ATS notes
How an ATS reads your resume, and how to write for one
Fifteen rules for how an applicant tracking system reads a resume, with a do and a don't for each, then a checklist to run before you apply.
Needs improvement: 2 critical fixes are open.
Start with the 2 critical fixes.
Critical2· cost you the most, fix first
Missing standard section heading: Experience.
Add plain headings such as Experience, Education and Skills, each on its own line.
No email or phone number found near the top of the resume.
Put your email and phone in the first lines of the page body, not in a header or an image.
Recommended2
Only 30% of your bullets contain a measurable result.
Add outcomes you can defend: time saved, revenue moved, users served.
3 of 12 key terms from the job description don't appear in your resume.
Add the terms you can honestly claim, in the lines that show the work.
Nice to have1
Bullets use 2 different markers.
Pick one bullet character and use it for every bullet.
On this page
Use standard section headings
- ATS software looks for specific section headers
- Non-standard headings cause parsing failures
- Stick to universally recognized terms
Do: Work Experience, Education, Skills
Don't: My Journey, What I Know, Superpowers
Choose the right file format
- PDF preserves formatting across devices
- Some ATS prefer .docx — check the posting
- Never submit .pages, .odt, or image files
Do: Resume_John_Doe.pdf
Don't: my resume final FINAL (2).pages
Use standard fonts
- ATS can't render decorative or custom fonts
- Stick to widely supported font families
- 10-12pt size for body text
Do: Calibri, Arial, Garamond, Helvetica
Don't: Papyrus, Comic Sans, custom brand fonts
Avoid tables and columns
- Most ATS read left-to-right, top-to-bottom
- Multi-column layouts scramble the reading order
- Tables often get parsed as unstructured text
Do: Single-column layout with clear sections
Don't: Two-column design with sidebar
Mirror job description keywords
- ATS scores your resume against the posting
- Use exact phrases from the job description
- Include both acronyms and full terms
Do: "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)"
Don't: "Making websites rank better"
Use simple bullet points
- Standard bullets parse reliably on every ATS
- Avoid fancy symbols, checkmarks, or emojis
- Keep bullets to 1-2 lines each
Do: • Led team of 8 engineers shipping React features
Don't: ✦ 🚀 Crushed it leading the dev squad!!
Format dates consistently
- ATS extracts dates to calculate tenure
- Inconsistent formats cause parsing errors
- Use Month Year format throughout
Do: Jan 2024 – Present
Don't: 1/24 – now
Put contact info in the body
- Many ATS ignore headers and footers
- Place name, email, phone in the main document body
- Include LinkedIn URL as plain text
Do: Name and email at the very top of page body
Don't: Contact details only in the page header
Include a skills section
- Dedicated skills section boosts keyword density
- List 8-12 relevant technical and soft skills
- Match skills to the job requirements
Do: Skills: React, TypeScript, Node.js, AWS, Agile
Don't: No skills section — keywords scattered only in descriptions
Skip graphics and images
- ATS cannot read images, charts, or icons
- Logos and headshots waste valuable space
- Infographic resumes score near 0% on ATS
Do: Text-only resume with clear formatting
Don't: Infographic resume with skill bar charts
Use hyperlinks sparingly
- Some ATS strip hyperlinks entirely
- Include URLs as plain text as backup
- Link to portfolio and LinkedIn only
Do: linkedin.com/in/johndoe
Don't: Click here to see my work (hyperlinked text)
Tailor for every application
- Generic resumes score 30-50% lower
- Customize your summary and skills per job
- Mirror the exact job title when applicable
Do: Tailored resume matching 85%+ of job keywords
Don't: One generic resume sent to 200 applications
Quantify every achievement
- Numbers catch both ATS algorithms and human eyes
- Use percentages, dollar amounts, and counts
- Vague descriptions don't trigger keyword matches
Do: "Increased revenue by 34% ($1.2M) in Q3 2025"
Don't: "Helped the company make more money"
Avoid special characters
- Symbols like copyright, trademark, and emojis break parsers
- Fancy dashes and curly quotes may not render
- Stick to standard ASCII characters
Do: Use hyphens (-) and standard straight quotes
Don't: Smart quotes, em dashes, or registered symbols
Match the exact job title
- ATS heavily weights title matches
- Use the posting's title in your summary
- Don't invent creative titles
Do: "Senior Software Engineer" (matching the posting)
Don't: "Code Ninja" or "Digital Wizard"
Checklist before you apply
- Use a single-column, text-based layout
- Include standard section headings (Work Experience, Education, Skills)
- Save as .pdf or .docx
- Use standard fonts at 10-12pt
- Mirror keywords from the job description
- Quantify achievements with numbers and metrics
- Include both acronyms and spelled-out terms
- Put contact info in the document body, not headers
- Use simple bullet points (• or -)
- Remove all images, icons, and graphics
- Format dates consistently (Month Year)
- Add a dedicated Skills section with 8-12 keywords
- Tailor your resume for each application
- Test with an ATS scanner before submitting
- Keep to 1-2 pages maximum
Paste your resume into the checker and read what it finds, what it misses and the lines to fix. Free, no account.
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