How ATS actually works (and what it doesn't do)
Before optimising for ATS, it's worth separating what's real from what's myth. The internet is full of exaggerated claims about ATS systems — understanding how they actually function changes your approach significantly.
What ATS does:
An Applicant Tracking System is software that helps employers manage job applications. When you submit a resume online, ATS typically: parses the text into structured fields (name, contact, work history, education, skills), stores your information in a searchable database, and — in some implementations — scores or ranks your resume against keyword criteria from the job description.
What ATS does not do:
- It does not make the final hiring decision. A human reviews resumes that pass initial screening.
- It does not read your resume the way a human does — it's parsing text, not evaluating quality of writing.
- It does not uniformly reject resumes that aren't "optimised." Rejection thresholds vary widely by company and system.
- It does not see your design choices as intentional — a table it can't parse becomes garbled text, not a formatted table.
The real risk: most ATS rejections happen because the system can't correctly extract your information — not because your keywords are wrong. Formatting errors (tables, columns, headers, text boxes, images) corrupt the parse. When ATS can't read your resume reliably, your application is incomplete in the database — and a human reviewer never sees it properly.
The practical implication: ATS optimisation is primarily about parseability first, keywords second. A cleanly structured resume with good keywords outperforms a keyword-stuffed resume with broken formatting every time.
The 10 ATS formatting rules
These rules ensure your resume parses correctly across the widest range of ATS systems.
1. Use a single-column layout
Multi-column layouts are the single most common cause of ATS parsing failures. Text in a two-column resume is often read in the wrong order or merged incorrectly. Use one column. Yes, this looks less visually interesting — it also means your work history actually appears in the right fields.
2. Avoid tables, text boxes, and headers/footers
Tables: ATS often can't parse the cell structure and outputs garbled text. Text boxes: frequently invisible to parsers. Headers and footers: many ATS systems don't parse these — contact information placed in a header may not be captured at all. Put your name, phone, email, and LinkedIn URL in the main body of the document.
3. Use standard section headings
ATS systems are trained to recognise standard labels. Use: "Work Experience" or "Professional Experience," "Education," "Skills," "Certifications," "Summary" or "Professional Summary." Non-standard headings like "Where I've Made an Impact" or "My Story" confuse the parser and your experience may not be categorised correctly.
4. Choose a clean, common font
Arial, Calibri, Garamond, Georgia, Times New Roman, Helvetica. Font size 10–12pt for body text, 14–16pt for your name. Decorative fonts may render incorrectly or fail to parse.
5. Don't use graphics, icons, or images
Profile photos, company logos, icons next to bullet points, decorative dividers — all invisible or garbled in ATS. If your resume is full of icons, it's probably a template designed for visual appeal, not parsability.
6. Use bullet points, not dashes, symbols, or custom characters
Standard bullet points (•) parse reliably. Custom symbols, arrows (→), or decorative characters often become question marks or garbage text in the parsed output.
7. List dates in a consistent, readable format
Month and year format works universally: Jan 2022 – Mar 2024 or 01/2022 – 03/2024. Avoid date formats that could be parsed ambiguously. Always include both start and end dates for each role.
8. Keep your file format standard
.docx is the most universally parseable format. PDF is widely supported by modern ATS but some older systems struggle with it. Never submit a .pages, .odt, or image file unless specifically instructed. When in doubt, .docx.
9. No images of text or scanned resumes
Resumes saved as images (including scanned PDFs) contain no parseable text — the ATS sees a blank document. This is surprisingly common when people photograph a printed resume or save a Canva design as a flat image.
10. Keep formatting simple throughout
Bold and italic are fine for emphasis. Colour is acceptable if used sparingly and not as the sole differentiator (e.g. coloured text in a grey box is invisible to parsers). Underlining hyperlinks is standard. Everything else — gradients, shaded backgrounds, artistic layouts — adds visual complexity that ATS systems weren't designed to interpret.
How to find and place resume keywords (with examples)
Keywords are how ATS systems match your resume to the job description. Here's how to find the right ones and place them where they'll be detected.
Step 1: Extract keywords from the job description
Read the job posting and highlight:
- Job titles mentioned (both the role and related titles in the description)
- Required skills and tools listed in "Requirements" or "Qualifications"
- Action verbs used to describe the role ("manage," "develop," "analyse," "lead")
- Industry-specific terminology and acronyms
- Soft skills mentioned multiple times (if they're repeated, they're important)
The keywords you need are already written for you — in the job description.
Step 2: Match exact phrasing, not synonyms
ATS keyword matching is literal. If the job description says "project management," your resume should say "project management" — not "programme management," "PM experience," or "managing projects." For role titles: if the posting says "Customer Success Manager," that exact phrase should appear in your resume, not just "CSM" or "account manager."
Exceptions: include both the full term and the abbreviation when both are commonly used. "Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)" captures both the full phrase and the acronym in a single entry.
Step 3: Place keywords in the right sections
ATS systems weight different sections differently. Place your most important keywords in:
- Professional summary / objective (parsed first, high weight)
- Skills section (dedicated keyword section, explicitly scanned)
- Job titles (exact match to the target role increases score significantly)
- Work experience bullet points (where context proves you've used the skill)
Don't put keywords only in the skills section without supporting evidence in your experience — many ATS systems and human reviewers look for keywords in context, not just listed.
Resume keywords examples by function:
*Marketing:* SEO, SEM, Google Analytics, content strategy, conversion rate optimisation, A/B testing, HubSpot, Salesforce, demand generation, paid social, ROI
*Engineering:* Python, JavaScript, React, Node.js, AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD, REST APIs, SQL, agile, sprint planning, code review
*Finance:* financial modelling, FP&A, GAAP, variance analysis, Excel, SAP, ERP, budget management, forecasting, P&L, audit
*Sales:* Salesforce, CRM, pipeline management, prospecting, quota attainment, account management, B2B, SaaS, ARR, cold outreach, discovery calls
*HR/Talent:* talent acquisition, HRIS, applicant tracking, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, LinkedIn Recruiter, Workday, BambooHR
Step 4: Don't keyword-stuff
Placing 40 keywords in white text (invisible to humans but visible to ATS) is an old technique that modern ATS systems detect and penalise, and that immediately fails the human review. Every keyword in your resume should appear naturally in a sentence or context that a hiring manager would find credible.
How to get your resume past ATS: test before you apply
Before submitting to any role, run a quick self-check. This takes 5 minutes and catches the most common failures.
The paste test:
Copy and paste your resume text into a plain text editor (Notepad on Windows, TextEdit in plain text mode on Mac). What you see is roughly what ATS sees. Check for:
- Is your contact information present and readable at the top?
- Are your section headings intact and in the right order?
- Does your work history read in chronological order with dates?
- Are there any garbled characters, merged lines, or missing text?
If the paste test produces clean, ordered text — your resume is likely parsing correctly. If it produces a jumble, the source formatting is broken.
The keyword gap check:
Copy the job description and your resume into a comparison tool, or manually go through the top 10–15 keywords in the posting and check each one against your resume. Mark any missing keywords that you genuinely have experience with — add them.
Use an ATS resume checker:
Dedicated tools (including LoopCV's resume checker, available when you sign up) parse your resume the way ATS does and score it against a specific job description. They flag missing keywords, formatting issues, and section problems. Run your resume through a checker for any role you're serious about, not just as a one-time exercise.
The human test:
After the ATS checks, read your resume aloud. If it sounds robotic or unnatural — if you've added so many keywords that sentences no longer make sense — you've over-optimised. Real hiring managers review what ATS passes. A resume that passes ATS but reads as keyword-stuffed will fail the human screen.
One resume or many?
A single generic resume is almost never optimal. The practical approach: maintain a "master resume" with all your experience, achievements, and keywords. Create tailored versions for each application by adjusting the summary, reordering the skills section, and incorporating job-specific keywords from the posting. LoopCV automates the application side — you focus on crafting the tailored versions for your priority roles.