How to Make a Resume ATS-Friendly: 5 Areas to Check
Use a text-based, single-column layout with standard section headings, then check five areas: the keywords your field uses, the hard skills you have, clear job titles, a format software can read, and numbers for your results. No layout can promise that a resume gets through every screen.
What does an ATS do with a resume?
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is the software employers use to collect applications, keep them in one place and let recruiters search and filter them. Before it can do any of that, it pulls the text out of your file. Text it cannot pull out, such as words inside an image or a text box, may never reach the person reviewing your application.
Systems differ from employer to employer, and you rarely know which one you are applying through. The safest approach is a resume whose content survives as plain text in the right order, with words a recruiter would search for.
Which layout is the safest?
A plain layout is the one that loses the least when software converts it to text. Use this checklist before you send the file:
- One column, top to bottom. Two-column designs can be read across both columns line by line.
- No tables, text boxes, headers or footers for important content. Put your name and contact details in the body of the page.
- No skill bars, icons or photos that carry information. A bar that shows "4 out of 5" for a skill is invisible as text.
- Standard fonts and simple bullets.
- Standard section headings: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications.
- Dates in one consistent format for every role, for example "Mar 2023 – Present".
What are the five areas to check?
After the layout, read the content against five areas. These are the same five areas that Hired's CV ATS Analysis looks at.
| Area | What to check | A quick fix |
|---|---|---|
| Field keywords | The terms people in your field use for the work you did | Replace in-house names with the common term, and keep the in-house name in brackets if it helps |
| Hard skills | Tools, methods and certifications you actually used | List them in a Skills section and mention the main ones in the bullets where you used them |
| Job titles | Titles a reader outside your company understands | Add the common equivalent, for example "Associate (Financial Analyst)" |
| Format | Text software can read in the right order | Remove columns, tables and graphics that hold content |
| Measurable results | Bullets that show a result, with a number where you have one | Add the size, time, frequency or change you can honestly state |
How do I rewrite a weak bullet?
A weak bullet describes a duty. A stronger bullet names the action, the skill and the result. The rewrites below are fictional examples to show the pattern, not real figures.
| Before | After (fictional example) |
|---|---|
| Responsible for monthly reporting | Built a monthly sales report in SQL and Looker, cutting preparation time from three days to one |
| Helped with onboarding | Ran onboarding for 12 new support agents and wrote the training checklist the team still uses |
| Worked on the website | Rebuilt the product pages in React and reduced page load time by about a third |
If you do not have a number, describe the scale or the outcome in words: who used the result, how often, or what changed afterwards. Do not invent numbers you could not explain in an interview.
How can I check my resume before I apply?
You can test the basics yourself in a few minutes:
- Copy all the text from your file and paste it into a plain text editor. Check that the sections appear in order and nothing is missing.
- Read each heading. Each one should be a standard name a recruiter would recognize.
- Read the job posting and list the skills it names. Check which of them you have and whether your resume says so in the same words.
- Read each bullet and ask whether it shows a result. Rewrite the ones that only list a duty.
- Save the file in the format the posting asks for, with a clear file name such as "Firstname-Lastname-Resume.pdf".
How Hired helps
The free CV analysis works without an account. It points out the top issues in your resume with quotes from your own text and shows how to start rewriting them, looking at structure, standard headings and whether the text reads cleanly. It does not give an ATS score.
The CV ATS Analysis gives a score. It is available after you create a free account, including on the Free plan. It reads your resume against general standards (no job posting needed) and returns a score from 0 to 100, a score for each of the five areas, prioritized issues with fixes, keyword counts and LinkedIn tips. How often you can run it depends on your plan; see pricing.
FAQ
Do I need a special template to get through an ATS?
No. A plain, single-column document with standard headings is usually a safer choice than a designed template. Designed templates can put text in tables, columns, text boxes or graphics, which some systems read out of order or skip.
Should I send my resume as a PDF or a Word file?
Either can work when the text is real, selectable text. Follow the format the job posting asks for. If it names none, a PDF exported from a word processor is a reasonable default. Copy all the text out of the file and paste it into a plain text editor: if it reads in the right order, software can likely read it too.
How many keywords should I add to my resume?
There is no fixed number. Use the terms your field actually uses for the skills and tools you have, in the bullets where you used them. A keyword you cannot talk about in an interview does more harm than good.
Will an ATS-friendly resume get me interviews?
Not by itself. A readable format only helps your content reach the person who reviews it intact. Whether you are invited to interview still depends on your experience, the role and who else applied.
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