7 ATS-Friendly Resume Tips That Actually Get You Seen

Most mid-size and large employers use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to store and search résumés. Before a recruiter reads your file, software usually parses it into fields — name, job titles, dates, skills — so hiring teams can filter and compare candidates.

That sounds intimidating, but the hype is often worse than the reality. ATS tools are not mysterious robots that auto-reject 75% of résumés on a whim. When candidates get filtered out early, it is usually because the file was hard to parse (columns, graphics, odd headings) or because the content does not match what the role asks for.

Here are 7 tips I always advice people to follow, that will help you pass the ATS barrier and reach the actual recruiters.

1. Use a simple, single-column layout

Two column CVs with photo and decorative bullet points and nice icons look great, but they are not friends with ATS scanners. Parsers read top to bottom, left to right. Two-column designs, text boxes, and sidebars often scramble that order — your experience might appear under “Skills” and your skills under “Education.”

Rule of thumb here is: keep the template simple.

• Do: one main column, standard sections, plenty of white space.
• Don't: split the page with a heavy sidebar or put work history in a narrow column next to icons.

RecordCV’s Standard template (free) is built single-column and parser-safe. Templates like Grid or Atelier look great but are better suited for portfolios, where CV design as just as important as its content.

Try this: open your CV and check whether any section sits in a side column. If yes, move it into the main flow.

2. Label sections with conventional headings

ATS software looks for familiar section labels. Creative titles may look memorable to humans but can cause entire blocks to be skipped or misfiled.

• Safe: Work Experience, Professional Experience, Education, Skills, Summary.
• Risky: Where I've Made an Impact, My Journey, What I Bring to the Table.

Try this: rename any non-standard section header to the closest conventional label above.

3. Mirror keywords from the job description

Recruiters and filters both search for terms from the posting — tools, certifications, methodologies, seniority signals. Use the employer’s language where it honestly describes your work.

A simple three-step pass before you apply:

1. Highlight must-have skills and requirements in the job description.
2. Find matching evidence in your experience — projects, tools, outcomes.
3. Weave those terms into bullets and your summary naturally; never paste a keyword block or hide text.

• Do: “Led migration to AWS, cutting infra costs by 22%.”
• Don't: a “Skills” paragraph that lists 40 tools you touched once.

Try this: pick three keywords from the posting and add them to one bullet each — only where true.

4. Export as PDF with selectable text

PDF is the default for most portals, but not all PDFs are equal. A scanned image or screenshot saved as PDF has no readable text layer — parsers see a blank page.

• Do: export from Word, Google Docs, or RecordCV so you can highlight individual words in Preview or Acrobat.
• Don't: upload a photo of your résumé or a “designed” PDF built as flat graphics.

Try this: open your PDF, drag to select a sentence. If you cannot, re-export before applying.

5. Put contact info in the body, not the header/footer

Some parsers ignore document headers and footers entirely. If your email lives only in a footer band, the system may store your file without a way to reach you.

A safe top-of-page block looks like this:

Jane Doe
jane.doe@email.com · +1 555 123 4567 · London, UK
linkedin.com/in/janedoe

Try this: move name, email, phone, and LinkedIn into the first lines of the main document body.

6. Have strong bullet points

You should generally aim to have around 2 - 4 bullets for each job and project. No one's going to read a big block of text. Each job and project should have some outcomes (e.g. number of users, budget saved, % performance increased) if you have them.

• Weak: “Responsible for managing client relationships and reporting.”
• Strong: “Grew key account revenue 18% by introducing a quarterly business review cadence.”

Try this: rewrite your top three bullets with a verb + outcome + number where possible.

7. Test before you apply

The plain-text test catches most layout problems in under a minute:

1. Copy all text from your résumé (Cmd/Ctrl+A in the PDF or editor).
2. Paste into a blank .txt file or Notes app.
3. Read top to bottom — do sections appear in logical order? Are dates and employers intact?

If experience bullets land before your name, or whole sections vanish, simplify formatting and test again.

Try this: run the paste test once before every tailored version goes out.

Pre-submit checklist

Before you hit apply, scan this list:

• Single-column layout; no text trapped in sidebars or text boxes
• Section headings use conventional names (Experience, Education, Skills)
• Contact details in the document body, not only in a header/footer
• PDF text is selectable — not a scan or screenshot
• Bullets use simple markers; no icons or emoji in the body
• Keywords from the job description appear naturally in bullets or summary
• No keyword stuffing, hidden text, or white-on-white tricks
• Plain-text paste test reads clearly from top to bottom
• File name is professional (e.g. Jane-Doe-Product-Manager.pdf)

Formatting gets you into the searchable pile; content gets you the interview. ATS-friendly layout is the baseline — achievement-led bullets, an honest summary, and a CV tailored to the role do the rest.

RecordCV exports text-based PDFs and offers ATS-safe templates so you can focus on what you did, not on fighting a blank page. Get the structure right, then make every line worth reading.