How to write an ATS-friendly resume (and test it for free)

An ATS-friendly resume is one that an applicant tracking system can turn into clean, correctly ordered text: one main column, standard headings, real text rather than images, and the job ad's key terms wherever they're genuinely true for you. This guide shows what breaks parsing and a two-minute way to check your own resume.

Many medium and large employers run applications through an applicant tracking system (ATS) such as Workday, Greenhouse, iCIMS or Taleo. The ATS turns your file into text, sorts it into fields (name, jobs, dates, skills) and lets recruiters search and filter. It rarely "rejects" anyone by itself. The real risk is that it reads your resume badly, so a recruiter searching for "forklift" or "triage" never sees you.

How applicant tracking systems read a resume

In plain terms, most systems do four things:

1. Pull the text out of your file, top to bottom. Words inside images usually can't be extracted.
2. Sort that text into fields. It finds your name and contact details, then splits your history into separate jobs, each with a title, employer and dates. Standard headings and a predictable layout make this far more accurate.
3. Save a candidate profile. The parsed version is what gets stored, and on many career sites it's what pre-fills the application form after you upload.
4. Let recruiters search, filter and sort, for example searching for "ServSafe" or sorting by how closely profiles match the job. Some employers also add screening questions ("Do you have a valid driver's license?") that can filter applications automatically, so answer those carefully.

That gives you two ways to lose out: a parsing problem, where your text comes out garbled or in the wrong fields, and a search problem, where the words a recruiter types aren't on your resume. Good formatting fixes the first. Honest tailoring fixes the second.

What an ATS reads well

• One column of real text. Text in a single column comes out in the right order. Two-column layouts often come out with the sidebar mixed into your job history.
• Standard section headings. "Summary", "Experience", "Education", "Skills". Creative headings like "Where I've been" may not be recognized.
• Dates in a consistent format. "Mar 2021 – Present" or "03/2021 – Present". Pick one and use it everywhere.
• Job title, employer and dates together for every job, in the same order each time.
• Simple bullets, not arrows, emoji or custom symbols.
• A PDF made from text, not an image. If you can select and copy the words in your PDF, an ATS can read it too.

Formatting that breaks ATS parsing

None of these automatically sinks an application, but each raises the chance that your details come out wrong, and a recruiter looking at a jumbled profile is unlikely to dig out your original file.

Tables

Many parsers read tables cell by cell in an unpredictable order, or skip them. Your job title can end up attached to the wrong dates, or your skills can vanish. Use a simple line like Server, Riverside Diner | Jun 2023 – Present instead.

Text boxes and shapes

Text boxes float outside the main text flow, so some systems ignore them. Downloaded Word templates often put the name, contact details or a skills panel in one.

Headers and footers

Some parsers skip the header and footer areas of a Word file. Keep your name, phone, email and city in the main body of the page. Page numbers in the footer are fine.

Images of text, icons and skill bars

Anything that's a picture is invisible to a text extractor: logos, a name designed in a graphics tool, icons with no words beside them, skill bars and star ratings. "Excel ★★★★☆" becomes just "Excel" at best. Write skills as words, and put the actual phone number and email next to any icons.

Unusual section headings

Parsers look for familiar labels to decide where a section starts. Swap creative headings for standard ones:

Instead of	Use
My journey / Where I've been	Experience or Work Experience
What I bring / Toolbox	Skills
Learning / Academic background	Education
About me / Hello!	Summary (or Personal Statement on a UK CV)
Paper trail	Certifications

Columns: a caveat, not a ban

Many modern parsers handle a clean two-column layout well, especially with a narrow skills sidebar. The risk is a parser reading straight across the page and mixing sidebar lines into a job description. You can't know which system an employer uses, so a single column is the safe choice for online applications. If you love a two-column design, run the copy test below; if the text comes out in a sensible order, it's probably fine.

Fonts, symbols and scans

Decorative fonts can turn into the wrong characters when extracted, and a scan is just a photo of paper. Use common fonts and always upload the original file.

PDF or Word: which file type is ATS-friendly?

You'll find confident advice in both directions. Here are both sides honestly.

The case for PDF. A PDF looks the same on every screen, and most current tracking systems read text-based PDFs without trouble. What goes wrong is a PDF that isn't really text: one exported as an image from a design tool, or a scanned page.

The case for Word (.docx). Tracking systems have parsed Word files for a long time, and some employers and recruitment agencies ask for them so they can add notes or reformat. The downside is that your layout can shift on a computer without your font, and Word templates are where text boxes and header contact details tend to hide.

What to do:

• If the job ad or form asks for a specific format, use it.
• If it doesn't say, a text-based PDF is a sensible default.
• If an upload fails or the pre-filled form comes out garbled, try Word.

HiredResumeAI exports text-based PDFs on every plan, and Word (.docx) downloads are included with Premium, so you can keep both ready.

Keyword matching, done honestly

Recruiters search the ATS using words from the job ad. If the ad says "inventory control" and your resume says "stock management", you may not appear. For each application:

1. Paste the job ad into an ATS checker and see which keywords are missing.
2. Add the ones that are true for you, in your skills list and in your bullets.
3. Keep the ad's exact wording for certifications and tools ("ServSafe", "Microsoft Excel", "SIA licence").

Never add skills you don't have. Interviews and reference checks catch it, and it wastes everyone's time.

Where the keywords are

Underline four kinds of words in the ad: the job title, hard skills ("cash handling", "patient intake"), tools and software ("Square POS", "RF scanner") and certifications or licenses ("CNA", "food handler card"). Soft skills like "team player" matter less, because recruiters rarely search for them.

Use their wording, and spell out acronyms

If the ad says "customer service" and you wrote "client care", switch to their phrase. Write acronyms both ways once, "Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)", so a search for either finds you.

Put keywords where you used them

"Used an RF scanner to pick 120+ orders per shift" proves the skill; "RF scanner" alone in a list only claims it. Aim for each important term to appear in your skills and in at least one bullet.

Don't game it

Hidden white text, a pasted copy of the job ad, or every skill from the ad listed regardless all backfire. Parsers extract hidden text too, and recruiters see it in the plain-text view of your profile.

Before and after: tailoring bullets to a job ad

Here's a fictional ad for a warehouse associate at Northgate Distribution. It asks for: pick and pack, RF scanner, inventory control, forklift certification, OSHA safety and meeting productivity targets.

Before (keyword-light):

Warehouse Worker, BlueLine Logistics | Feb 2024 – Present
- Worked in the warehouse moving boxes
- Helped with stock
- Used the scanner
- Followed the rules and stayed safe

Skills: Hard working, Reliable, Team player, Fast learner

After (tailored, and still true):

Warehouse Associate, BlueLine Logistics | Feb 2024 – Present
- Picked and packed 120+ orders per shift using an RF scanner,
  meeting daily productivity targets
- Supported inventory control with weekly cycle counts and flagged
  stock discrepancies to the shift lead
- Operated a sit-down forklift (certified 2024) to load and unload
  trailers
- Followed OSHA safety procedures with no recorded incidents in
  18 months

Skills: Pick and pack, RF scanner, Inventory control, Forklift
certification, OSHA safety, Cycle counting, Shipping and receiving

Every bullet now names a specific task in the ad's words, with a number where one was honestly available, and the skills line swapped vague traits for searchable skills. Nothing was invented. If you don't know an exact figure, use a careful estimate you could explain in an interview, or leave it out. For more bullets like these, see the warehouse worker resume example.

How to test your resume for ATS

The plain-text copy test

This takes two minutes and works for any file.

1. Open your PDF, press Select All (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A), and copy.
2. Paste into a plain-text editor: Notepad on Windows, or TextEdit on a Mac switched to plain text.
3. Read it top to bottom.

Check that your contact details are there, sections are in order, each job title sits next to its employer and dates, and nothing from a sidebar has landed in the middle of a job. If you can't select the text at all, your PDF is an image and needs re-exporting.

Run it through an ATS checker

The free ATS checker compares your resume with a job ad and shows a keyword match score and the words you're missing. It runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded. Don't chase 100%; add the missing terms that are true for you.

Watch the pre-filled form

When a career site fills in the application form from your upload, look at what it got wrong. Merged jobs or missing dates are a free, real-world parsing test.

ATS resume myths

• "A robot rejects most resumes." Tracking systems mainly store, sort and search. Automatic rejections usually come from screening questions, not fonts.
• "An ATS resume has to be plain and ugly." It needs clean structure, not zero design. Color and a good font are fine.
• "An ATS can't read PDFs." Text-based PDFs are widely supported. Scans and image-based PDFs are the problem.
• "You need a perfect match score." A score points to missing words; it isn't a pass mark.
• "An ATS template guarantees interviews." It keeps your resume readable. Relevant experience and clear bullets get interviews.

ATS-friendly resume checklist

• Single column, or a two-column design you've tested with the copy test
• Headings: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills
• Every job has title, employer, location and dates, in one date format
• Skills written as words, not bars or stars
• Name, phone and email in the main body, not the header area
• No tables, text boxes or images of text
• Text-based PDF, or Word if the employer asks
• Keywords from the job ad that genuinely match your experience
• Copy test passed and checked in an ATS checker

How HiredResumeAI helps

Templates marked ATS in the resume templates gallery are single column with standard headings and real text, and every template exports a text-based PDF. Use an ATS template for online applications and keep a designed version for emailing or printing; switching doesn't mean retyping. Build for a job ad tailors a resume to a job description using only what you've told it. For layout basics, see the resume format guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is an ATS-friendly resume?

An ATS-friendly resume is one that applicant tracking software can turn into clean, correctly ordered text and sort into the right fields. That means one main column, standard headings, consistent dates, real text instead of images, and the job ad's key terms where they're true for you. It can still look good.

Can an ATS read a two-column resume?

Often, but not always reliably. Some parsers read straight across the page and mix sidebar text into your job history. If you use two columns, paste the text into a plain-text editor and check the order, or use a single-column template for online applications.

Should I send my resume as a PDF or a Word document?

Follow the employer's instructions first. If they don't specify, a text-based PDF is a sensible default because it keeps your layout and most current systems read it well. Keep a Word version ready for employers or agencies that ask for one.

How many keywords should my resume include?

There's no magic number. Include the job title, skills, tools and certifications from the ad that genuinely apply to you, each in your skills list and in at least one bullet. Words you can't back up in an interview do more harm than good.

Is there such a thing as an ATS resume template?

Yes: some templates are built to parse cleanly, with a single column, standard headings, no tables or skill bars, and a text-based PDF export. A template can't fix missing keywords or vague bullets, so tailor the content to each job.

Do applicant tracking systems reject resumes automatically?

Mostly they store, sort and search applications for recruiters. Automatic rejections usually come from employer screening questions, such as work authorization or a required license. The bigger risk is a badly parsed or keyword-light resume that never comes up in a search.