- Text boxes
- Images or logos
- Fancy fonts
- Colored backgrounds or borders
- Emojis (yes, people try this)
None of these help ATS parsing, and most hurt it. A clean, well-structured plain text layout beats a designed one every time — for ATS.
The bottom line
ATS-friendly doesn't mean boring. It means structured. A resume that's clean, keyword-matched, and properly formatted will get past the filters and look good when a human finally reads it.
The goal isn't to trick the system — it's to make sure your real experience doesn't get accidentally filtered out by a formatting quirk.