In 2023, companies are trying to automate everything, including hiring.
They use ATS, or Applicant Tracking Systems, to screen out resumes that don't appear to be a fit.
This means you need to write an ATS resume - one that beats these resume screeners.
In this guide, we'll show you how to do that, plus give you free ATS templates you can use to get started.
Here are quick links so you can jump to the section of this guide that's most relevant to you:
Already have a resume? Check to see if it readable by an ATS by uploading it here.
The Basics: What is an ATS?
ATS, or Applicant Tracking Systems, are software that help hiring managers scan resumes for specific keywords and filter out any that don’t meet their criteria. But even the ATS isn’t perfect — in fact, most hiring managers admit that some qualified candidates are probably being filtered out.
Here's a simple diagram of how it works - the Applicant Tracking System is in the middle of the diagram.
How Do You Write An ATS Resume?
Now that you know what an ATS is and how it works, let's talk about what you need to do to write an ATS-friendly resume that
actually gets past these screeners.
It might seem complicated, but beating the ATS is only about two things: readability and relevancy. What does that mean in practice? Let’s break it down, step by step.
First things first: Make sure your resume is readable
An ATS scans your resume's past experience and skills to determine whether you're a good fit. If it can’t read your resume, it will assume you don’t have what the company is looking for and will automatically discard your application. Obviously, we don’t want that to happen, so here’s how to make your resume ATS friendly.
Use a standard template (we have some below) This one is good advice whether you’re preparing your resume for an ATS or not. A single-column layout is best; while some ATS are getting better at reading multi-column layouts, they can still glitch and parse things incorrectly. For example, if your work history is in one column and your education is in another, an ATS could read them as one single section and fail to properly understand your experience.
And don't use tables — similar to multi-column layouts, tables rarely get parsed correctly by ATS, so it’s best to avoid them entirely. Use tabs and right/left aligns to structure your resume instead.
Ensure a resume scanner can read your resume Upload your resume for free to Score My Resume and ensure your sections and bullet points are correctly identified.
Use standard section titles Avoid trying to liven up your resume with non-standard section titles like, “My career in a nutshell.” “Work experience” already says everything it needs to, and it’s what the ATS will be scanning for, so don’t make it any harder to find than it needs to be.
Avoid using creative fonts or icons
Avoid using icons, images, or creative fonts — if the ATS can’t identify the section, it won’t know what it’s reading.
When it comes to resume visuals, it’s time to go back to basics. Stick with standard sans serif fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Garamond. Some newer fonts convert letters to special characters which often get scanned incorrectly by the ATS.
Examples of Readable ATS Resume Templates
Before we move on to other optimizations you can make to write an effective resume that's ATS-friendly, let's share a few ATS resume templates you can use. Notice how they all follow the key readability rules we described above - simple fonts, standard templates, no images, and common section titles.
Once you get your resume template in order, make sure it's readable by a resume screener. The easiest way to do that is by uploading it to a resume scanner, which will tell you what sections and bullet points are detected. You can drop your resume in the box below and our tools will give you an instant assessment on your readability, style, and other key criteria hiring managers look for.
Using the Right Keywords On Your ATS Resume
Now that you know an ATS can actually read your resume, it’s time to make sure it actually finds the right skills on it! Tailoring your resume to target the skills and experience the employer is looking for will give it a high enough 'relevancy score' to get it past the ATS and into the hands of a recruiter.
Use the right keywords
The best way to beat Applicant Tracking Systems is to use the right keywords. How do you know which keywords are the right ones? Look at the job ad! Employers will generally include a list of "must haves" — the skills and experience they're specifically looking for.
These are the important keywords you'll want to include. And remember to save the job description when you apply — the employer may take the opening down by the time you get to the interview stage, and you’ll want to have it handy as a reference.
The best place to put most of those keywords is in your skills section. This can be easily customized for each job you apply for and will only take a couple of minutes. The results are well worth the effort!
You can also include keywords in your projects section, if you have one. Including hard skills along with quantifiable metrics is a good way to optimize your resume for a real person at the same time.
Use a free resume keyword scanner to find the right keywords
Going back to the job descriptions, it is extremely time consuming and tedious to go through each and every word of a job description to find out the right keywords to include for every job. In addition, once you find the right keywords, you need to compare your resume to each job description to make sure you haven't missed any keywords. It takes 10-15 minutes every time, making it impractical if you are applying for hundreds of jobs.
That's where our free keyword scanner comes in. It uses AI to analyze and scan the job description that you are applying to, to identify
the most important skills that the job requires.
It then scans your resume to check if you have included the most important keywords the job requires. This is called 'matching' your resume with the job - the keyword scanner essentially calculates a match score between your resume and the job description of the job you're applying to.
The best part? The resume keyword scanner takes just five seconds to scan your resume and job posting to find the keywords you're missing on your resume.
This will save you hundreds of hours over the course of your job search.
Plus, it's free to use. Here's a short video showing you how it works:
Accelerate your career
Our AI-powered tools have been tested with thousands of jobseekers and are proven to improve your success rate.
It takes only a minute to get started and it's free.
"My free resume review was truly eye-opening. I found out why I wasn't getting interviews and exactly what to add to get past resume screeners. I've already had way more callbacks since I used it. I recommend it to all my friends who are job searching."
-Gemma C.
Career Supplement
Boost your career in just 5 minutes a week.
Get the weekly email that will show you how to accelerate your career, grow your network and turn your career into a rocketship.
Join 1.2m+ other professionals who are getting ahead, for free.
What you'll receive once a week...
Practical career advice from a $750/hour executive coach
Email templates you can copy-and-send to easily grow your network
Step-by-step frameworks proven to get promoted and grow as a leader
Voted the #1 career newsletter by an independent survey of 2k professionals
One-click unsubscribe anytime. 100% privacy.
"I've 3x'd my salary in just two years. My friends think I'm smart (I'm not). Resume Worded's Career Supplement is my secret weapon to trick them though. It's working wonderfully. Try it." - Ashley B.
"I will never understand how this is free. This email feels like someone is actively looking out for my career and showing me how not to f*ck things up." - Andrew R.
"No fluff. No noise. Just useful career tips sent in small nuggets so it's not overwhelming and easy to apply." - Dave S.
"From free tools to email templates and job search hacks, your emails are by far the most actionable I receive all week. Thanks again and I look forward to seeing next Thursday's insights." - Elisabeth C.
Turn your LinkedIn profile into an opportunity magnet.
In just 10 seconds, our free AI-powered tool will show you how to get 5x more jobs and opportunities on LinkedIn.
"This tool was ridiculously helpful. In just one week after making the changes the AI suggested, I received three times the number of profile views and
had five recruiters pitching me jobs on LinkedIn. I can't thank you enough!"
-Ashley L.
Claim your free resource
This resume checklist will get you more interviews.
We've interviewed 50+ hiring managers and recruiters and identified the 10 most important things they want to see on your resume.
Enter your email and we'll send you the free checklist right away. This resource is only available until Jun 11, 2023.
"Thank you for the resume checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now." - Stephanie C.
Claim your free resource
This LinkedIn checklist will double your network.
We've interviewed 15+ LinkedIn experts and hiring managers to identify the easiest and most effective things to do to improve your LinkedIn profile's reach, discoverability and connections.
Enter your email and we'll send you the free checklist right away. This resource is only available until Jun 11, 2023.
Thank you for the LinkedIn checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my profile that I've now fixed. I'm already seeing more views to my profile and it's only been three days." - Hayden C.
Claim the free resource for career changers
This checklist will make your job search 10x easier.
We've interviewed 50+ hiring managers and past career changers to find out how you can be more successful in your job search. We've condensed their insights into this step-by-step checklist, and packed it with insider tools and strategies you won't get anywhere else.
Enter your email and we'll send it to you right away. This resource is only available until Jun 12, 2023.
This checklist was critical through my career change. Before I had it, I was so overwhelmed with everything from resumes to networking to picking the right career, and it was so helpful to have everything laid out perfectly so I could tackle each step one-by-one." - Kimberley T.
What's inside...
Practical job search checklist, compiled by a $750/hour executive coach
Quick strategies to tailor your resume and LinkedIn profile to your new role
Email templates you can copy-and-send to grow your network in your new industry
100% privacy - we hate spam as much as you do
Is your resume good enough?
Find out why you aren't getting as many callbacks as you should with a free resume review.
In just 30 seconds, we'll score it on key criteria hiring managers look for and tell you if it falls short.
Get a free bi-weekly coaching email from a $750/hour career coach. Get proven strategies on how to unlock your career's potential, meet VIPs in your industry and turn your career into a rocketship.
Join the 1.2+ million professionals who are getting ahead in their careers, for free.
I'm not interested, let me read the article >
Get your free resume review in 30 seconds
Get expert feedback on your resume, instantly
Get actionable steps to revamp your resume and land more interviews using our free AI-powered tool
Access samples from top resumes
Get inspired by real resume samples that helped candidates get into top companies
