How to Create an ATS-Friendly Resume: Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Quick Summary
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are used by 99% of Fortune 500 companies and 75% of large companies to screen resumes. Creating an ATS-friendly resume is crucial for getting your application past these automated systems and into the hands of recruiters.
This comprehensive guide walks you through every step of creating an ATS-optimized resume, from choosing the right format to testing compatibility. Follow these proven strategies to increase your interview rate by up to 300%.
What Makes a Resume ATS-Friendly?
An ATS-friendly resume follows specific formatting and content guidelines that allow applicant tracking systems to parse and understand your information correctly. Here are the key characteristics:
✅ Essential Elements
- Clean, simple formatting without complex design elements
- Standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills)
- Relevant keywords from the job description
- Professional fonts (Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri)
- Proper file format (PDF or Word .docx)
- Single-column layout
- Consistent date formatting
- Plain text without images or graphics
❌ Avoid These
- Images, graphics, logos, or charts
- Complex tables or multi-column layouts
- Text boxes, shapes, or embedded objects
- Fancy fonts or decorative elements
- Headers and footers with content
- Unusual section names
- Special characters or symbols
- Colored text or backgrounds
Key Insight:
ATS systems read resumes like a computer program reads code—they need structure, consistency, and clarity. The more creative and visually appealing your resume looks to humans, the more likely it is to confuse ATS systems. Simple is better.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an ATS-Friendly Resume
Choose the Right Format
Use a clean, standard format with clear section headings. Avoid tables, images, or complex formatting that ATS might not understand. Stick to reverse chronological order for work experience.
Format Checklist:
- Single-column layout (no sidebars or columns)
- Standard margins (1 inch on all sides)
- 10-12pt font size for body text
- Standard fonts: Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman
- Consistent spacing between sections
- Left-aligned text (avoid center or right alignment)
Pro Tip: Use our EasyTeX resume builder templates, which are pre-optimized for ATS compatibility. All templates follow these formatting guidelines automatically.
Use Proper Section Headings
Label sections clearly with standard titles like "Work Experience," "Education," and "Skills." Avoid creative headings that ATS might not recognize.
✅ Standard Headers
- • Experience / Work Experience
- • Education
- • Skills / Technical Skills
- • Certifications
- • Projects
- • Languages
❌ Avoid These
- • "My Journey"
- • "What I Do"
- • "Professional Background"
- • "Career Highlights"
- • "My Story"
- • "Who I Am"
ATS systems are programmed to recognize standard section headers. Using creative or unconventional names can cause the system to miss important information or categorize it incorrectly.
Build a Keyword Strategy
Study 5–10 target job descriptions and list repeated skills, tools, and domain terms. Map those terms to your experience truthfully. Place 15–25 high-value keywords across your Professional Summary, Skills, and bullet points.
Keyword Research Process:
- Collect Job Descriptions: Gather 5-10 job postings for your target role
- Extract Keywords: Identify repeated skills, tools, technologies, and qualifications
- Create a Master List: Compile all unique keywords and prioritize by frequency
- Match to Your Experience: Identify which keywords align with your background
- Integrate Naturally: Place keywords throughout your resume in context
Example Keyword Integration:
Job Description Keywords: Python, React, AWS, Docker, Agile, CI/CD
Your Resume Bullet:
"Developed scalable web applications using Python and React, deployed on AWS infrastructure with Docker containers. Implemented CI/CD pipelines following Agile methodologies, reducing deployment time by 40%."
Write Impact-Driven Bullets
Replace task lists with measurable outcomes. Use action verbs and quantify results: "Reduced build times 42% by introducing Nx caching", "Increased lead conversions 18% by testing new messaging", "Automated quarterly reporting saving 12 hours per cycle".
❌ Weak Bullet
"Responsible for managing the company website and social media accounts."
Problem: Vague, no metrics, passive language
✅ Strong Bullet
"Managed company website and social media, increasing web traffic 45% and growing social media engagement by 200% through content optimization."
Improvement: Specific metrics, action verb, quantifiable results
Action Verbs to Use:
Calibrate Your Skills Section
Group skills by category (Languages, Frameworks, Cloud, Data, Tools). Keep it honest and relevant to the role. A long wall of skills looks unfocused; a curated list reads as intentional.
Skills Section Best Practices:
- List 10-20 relevant skills (not 50+)
- Group by category for easy scanning
- Use exact terminology from job descriptions
- Include both hard skills (technical) and soft skills
- Avoid proficiency bars or visual indicators
- Place most important skills first in each category
Example Skills Section:
Optimize Titles and Dates
ATS expects a pattern: Job Title, Company, Location, Dates. Use month+year (e.g., Jun 2023–Present). If your official title is niche, add a parenthetical for alignment (e.g., "Software Engineer (Frontend)").
Date Formatting Standards:
- Preferred: "Jun 2023 – Present" or "06/2023 – Present"
- Also Acceptable: "June 2023 – Present" or "2023-06 – Present"
- Avoid: "6/23" or "Jun '23" (too abbreviated)
- Consistency: Use the same format throughout your resume
Important: Ensure your LinkedIn profile matches your resume dates and titles. Recruiters often cross-reference, and inconsistencies can raise red flags.
Include Relevant Projects
Projects are invaluable for early-career or career-change candidates. Use 2–4 bullets to show tech, scope, and measurable outcome. Link to a live demo or repo if allowed by the application form.
Project Section Format:
Brief description. Key achievement with metric. [Link to demo/repo if applicable]
Built full-stack e-commerce application with payment integration. Processed $50K+ in transactions.[Live Demo]
Final ATS Checklist
Before submitting your resume, run through this comprehensive checklist to ensure maximum ATS compatibility.
ATS Compatibility Checklist:
Common ATS Mistakes to Avoid
- Using images or graphics to display information: ATS systems cannot read images. Any information in images (including your name, contact info, or skills) will be completely invisible to the system.
- Submitting resumes in incompatible file formats: Avoid .doc, .txt, .rtf, or image files. Stick to PDF or modern Word format (.docx).
- Using unconventional section headings: Creative headers like "My Journey" won't be recognized. Use standard headers like "Experience" and "Education".
- Placing important information in headers or footers: Many ATS systems ignore content in document headers and footers. Keep all critical information in the main body.
- Over-formatting with columns, tables, or text boxes: Complex layouts confuse ATS parsers. Use simple, single-column formatting.
- Keyword stuffing: Overusing keywords unnaturally makes your resume look spammy and can hurt your ATS score. Integrate keywords naturally.
- Missing quantifiable results: ATS systems and recruiters both value metrics. Always include numbers, percentages, or dollar amounts when possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should my ATS-friendly resume be?
For most professionals, 1-2 pages is ideal. Entry-level candidates should aim for 1 page, while experienced professionals can use 2 pages. Academic CVs can be 3-5 pages. The key is ensuring every section adds value and contains relevant keywords.
Should I customize my resume for each job application?
Yes, absolutely. While you can use a base template, you should customize keywords, skills, and even some content to match each job description. This significantly improves your ATS score and shows genuine interest in the specific role.
Can I use a creative resume design?
For ATS compatibility, simple is better. Save creative design for your portfolio or personal website. ATS systems need clean, structured formatting to parse information correctly. However, your resume can still look professional and polished with proper typography and spacing.
How do I know if my resume is ATS-friendly?
Use our built-in ATS checker to test your resume. It will identify formatting issues, missing keywords, and parsing problems. You can also test with free online ATS parsers, though our tool is specifically optimized for our templates.
What's the difference between ATS-friendly and human-friendly?
The best resumes are both ATS-friendly and human-friendly. ATS-friendly means proper formatting and keywords for automated screening. Human-friendly means clear, compelling content that tells your story. Our templates achieve both by combining clean formatting with professional design.
How often should I update my resume?
Update your resume whenever you have new achievements, skills, or experiences. Also update it for each job application to incorporate relevant keywords from the job description. Keep a master resume with all your experience, then create customized versions for specific applications.
Ready to Create Your ATS-Friendly Resume?
Use our ATS-optimized resume builder to create a resume that gets past applicant tracking systems and impresses recruiters. All templates are pre-tested for ATS compatibility and include built-in optimization tools.