Most resumes never reach a recruiter's desk. Before a human reads a single word, an applicant tracking system (ATS) parses, scores, and ranks every submission. According to recent hiring data, over 75% of resumes are rejected by ATS filters before they're seen by a person. Understanding how these systems work — and writing your resume accordingly — is no longer optional.
What ATS Software Actually Does
An ATS doesn't "read" your resume the way a person does. It extracts text, identifies sections, matches keywords against the job description, and assigns a relevance score. It cannot reliably interpret tables, text boxes, headers/footers, or decorative icons. Anything it can't parse is simply lost.
Choose the Right File Format
PDF is generally safe, but only if it's a text-based PDF, not a scanned image. Word (.docx) files are also widely supported and remain the safest choice for older ATS platforms. Avoid:
- Image-heavy PDFs created by design tools like Canva
- Files with embedded fonts that break text extraction
- .pages or .odt formats
When in doubt, submit a clean .docx alongside a PDF if the application allows both.
Use Standard Section Headers
ATS systems look for specific section labels to categorize your content. Stick to conventional headers:
- Work Experience (not "Where I've Been" or "Professional Journey")
- Education (not "Academic Background")
- Skills (not "What I Bring to the Table")
- Certifications, Languages, Publications — use these exact words
Creative headers that seem distinctive to humans often confuse ATS parsers entirely, causing key information to be misclassified or dropped.
Mirror Keywords From the Job Description
Every job posting is essentially a keyword list. The ATS scores your resume against that list. Practical steps:
- Copy the job description into a text editor and highlight every skill, tool, or qualification mentioned.
- Check your resume for each term. If you have the skill but used a different word, change it.
- Include both spelled-out terms and abbreviations: "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)" not just one or the other.
- Don't stuff keywords randomly — place them in context within your experience bullets.
Formatting Rules That Matter
Use a single-column layout. Multi-column resumes look polished to human eyes but fragment text flow for ATS parsers. A keyword in the right column may not be associated with the correct section.
Avoid tables and text boxes. Content inside these elements is frequently skipped entirely.
Use bullet points, not dashes or arrows. Standard bullet characters (•) parse reliably. Decorative symbols may render as garbage characters.
Set standard margins. 0.5–1 inch on all sides. Narrower margins can cause extraction errors in some systems.
Pick a clean font. Arial, Calibri, Georgia, or Times New Roman. Unusual fonts can break text recognition.
Quantify Your Achievements
ATS systems increasingly flag resumes that contain measurable results because they correlate with higher-quality candidates. Replace vague statements with numbers:
- "Improved customer satisfaction" → "Improved customer satisfaction scores by 22% over 6 months"
- "Managed a team" → "Managed a team of 8 engineers across 3 time zones"
Test Before You Submit
After building your resume, run it through an ATS simulation tool to see how it parses. Look for missing sections, garbled text, or keyword gaps. Krokanti CV Builder includes a built-in ATS score checker that analyzes your resume against a target job description and flags issues in real time — no guesswork required.
Writing for ATS doesn't mean your resume has to be boring. It means the right information reaches the right people in a format they can actually use.