How to Write an ATS Resume
Roughly three out of four resumes are screened by software before a person reads them. Here's how to write a resume that gets parsed correctly, matches the role, and lands on a recruiter's screen.
What is an ATS resume?
An ATS resume is one formatted so an applicant tracking system — software like Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, Taleo, iCIMS— can cleanly extract your information and match it to a job. It isn't a special template; it's a set of formatting and content choices that keep your resume readable by machines without sacrificing readability for humans.
5 steps to an ATS-friendly resume
- 1
Use a clean, single-column layout
Stick to one column with standard section headings. Avoid tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers, and images for any content you need parsed.
- 2
Export as a text-based PDF or DOCX
Save from a word processor so the text is selectable. Never submit a scanned or image-only PDF — an ATS can't read it.
- 3
Mirror the job description's keywords
Use the exact hard and soft skills, tools, and job-title language from the posting, placed naturally in your summary, skills, and experience.
- 4
Quantify your impact
Replace duties with measurable results. Numbers (%, $, time saved, scale) signal impact to both the ATS keyword match and the human reviewer.
- 5
Include the standard sections
Contact info, summary, experience, skills, and education — labeled with conventional headings the ATS expects to find.
ATS resume do's and don'ts
Do
- Single-column layout with standard headings (Experience, Skills, Education)
- Text-based PDF or DOCX with selectable text
- Keywords from the job description, used naturally
- Quantified, results-focused bullet points
- Consistent dates and a professional email
Don't
- Tables, columns, or text boxes for key content
- Important text inside images or graphics
- Headers/footers holding contact info
- Fancy fonts, icons, or color-coded skill bars
- Scanned or image-only PDFs
Check your resume before you apply
The fastest way to know whether your resume is ATS-ready is to test it. Run it through the ATS resume checker to see your parse rate and missing keywords, or get your full resume score with ranked fixes.