10 Tips to Make Your Resume ATS-Friendly

What Is an ATS and Why Should You Care?

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software that companies use to manage job applications. It scans, parses, and ranks resumes based on keywords, formatting, and relevance before a human recruiter ever sees them.

Here's the reality: over 98% of Fortune 500 companies use an ATS. Even many mid-size and small companies now use them. If your resume isn't ATS-optimized, it might never reach a human — no matter how qualified you are.

How ATS Works

When you submit a resume online, the ATS:

1. Parses your document — extracting text and identifying sections (name, experience, education, skills)
2. Categorizes the information into structured fields
3. Scores your resume against the job description keywords
4. Ranks you compared to other applicants
5. Presents the top candidates to the recruiter

The 10 Tips

1. Use Standard Section Headings

ATS systems look for standard section labels to categorize your information. Use headings like:

• “Work Experience” or “Professional Experience” (not “Where I've Worked”)
• “Education” (not “Academic Background”)
• “Skills” (not “What I Bring to the Table”)
• “Summary” or “Professional Summary” (not “About Me”)

2. Use Keywords from the Job Description

This is the single most important tip. ATS systems match your resume against keywords from the job posting. Read the job description carefully and incorporate relevant keywords naturally into your resume — especially in your skills section and work experience bullets.

Example: If the job description mentions “project management,” “Agile methodology,” and “stakeholder communication,” make sure these exact phrases appear in your resume.

3. Avoid Complex Formatting

ATS systems struggle with:

• Multi-column layouts
• Tables and text boxes
• Headers and footers (important info placed here may be ignored)
• Graphics, charts, and images
• Custom icons or symbols

Stick to a single-column or simple two-column layout with clear section breaks. ResumeForge templates are specifically designed to be ATS-parseable while still looking professional.

4. Save as PDF (With Selectable Text)

PDF is the safest format for ATS submission — but only if the text is selectable (not an image). Many resume builders export “image PDFs” (via screenshot), which ATS cannot read at all. ResumeForge uses @react-pdf/renderer to generate true vector PDFs where every character is extractable text.

5. Use Standard Fonts

Stick to widely recognized fonts like Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, Helvetica, or Inter. Custom or decorative fonts can render incorrectly in ATS systems, causing parsing errors.

6. Spell Out Acronyms (and Include Both Versions)

Some ATS systems search for the full term while others search for the acronym. Include both:

• “Search Engine Optimization (SEO)”
• “Project Management Professional (PMP)”
• “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)”

7. Use a Dedicated Skills Section

In addition to weaving skills into your experience bullets, create a standalone skills section. This gives the ATS a clear, concentrated block of keywords to parse. List both hard skills (Python, SQL, AutoCAD) and relevant soft skills (leadership, communication).

8. Include Dates in a Standard Format

Use a consistent date format throughout your resume. The most ATS-friendly formats are:

• “January 2023 – Present”
• “Jan 2023 – Present”
• “01/2023 – Present”

Avoid using only years (“2023 – 2025”) as this can make the ATS calculate employment gaps incorrectly.

9. Don't Put Critical Info in Headers/Footers

Many ATS systems completely ignore content placed in the header or footer area of a document. Place your name, contact information, and all other important data in the main body of the document.

10. Test Your Resume

Before submitting, do a simple test: copy and paste your PDF into a plain text editor (like Notepad). If the text comes out clean and readable, the ATS can likely parse it. If it's garbled, jumbled, or missing sections, you have a formatting problem.

What ATS Cannot Do

It's important to understand the limitations:

• ATS cannot judge the quality of your writing — only keyword matches
• ATS cannot see images — logos, headshots, or graphic elements are invisible
• ATS cannot interpret context — it looks for exact or close keyword matches
• ATS doesn't replace humans — it filters, but a recruiter makes the final decision

The Bottom Line

An ATS-optimized resume doesn't have to be boring. The key is to use clean formatting, relevant keywords, standard sections, and proper file formats. With tools like ResumeForge, you can have a visually impressive resume that also passes every ATS scanner — because our templates are specifically engineered for this dual purpose.