How to Make an ATS-Friendly Resume

What an ATS actually does

• Parses your file into fields such as name, job titles, dates, and skills.
• Stores your profile so recruiters can search it now and for future roles.
• Ranks or filters candidates on knockout questions and, in some systems, on how well your profile matches the job.

Most systems do not automatically reject people for formatting alone, but a resume that parses badly can show up with missing titles or dates, which makes you look like a weaker match.

Formatting rules

• Use real text. Never put your experience inside an image or a scanned PDF.
• Use standard headings such as Experience, Education, and Skills.
• Keep contact details in the main body, not in the document header or footer.
• Avoid tables, text boxes, and icons for important information.
• Use common fonts and simple bullet characters.
• Write dates in one consistent format, such as "Mar 2023 - Present".

Keyword rules

Recruiters often search for job titles, skills, tools, and certifications. Read the posting and note the terms it repeats. Where they genuinely describe your experience, use the same wording.

• Include both the acronym and the full term once: "Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)".
• Match the job title where honest: if you were a "Customer Happiness Lead" doing customer success work, you can write "Customer Happiness Lead (Customer Success)".
• Put keywords in context in your bullet points, not only in a skills list.
• Never paste invisible keywords or the job description in white text. Recruiters see it, and it ends applications.

Test your resume yourself

1. Open your PDF and select all the text. If you cannot select it, an ATS cannot read it.
2. Copy everything and paste it into a plain text editor. The order should still make sense.
3. Check that your name, titles, and dates appear clearly in the pasted text.

Tip: The Standard template in our resume builder is a free single-column layout designed to paste cleanly into plain text.