Resume
How to make an ATS-friendly resume
Make your resume easy for applicant tracking systems and people to read: headings, file type, layout choices and how to check what an application picked up.
By Resume Home · Updated . Illustrative examples are fictional: replace sample identities and experience with your own facts before applying.
In short
An ATS-friendly resume is one an application system can read into the right fields and a person can scan quickly: standard section headings, text rather than images, consistent dates and the file type the employer asks for. Systems differ from employer to employer, so check what the application form picked up before you submit.
Key takeaways
- Use standard headings, real text and consistent dates.
- Send the file type the posting asks for.
- Check what the application form picked up, and fix it before you submit.
What an applicant tracking system does with your resume
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software employers use to collect and manage applications. Many read your resume into fields such as name, employer, job title and dates, and recruiters search or filter what was read. How each employer sets up its system, and how much it relies on it, varies.
That is why the goal is a resume that reads cleanly, not one that games a particular system. A layout that software can follow is usually one a person can follow too.
ATS-friendly formatting: headings, columns, tables and contact details
Keep the structure simple and the important details in plain text. You can still use colour and a clear layout; the point is that nothing a reader needs is locked inside an image or a design element.
- Standard headings: Experience, Education, Skills, Projects.
- A single column is the simplest for software to follow; if you use columns or a sidebar, check that the text copied out of your file reads in order.
- Real text, not text inside images or graphics.
- Contact details in the main body of the page; some systems read headers and footers less reliably.
- One date format throughout, with each employer, title and date range kept together.
- Common fonts, and no important information that exists only in a table or a text box.
PDF or Word: which file to upload
Follow the posting. If it asks for Word, send Word; if it asks for PDF, send PDF. When it says nothing, both are widely accepted, and a PDF keeps your layout exactly as you designed it. Whatever you send, open the final file before you upload it.
Use the posting's words where they describe your work
Recruiters often search for the tools, tasks and qualifications a role needs. Where your experience matches, use the same words the posting uses, in a sentence that shows what you did. Do not add terms you cannot back up, and do not hide keywords in white text or repeat them without context.
Before
Handled the books.
After
Reconciled monthly accounts in Excel and prepared invoices for 40 clients.
Why it works: The revision names the tasks and the tool a bookkeeping posting is likely to list, assuming both are true of the work.
How to check your resume before you apply
Open the PDF or Word file you will send, copy all of its text and paste it into a plain-text editor. If the headings, roles and dates still read in order and nothing is missing, the layout is not scrambling them; this can reveal problems but cannot guarantee how a particular system reads your file. Then upload the file to the application form and read every field it filled in, correcting anything missing or in the wrong place. With a free account, Resume Home exports PDF and Word (three exports on Free), plus plain text and Markdown that do not use your export allowance; the plain text is ready to paste into an application form's text boxes.
- Does the text copied out of your final file keep the headings, roles and dates in order?
- Did the application form put each employer, title and date in the right field?
- Is the file type the one the posting asked for?
Put these ideas into practice
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Further reading
Independent career resources for further reading. Listing a source does not imply an endorsement of Resume Home.