Skip to content
Resume

ATS-friendly resume: the guide to getting past recruiting software

What applicant tracking software really reads, the layout mistakes that get a resume rejected, and a simple method to match your keywords to each job offer.

By The CVticket team 7 min read

At most mid-sized and large companies, your resume is first read by software: an ATS (applicant tracking system). It stores applications, extracts their information and helps the recruiter find the profiles that match the job. A resume the software cannot read properly can go unnoticed, even with an excellent background.

The good news: making a resume ATS-friendly takes no tricks. All you need is a clear, well-structured document written with the words of the job offer.

What an ATS actually does

An ATS turns your resume into data: name, contact details, positions, dates, degrees, skills. The recruiter can then filter applications or search for keywords (“accounts payable”, “Python”, “driver’s license”).

Contrary to a popular myth, most ATS do not automatically “reject” resumes. But if your document is misread (text inside an image, mixed-up columns, missing dates) or does not contain the terms being searched for, it simply does not show up in the recruiter’s results.

Layout rules

  • A PDF with real, selectable text. A scanned resume or one exported as an image cannot be read by software.
  • Standard section headings: Work Experience, Education, Skills, Languages. Avoid creative headings like “My Journey”.
  • Complete, consistent dates: “Mar 2021 – Jun 2024” or “03/2021 – 06/2024”, always in the same format.
  • No important information in the document’s header or footer: some systems ignore them.
  • Standard fonts and a readable size (10 to 12 points for body text).
  • Skills written out in words, not only shown as bars or stars.

Keywords: the most important part

The software, like the recruiter, looks for the terms in the job offer. Your resume should therefore use the exact vocabulary of the job, for the skills you genuinely have.

  1. Copy the job offer and highlight the skills, tools, degrees and responsibilities it asks for.
  2. Spot the ones that come up several times: they matter most.
  3. Check that they appear in your resume, in the same form (“project management” rather than “leading initiatives” if that is the offer’s wording).
  4. Place them where they make sense: in your resume headline, summary, experience and skills list.

Never add a skill you do not have: the recruiter will check it in the interview.

Write experience that reads fast

For each position, start lines with an action verb and show a result:

  • “Cut invoice processing time from 12 to 5 days by automating payment reminders.”
  • “Managed a team of 6 sales associates; store revenue up 15%.”

Short bullet points, a verb first, a number whenever possible: this works best for software and for a human skimming your resume in a few seconds.

Check your resume before sending it

Before each application, reread your resume with the job offer next to it. To save time, CVticket’s ATS analysis scores your resume out of 100 (contact details, structure, results, keywords, writing), flags the job offer keywords you have not used yet and suggests a rewrite of each section, without ever inventing a skill.

In short

  • A text-based PDF, standard section headings, consistent dates.
  • The job offer’s keywords, used as written, for the skills you really have.
  • Experience written with action verbs and results.
  • A resume tailored to each offer: that is what makes the difference.

To go further, read what skills to put on a resume and how long your resume should be.

All articles