What the ATS actually does
When you submit a resume through a company careers page, the file goes into an applicant tracking system. The system extracts text from the file and tries to map it into structured fields: contact information, work history, education, skills, and other sections. It stores this structured data so that a recruiter can search, filter, and sort candidates.
The parsing step is where most resumes fail. If the system cannot extract clean text, it returns incomplete data. A recruiter searching for a specific keyword will not find a candidate whose resume literally contains that keyword but is stored as a broken PDF.
The 17-point ATS checklist
File format
- Submit PDF with selectable text, or DOCX if the posting explicitly requires it. Never submit a scanned PDF, an image, or a JPG.
- Name the file clearly: FirstName-LastName-Role.pdf. Avoid spaces, special characters, and version numbers like final-v2.
- Keep the file under 5 MB. Large files may be truncated during upload.
Contact information
- Place your name, email, phone, and location in the body of the resume, not in a header or footer.
- Use a professional email address. Firstname.lastname patterns are safest.
- Include the country code on your phone number if you are applying internationally.
- Add LinkedIn and any portfolio as plain text URLs, not hyperlinked icons.
Section headings
- Use standard section names: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications, Projects, Awards, Languages.
- Avoid creative alternatives like Where I Have Been, My Toolbox, or What Drives Me.
- Keep headings in title case or uppercase. Do not use emojis, symbols, or decorative characters.
Layout and structure
- Use a single-column layout for ATS-heavy submissions. Clean two-column layouts work in some systems but not all.
- Do not put critical information inside tables, text boxes, or graphics.
- Do not use images for text. Every character must be selectable text.
- Avoid headers and footers containing your name, page numbers, or contact information.
Dates and content
- Use a consistent date format throughout. Month-Year is clearest: March 2022 to Present.
- Spell out or include both forms of important acronyms: Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
- Keep job titles standard. Use Software Engineer, not Code Wizard.
How to test your resume against an ATS
You do not need access to a specific company's ATS. You can approximate the parse by doing two simple checks.
- Open the PDF and try to select a paragraph with your mouse. If you cannot select the text, it is not real text, and the ATS cannot read it either.
- Copy the text from the PDF and paste it into a plain text editor. If the text comes out scrambled, out of order, or with merged lines, the ATS sees the same problem.
What breaks parsing most often
- Resumes exported as images or scanned PDFs from a scanner.
- Contact information placed in a header, footer, or text box.
- Section headings styled as images or wrapped in decorative borders.
- Skill matrices, radar charts, and proficiency bars that only convey meaning visually.
- Complex tables used for layout rather than content.
- Text boxes floating on top of the resume body.
- Non-standard bullet characters like arrows, checkmarks, or emojis.
Keywords and the ATS
Once your resume parses correctly, the second job is to match the language of the job posting. Recruiters search the ATS using keywords from the posting itself. If you have the experience but use different words, you will not appear in those searches.
Read the posting carefully. Pull out the specific tools, technologies, certifications, and phrases it uses. Include those exact terms in your resume where they truthfully describe your work. Do not stuff keywords; place them naturally in your summary and experience bullets.
When ATS matters less
Not every application goes through an ATS. Small companies, referrals, and direct emails to hiring managers often bypass the system entirely. In those cases you have more freedom with layout. If you are sending your resume directly to a person, a two-column layout or a slightly more design-forward template is fine. If you are filling out a form on a careers page, assume an ATS is involved and follow the checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Will using a template hurt my ATS score?
Only if the template violates the checklist. A well-built single-column template with standard headings parses identically to a plain document.
Should I include my photo on an ATS submission?
No. Photos are unnecessary in most regions, break parsing on older systems, and can raise bias concerns during screening.
Can I use a two-column resume and still pass ATS?
Modern systems can usually parse clean two-column layouts. Older systems often cannot. If you are unsure which system the company uses, use a single column.
How do I include my LinkedIn profile?
Write the full URL as plain text: linkedin.com/in/yourname. Do not embed it as a linked icon or inside an image.
What file format is best for ATS?
PDF with selectable text. Submit DOCX only if the posting explicitly requests it. Never submit a scanned image.