When you submit a job application online, it rarely goes directly to a recruiter. In most medium-to-large organizations, your application enters an applicant tracking system (ATS) — software that processes, organizes, and filters incoming applications automatically. Part of that process involves assigning your resume a score based on how well it matches the requirements of the open position.
Understanding how that score is calculated — and what you can do to improve it — is one of the most practical things you can do for your job search.
How ATS Scoring Actually Works
ATS software varies by vendor (Greenhouse, Workday, Lever, iCIMS, Taleo, and dozens of others all work differently), but the core scoring logic is consistent across most platforms:
Keyword matching is the primary factor. The system compares the text of your resume against the job description and counts how many relevant terms appear in both. Job titles, required skills, tools, certifications, and industry terminology all factor in. A resume that uses the exact phrases from the job description scores higher than one that describes the same skills in different words.
Section recognition affects whether your content is categorized correctly. If the ATS can't identify your work experience as work experience (because you used an unusual section header or the formatting confused the parser), that content may not be scored against the relevant criteria at all.
Contact information completeness is checked by most systems. Missing a phone number, professional email, or location can affect how your application is processed.
Date parsing is used to calculate employment gaps and total years of experience. Unusual date formats ("Summer 2021" instead of "Jun 2021") may cause errors.
Keyword density and placement matters in some systems. Keywords appearing in prominent positions — your summary, your most recent job title, your skills section — often carry more weight than the same terms buried at the bottom of an older position.
What a "Score" Looks Like in Practice
The score is rarely a single number you can see. Most ATS platforms present recruiters with a ranked list of candidates, a percentage match indicator, or a color-coded priority flag. Some modern platforms use machine learning to predict candidate fit based on patterns across previous successful hires, not just keyword matching.
From your perspective as an applicant, the score determines whether your resume reaches the top of the list — or disappears into a pool that never gets reviewed. In high-volume hiring, recruiters often only look at the top 10-20% of scored candidates.
How to Improve Your ATS Score
Match keywords from the job description exactly. If the posting says "Python," your resume should say "Python" — not "Python programming" or "Python scripting" as the primary instance. Include both the spelled-out and abbreviated version of key terms when relevant: "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)" covers both.
Use the job title from the posting. If your previous title was "Digital Growth Specialist" but the role you're applying to says "Digital Marketing Manager," include the relevant keywords from that title in your summary or experience description — along with your actual title.
Prioritize plain formatting. Tables, multi-column layouts, headers and footers, and text boxes cause parsing failures in most ATS platforms. Content in these elements is frequently lost. A single-column layout with standard section headers consistently parses better.
Choose your file format carefully. A clean .docx file is the safest option for ATS compatibility. A text-based PDF is generally fine. A designed PDF from Canva or a similar tool may fail entirely.
Include a dedicated skills section. Many ATS systems have a specific skills matching module that looks for skills listed in a structured section, separate from your experience bullets. List both technical skills (tools, languages, platforms) and relevant soft skills your field values.
What ATS Scoring Doesn't Capture
ATS systems score text. They cannot evaluate the quality of your writing, the significance of your achievements, the coherence of your career narrative, or your cultural fit. A high ATS score gets you in front of a human. What that human sees when they read your resume is a separate challenge.
This is why gaming the ATS by stuffing keywords with no supporting evidence is counterproductive. You need a score high enough to be seen, and content strong enough to convert that visibility into an interview. Both matter, and they require different approaches.
The most practical combination: a structurally sound, keyword-aligned resume that also reads clearly and specifically to a human recruiter. Neither condition cancels out the other.