If you want your resume to make it past automated screenings, you need more than a nice layout. Applicant tracking systems or ATS read resumes before humans do. In my experience, a resume that looks great on paper can still fail to pass an ATS scan. I’ve seen candidates with strong skills get filtered out because of simple formatting choices. This guide walks you through how to create an ats friendly resume, step by step. No fluff. Just practical tips that help you pass ATS systems and get seen by real people.

Why ATS matters and why you should care

ATS software is everywhere. Recruiters use it to sort, filter, and rank hundreds of resumes. For high-volume roles, companies rely on these systems to speed up hiring. That means if your resume is not an ats compliant resume, it may never be read by a recruiter.

Ask yourself this: do you want your resume to impress a machine or a human? The answer is both. You want a resume format for ATS that lets software parse your content and a layout that still looks tidy when a person opens the file.

Here’s the reality. ATS looks for keywords, structure, and clean formatting. If it can’t find your job titles, dates, or skills because of fancy formatting, you’re out of the running. That’s avoidable. I’ll show you how to format a resume so it’s both ATS optimized CV and human-friendly.

Common pitfalls that kill resumes in ATS

• Weird headers and footers. Some systems skip those areas entirely, so your contact info or job titles might be ignored.
• Graphics, images, and logos. They look nice but machines don’t read them. Your resume content should be text-based.
• Fancy fonts and strange symbols. Stick with standard fonts. Special characters may not parse correctly.
• Tables and text boxes. Many ATS cannot read content inside tables or boxes. That work experience could disappear.
• File types. Some systems prefer Word .docx files. Others accept PDF. If you’re not sure, submit a .docx.

These mistakes are common, and they are easy to fix. I’ve seen talented candidates lose out to less qualified applicants because of them. Don’t let formatting decisions sabotage your job search.

Core principles for an ATS friendly resume

Here are the rules I follow when building or reviewing resumes for people. They’re simple and they work.

1. Use clear, standard section headings - Work Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications. ATS relies on those headings to categorize content.
2. Keep it text-based - Avoid images, icons, and embedded charts. If you want a visual resume, keep a separate version for humans.
3. Include keywords naturally - Mirror the job description. That’s the best way to ensure an ATS keywords resume detects your fit.
4. Choose readable fonts - Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, or Helvetica. Fonts like these parse reliably.
5. Use standard file formats - When in doubt, submit .docx. Some ATS parse PDF well, but .docx is safest for resume writing for ATS.

Best ATS resume template: what it looks like

People ask for the best ATS resume template. The truth is there is no magic template. But there are layouts that consistently work. I outline one below that I use when coaching students and career changers.

Structure to follow:

• Contact information at the top - name, email, phone, location (city, state), LinkedIn
• Professional summary or headline - 2 to 4 lines that include role and top skills
• Key skills - short bullet list or comma-separated keywords
• Work experience - reverse chronological, each job with title, company, dates, and 3 to 5 bullets
• Education - degrees, institutions, graduation years (optional)
• Certifications and tools - short list (important for technical roles)
• Optional sections - projects, publications, volunteer work

Keep each section labeled exactly with common names. The best ATS resume template emphasizes content rather than design. Make it easy for the system to pull out your job titles, companies, and dates.

How to make ATS resume content-friendly

Content is king, even for ATS. Your resume needs clear, keyword-rich sentences that explain what you did and the impact you made. Here’s how to write content that passes ATS and convinces humans.

• Use action verbs. Start bullets with verbs like led, designed, implemented, reduced, increased.
• Quantify results. Numbers stand out. Say "reduced onboarding time by 30 percent" instead of "improved onboarding."
• Include keywords from the job description. If the posting calls for "product roadmap," include that phrase if you have that experience.
• Be concise. Bullets should be one to two lines. Long paragraphs are harder to parse.
• Spell out acronyms once. Write "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)" early on, then use SEO after that.

In my experience, people either undersell or overshare. Aim for clarity. Show the value you delivered. That helps both ATS ranking and recruiter interest.

Formatting details that matter

Here are the small, technical things job seekers forget but that can cost them visibility.

File format

If a job post asks for a specific type, follow it. If not, submit .docx. Most ATS handle .docx best. PDF is okay for many systems, but some older ATS convert PDFs poorly, which can break your resume parsing.

Fonts and sizes

Stick to standard fonts. Keep body text between 10 and 12 points. Headings can be slightly larger. Don't use uncommon fonts or fancy stylistic features. That stuff breaks parsing and looks unprofessional to human readers.

Dates and locations

Use consistent date formats - either Month Year or Year. Don't mix styles. List city and state with each employer. ATS often uses dates to map job history. Inline dates next to job titles are easiest for machines to interpret.

Contact info

Put phone and email in a standard block at the top. LinkedIn is useful. Avoid putting contact details in headers or footers - ATS often ignores those areas.

Bullets and lists

Use standard bullet points. Hyphens are okay. Avoid special characters like solid dots or icons. Keep lists simple so ATS can read them as separate items.

How to use keywords without sounding robotic

ATS tracks keywords, but stuffing keywords does not help once a human reads your resume. You want a natural balance. Here’s how.

1. Scan the job description for repeated phrases. Those are likely important keywords.
2. Add those phrases in your skills section and weave them into your work experience bullets.
3. Use variations and synonyms. For example, include "project management" and "PM" if both are relevant.
4. Don’t fake it. Only include skills and tools you actually used. Recruiters will test you on them.

Think of keywords as signals. Strategically place them where they make sense. A keyword in your summary, skills list, and a work bullet is better than listing it once in isolation.

Sample ATS-optimized bullet examples

Here are a few simple bullets I recommend. They include keywords and measurable results, and they are formatted to be parsed properly.

• Led cross-functional team of 6 to deliver product roadmap, improving time to market by 25 percent
• Managed SEO strategy and execution, increasing organic traffic by 80 percent year over year
• Implemented CRM automation using Salesforce, reducing manual tasks by 40 hours per month
• Developed financial models and dashboards for senior leadership, supporting $10M budget decisions

These are short, targeted, and full of relevant keywords. Use similar patterns for your role and industry. If you need to adapt to ATS, keep it simple and factual.

Sections many people skip but should include

Adding a few targeted sections can boost your ATS and recruiter appeal. Here are options I recommend depending on your situation.

• Technical Skills - Tools, platforms, programming languages. Great for technical roles and ATS parsing.
• Certifications - PMP, AWS, Google Analytics. Put certification dates if recent.
• Projects - Short summary of key projects, especially useful for career changers without long job histories.
• Keywords Summary - A short phrase list that mirrors the job posting. Place near the top for scanning.

These sections act like signposts for both machines and humans. They let recruiters see your qualifications at a glance and help ATS match you to relevant roles.

Formatting do's and don’ts - quick checklist

Use this while you build or update your resume. I keep a version of this checklist on my desk when helping students.

• Do use clear section headers
• Do use consistent date formats
• Do put contact info in the main body, not headers or footers
• Do include a skills section with relevant keywords
• Do save as .docx if unsure
• Don’t use images, logos, or icons
• Don’t use multiple columns - single column is safest
• Don’t use text boxes or tables for core content
• Don’t overstuff keywords - keep it natural

Testing your resume: the practical steps

How do you know if your resume will pass ATS? You can test it in a few useful ways.

1. Upload it to an ATS-friendly tool or resume parser. Some free tools show how an ATS would read your resume.
2. Copy and paste your resume into a plain text file. If important items disappear or look scrambled, fix the formatting.
3. Ask a friend in recruiting to run it through their ATS if they can. That real-world check is valuable.
4. Use LinkedIn Easy Apply as a test. Some systems that power job boards parse similarly to ATS, so you’ll see if key items get picked up.

Testing is quick and highly effective. Don’t skip it. I always ask people to paste their resume into Notepad or TextEdit to see what an ATS would likely find.

How recruiters and hiring managers actually use ATS

Understanding the recruiter perspective helps you write a better resume. Recruiters use ATS to narrow a pool to a manageable list. They then manually scan the top candidates. You want to be in that top list.

Recruiters look for clear signals: recent relevant roles, consistent career progression, and measurable impact. ATS helps them find those signals. That means your resume should make those signals obvious and easy to match.

In my experience working with hiring teams, the resumes that win are not the prettiest. They are the most readable and relevant. Make your achievements obvious. Make keywords match the job. Let the ATS do its job so recruiters can focus on the right people.

ATS tips 2025 : what’s new and what still matters

ATS tech keeps evolving. Here are a few ATS tips 2025 that matter now.

• Natural language processing improvements - Systems are better at understanding meaning, not just keyword matches. However, you still need clear phrasing and context.
• Skills matching gets more granular - Modern ATS will look for demonstrated skills and experience levels, so quantify and contextualize your expertise.
• More emphasis on predictive scoring - Some systems score candidates based on predicted success. That scoring favors demonstrated impact and relevant history.
• Integration with career sites and LinkedIn - Ensure your LinkedIn matches your resume. Discrepancies can raise red flags.

Even with these updates, the basics still win. Clean structure, clear keywords, and measurable achievements remain the most reliable way to pass ATS and impress hiring managers.

How to tailor your resume for each role without starting from scratch

Tailoring is key. You should not send the same resume to every job. But you also don’t need to rewrite everything. Here’s an efficient approach I use with students and clients.

1. Create a master resume with your full experience and a large skills bank.
2. For each job, pick the top 6 to 10 keywords and phrases from the job description.
3. Update the summary and skills section to match those keywords.
4. Swap in two or three work bullets that are most relevant to the posting.
5. Keep the rest of the resume the same.

This method is fast and effective. It keeps your resume relevant and ATS optimized without chewing up hours for each application.

Sample simple resume layout - quick example

Below is a plain example you can use as a starting point. It is formatted to be ATS friendly and human readable.