How to Make a Resume ATS-Friendly
A practical guide to keeping your resume readable for common applicant tracking systems.
Goal: Keep the content easy to read for both software and humans.
Use clear section headings
Use familiar headings such as Summary, Experience, Education and Skills. Avoid replacing these with clever labels that could make the section purpose unclear.
Keep the layout simple
- Prefer standard fonts and readable sizes.
- Avoid putting essential text inside images or decorative shapes.
- Use consistent dates, job titles and company names.
Make bullets specific
Write bullets that explain what you did, how you did it and what changed. Numbers are useful when they are accurate and relevant.
Check the exported PDF
After printing or saving the resume, open the PDF and confirm that text is selectable, headings are intact and no content is cut off.