ATS, in plain English

How an ATS reads your résumé, and how to write for one.

Fifteen rules drawn from how modern Applicant Tracking Systems actually parse and score résumés in 2026.

91%

of Fortune 500 companies use an ATS.

75%

of résumés rejected before a human reads them.

85%

average ATS score needed to pass review.

The fifteen

01
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
02
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
03
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
04
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
05
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"
06
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!!
07
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
08
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
09
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
10
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
11
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)
12
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
13
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"
14
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
15
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

01
Use a single-column, text-based layout
02
Include standard section headings (Work Experience, Education, Skills)
03
Save as .pdf or .docx
04
Use standard fonts at 10-12pt
05
Mirror keywords from the job description
06
Quantify achievements with numbers and metrics
07
Include both acronyms and spelled-out terms
08
Put contact info in the document body, not headers
09
Use simple bullet points (• or -)
10
Remove all images, icons, and graphics
11
Format dates consistently (Month Year)
12
Add a dedicated Skills section with 8-12 keywords
13
Tailor your resume for each application
14
Test with an ATS scanner before submitting
15
Keep to 1-2 pages maximum

Put these into practice

ATS, in plain English

How an ATS reads your résumé, and how to write for one.

Fifteen rules drawn from how modern Applicant Tracking Systems actually parse and score résumés in 2026.

91%

of Fortune 500 companies use an ATS.

75%

of résumés rejected before a human reads them.

85%

average ATS score needed to pass review.

The fifteen

01
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
02
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
03
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
04
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
05
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"
06
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!!
07
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
08
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
09
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
10
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
11
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)
12
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
13
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"
14
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
15
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

01
Use a single-column, text-based layout
02
Include standard section headings (Work Experience, Education, Skills)
03
Save as .pdf or .docx
04
Use standard fonts at 10-12pt
05
Mirror keywords from the job description
06
Quantify achievements with numbers and metrics
07
Include both acronyms and spelled-out terms
08
Put contact info in the document body, not headers
09
Use simple bullet points (• or -)
10
Remove all images, icons, and graphics
11
Format dates consistently (Month Year)
12
Add a dedicated Skills section with 8-12 keywords
13
Tailor your resume for each application
14
Test with an ATS scanner before submitting
15
Keep to 1-2 pages maximum

Put these into practice

How an ATS reads your résumé, and how to write for one.

Use Standard Section Headings

Choose the Right File Format

Use Standard Fonts

Avoid Tables and Columns

Mirror Job Description Keywords

Use Simple Bullet Points

Format Dates Consistently

Put Contact Info in the Body

Include a Skills Section

Skip Graphics and Images

Use Hyperlinks Sparingly

Tailor for Every Application

Quantify Every Achievement

Avoid Special Characters

Match the Exact Job Title

Build an ATS-readable résumé

Check your ATS score

Browse résumés that scored ≥90%

How an ATS reads your résumé, and how to write for one.

Use Standard Section Headings

Choose the Right File Format

Use Standard Fonts

Avoid Tables and Columns

Mirror Job Description Keywords

Use Simple Bullet Points

Format Dates Consistently

Put Contact Info in the Body

Include a Skills Section

Skip Graphics and Images

Use Hyperlinks Sparingly

Tailor for Every Application

Quantify Every Achievement

Avoid Special Characters

Match the Exact Job Title

Build an ATS-readable résumé

Check your ATS score

Browse résumés that scored ≥90%