7 ATS Resume Tips That Actually Work in 2025

Over 98% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS to filter candidates before human review. Here's exactly how to write a resume that passes the bots and impresses the people.

What is an ATS and why does it matter?

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software that automatically scans, parses, and scores resumes before a recruiter sees them. When you submit your resume online, it typically goes through an ATS first. If you score below the hiring threshold — usually 60-70% match — you're filtered out automatically, regardless of how qualified you are.

Understanding how ATS works isn't about gaming the system. It's about making sure your real qualifications actually reach a human.

Tip 1: Use a clean, single-column or simple two-column layout

Fancy resume designs with graphics, icons, charts, and text boxes look impressive to humans — but they break ATS parsers. Most ATS systems read left-to-right, top-to-bottom, and any deviation from that structure causes parsing errors.

Safe formatting elements: standard section headers (Experience, Education, Skills), bullet points, bold text. Unsafe: tables, text boxes, graphics, headers/footers, columns of unequal width.

Tip 2: Use exact keywords from the job description

ATS systems score keyword matches literally. If the JD says "Salesforce CRM" and your resume says "Salesforce," you may not get full credit. If it says "project management" and your resume says "managed projects," you lose the exact match.

Read each job description, identify the most-repeated keywords, and mirror them exactly throughout your resume — especially in your skills section and job titles.

Tip 3: Put your job title on your resume — even if it was a different name internally

Some companies have idiosyncratic internal titles. If your internal title was "Growth Hacker" but you're applying to jobs titled "Marketing Manager," your ATS match score suffers. Use the standard industry title that matches the jobs you're targeting, with your actual title in parentheses if needed: "Marketing Manager (internally: Growth Hacker)".

Tip 4: Include both spelled-out and acronym versions of skills

Write "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)" the first time, not just "SEO." Write "Customer Relationship Management (CRM)" before shortening to "CRM." ATS systems may search for either form — covering both guarantees a match.

Tip 5: Use standard section headers

ATS systems are trained to recognize standard section names. Using creative alternatives confuses them:

• ❌ "Career Highlights" → ✅ "Experience"
• ❌ "Academic Background" → ✅ "Education"
• ❌ "Technical Toolbox" → ✅ "Skills"
• ❌ "What I've Done" → ✅ "Work Experience"

Tip 6: Don't put important information in headers or footers

Many ATS systems skip the header and footer of Word documents entirely. If you put your name, email, or phone number only in the header (a common Word template behavior), the ATS may lose your contact info. Put all key information in the main body.

Tip 7: Save as PDF, not Word (.docx)

While some older ATS systems prefer Word files, modern ATS (Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, iCIMS) all handle PDF correctly. PDF preserves your formatting exactly and prevents the layout from shifting on different machines. Always send PDF unless the application explicitly requests Word.