How to Make Your Resume 100% ATS-Friendly: 7 Expert Tips

4 min read • October 2025

Here's something that might keep you up at night: over 75% of resumes never reach human eyes. Let that sink in. You spend hours crafting the perfect resume, carefully choosing every word, making sure the formatting is just right... and then an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) decides your fate before any human even glances at it.

Even worse? If your resume does somehow make it past the ATS robots, the human on the other side will spend approximately 7 seconds deciding if you're worth a closer look.

Seven. Seconds.

I know, it sounds brutal. And honestly? It is. But here's the thing – this isn't some insurmountable obstacle. Once you understand how ATS systems work and what hiring managers are actually looking for, you can dramatically improve your odds. And that's exactly what we're going to do today.

What is an ATS, Anyway?

Let's start with the basics. An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software that companies use to manage the flood of job applications they receive. Think of it as the bouncer at the club – most resumes don't even make it past the door.

The ATS scans your resume, looking for keywords, formatting, and specific information. It's not reading your resume like a human would. Instead, it's doing pattern matching, keyword checking, and data extraction. And if your resume doesn't match what the ATS is looking for? You're out.

The frustrating part? Different ATS systems can have different requirements. What works for one might fail in another. But there are some universal best practices that significantly improve your chances across the board.

The 7 Tips That Actually Work

Alright, let's get into the nitty-gritty. These are the seven strategies that I've seen make the biggest difference for job seekers trying to get past ATS systems.

1. Keep Your Formatting Simple and Clean

I know that graphic designer resume with colors and columns looks amazing. You spent hours making it look perfect. But here's the harsh truth: that beautiful resume probably looks like hieroglyphics to an ATS.

Most ATS systems have trouble reading:

Tables (they'll scramble the information)

Text boxes (the ATS might skip them entirely)

Headers and footers (often ignored)

Images or graphics (not readable at all)

Unusual fonts (stick to standard ones)

The best format for ATS is beautifully simple: clear headings, bullet points, and standard sections. Think "boring" from a design perspective, but "perfect" from an ATS perspective. You can always make it look prettier for in-person interviews, but for the application? Keep it simple.

2. Keywords Are Your Best Friend (But Don't Keyword Stuff)

Here's where it gets tricky. You absolutely need to include relevant keywords from the job description, but you can't just jam them in everywhere. That's keyword stuffing, and both ATS systems and humans can spot it a mile away.

The key is reading the job description carefully and identifying the most important skills and qualifications. Then, naturally incorporate those keywords throughout your resume. Are they looking for "project management" experience? Make sure that phrase appears in your experience section. Are they emphasizing "data analysis"? Use that exact language when describing your past work.

But remember: the goal is to genuinely match your experience to what they're looking for, not to trick the system. If you don't have relevant experience, no amount of keyword manipulation is going to help.

3. Use Standard Section Headings

You might think "Professional Experience" sounds more sophisticated than "Work Experience," but the ATS doesn't care about sophistication. It cares about recognizing patterns.

Stick to standard headings like:

Work Experience (or Work History)

Education

Skills

Certifications

Summary (or Professional Summary)

Avoid creative variations like "Where I've Been" or "My Academic Journey." The ATS is looking for specific terms, and when it can't find them, it might mis-categorize your information – or skip it entirely.

4. Don't Assume Everyone Knows Your Acronyms

So you worked with CRM systems and did some SEO work? Great. But spell it out: "Customer Relationship Management (CRM)" and "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)." Why? Because the ATS might be looking for the full terms, and if it doesn't find them, you lose points.

Also, different companies might use different terminology. One company's "UI/UX" is another company's "User Interface/User Experience Design." Include both versions to maximize your keyword matches without sounding repetitive.

5. The PDF vs. Word Debate

This one gets heated in career advice forums. Here's the reality: most modern ATS systems can read PDFs just fine, but some older systems still struggle with them. Word documents (.docx) are generally more universally readable by ATS systems.

My rule of thumb: unless the job posting specifically asks for a PDF, go with Word. Yes, PDFs preserve formatting better, but if the ATS can't parse your information correctly, that perfect formatting doesn't matter.

6. One-Size-Fits-All Is a Myth

I know you're tired of customizing every single application. I get it. But here's the thing: a generic resume gets generic results. Which is to say, it gets rejected.

You don't have to rewrite your entire resume for every job, but you should be adjusting:

Your summary/objective to match the role

The skills you highlight

How you describe your experience (emphasizing different aspects)

Any relevant keywords or terminology

Create a "master resume" with all your experience, then create tailored versions for different types of roles. It's more work upfront, but it significantly improves your response rates.

7. Let AI Do the Heavy Lifting

Here's the thing about ATS optimization: it's really hard to see your own resume objectively. You know what you meant to say, but does the ATS understand it the same way?

Tools like Jobway can analyze your resume against a specific job description and give you precise feedback: your ATS score, missing keywords, formatting issues, and specific suggestions for improvement. Instead of guessing if your resume is ATS-friendly, you can test it before you submit.

I've seen people go from 40% ATS scores to 95%+ just by following the AI's suggestions. That's the difference between your resume landing in the trash and landing an interview.

Understanding Your ATS Score (And What It Really Means)

So you tested your resume and got a 70% ATS score. Is that good? Should you be worried?

Here's how I break it down:

90-100%: Excellent – Your resume is highly optimized. You're passing most ATS systems with flying colors.

70-89%: Good – You'll likely pass most ATS systems. There's still room for improvement, but you're in a solid position.

50-69%: Fair – Needs work. You might pass some systems, but you're not competitive. Time to optimize.

Below 50%: Poor – Significant optimization needed. Your resume is likely getting filtered out before humans see it.

The goal is to get as close to 100% as possible. Why? Because even a 70% score means you're missing 30% of the criteria. In a competitive job market, that 30% might be the difference between getting an interview and getting ghosted.

The good news? If you're scoring below 80%, there's usually clear, actionable feedback on what to improve.

The 7-Second Rule: Your Second Hurdle

Even if your resume passes the ATS (congratulations!), you're not done yet. Hiring managers spend an average of just 7 seconds on their initial resume review. That's all the time you get to make a first impression.

Here's exactly what they're looking at in those 7 seconds:

1. Your name and contact info (1 second) – Can they reach you? Is your email professional?
2. Current/most recent job title (2 seconds) – Is this relevant to what they're hiring for?
3. Current/most recent company (1 second) – Do they recognize it? Does it have a good reputation?
4. Previous job titles (2 seconds) – Is there career progression? Are these roles relevant?
5. Education (1 second) – Do you meet the minimum requirements?

That's it. If these five elements don't immediately say "yes, this person could work," your resume goes in the "maybe later" pile (which is basically a nice way of saying "no").

Make sure these elements are:

Clear and easy to find

Prominent (top half of the page)

Impressive and relevant to the role

Don't make them hunt for information. Don't use fancy layouts that hide important details. Be clear and obvious.

Test Your Resume Before You Submit

Here's what I recommend: before submitting your resume to your dream job, run it through an ATS checker or AI analysis tool. Get that score. See what the feedback says. Make adjustments.

I've seen people skip this step because they're confident their resume is "good enough." Then they wonder why they're not getting callbacks. Look, if you're not willing to invest 10 minutes testing your resume, why should a company invest time interviewing you?

Aim for at least 80% to be competitive. Higher if you're going for roles where hundreds of people apply. The data doesn't lie – higher ATS scores correlate with higher callback rates.

Wrapping This All Up

Getting past the ATS is the first step. Surviving the 7-second scan is the second. Together, they're what get you from application to interview.

The strategies I've outlined here aren't theoretical – they're what actually works. I've watched people go from getting 0 responses to landing multiple interviews just by following these principles.

Look, I know this can feel overwhelming. There's a lot to consider, and it feels like the odds are stacked against you. But here's the thing: most people aren't following these best practices. Most resumes are getting rejected because of basic mistakes that could have been fixed in 30 minutes.

So don't be most people. Take the time to optimize. Test your resume. Get feedback. Iterate. Your future self will thank you.

Want to see how your resume stacks up? Try Jobway's AI analysis when we launch – we're building tools that make this entire process easier, faster, and more effective.