Resume Tips That Beat ATS Systems in 2025

Up to 75% of resumes are rejected by Applicant Tracking Systems before a human ever reads them. Here is exactly what to do — and what to avoid — to get through.

Applicant Tracking Systems — ATS software used by the majority of companies with more than 50 employees — scan, parse, and rank resumes before any human reads them. According to Jobscan, approximately 75% of resumes submitted to large companies are rejected by ATS before reaching a recruiter. The frustrating reality is that this filtering happens regardless of whether you are qualified for the role. A poorly formatted resume or a missing keyword can disqualify a strong candidate while a weaker one with better-structured documentation passes through.

How ATS Parsing Actually Works

ATS software does not "read" your resume the way a human does. It parses structured fields — name, contact information, work history, education, skills — and extracts keywords from each section. It then compares those keywords against the job description and assigns a match score. Resumes that score below a threshold are automatically archived. The parsing step is the key vulnerability: if your formatting confuses the parser, your content may be misread, truncated, or discarded entirely regardless of how qualified you are.

Formatting Rules That ATS Systems Require

• Use a single-column layout — multi-column designs break most ATS parsers
• Submit as PDF or DOCX — both are widely supported; avoid JPG or PNG screenshots
• Use standard section headings: "Work Experience", "Education", "Skills" — not creative alternatives
• Avoid headers and footers — ATS parsers often skip content in these areas
• Do not use text boxes, tables, or graphics to hold important content
• Use standard fonts (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman) at 10–12pt
• Keep bullet points as plain hyphens or round bullets — fancy symbols may not parse
• Include the job title you are applying for as a line near the top of the resume

Keyword Optimisation Strategy

Read the job description carefully and identify the specific skills, tools, and qualifications it mentions. Copy the exact phrasing — if the job description says "project management" rather than "project coordination", use their terminology. Include keywords naturally in your work experience bullet points, not just a standalone "Skills" section — ATS systems weight keywords found in context more heavily. Do not stuff keywords in white text or tiny fonts; modern ATS systems detect this and penalise it. Aim for each important keyword to appear 2–3 times across your resume, in different sections.

Using the AWE-OS AI Resume Builder

The AWE-OS AI Resume Builder is designed specifically for ATS compatibility. It generates single-column, plainly formatted resumes with standard section headings and action-verb-led bullet points. The AI automatically rewrites your experience descriptions using strong verbs and quantified achievements — both of which score better in ATS keyword matching than passive descriptions. After generation, you can edit the output directly before downloading the final PDF. The resulting file is a clean, ATS-parseable PDF with no decorative elements that could confuse the parser.

Common ATS Mistakes to Avoid

One of the most common mistakes is submitting a resume designed primarily to look impressive to human eyes — with columns, icons, colour blocks, and infographic-style skill bars — without testing how it parses. Beautiful design and ATS compatibility are in direct tension. Another frequent error is using an objective statement at the top instead of a professional summary with role-specific keywords. Listing skills as a dense block of acronyms rather than in context also scores poorly. Finally, many candidates submit the same resume to every application without tailoring it — with ATS systems, even small tailoring adjustments to match a specific job description measurably improve your match score.

Testing Your Resume Before Submission

Before submitting any application, paste your resume text into a plain text editor and review how it reads without formatting. If the content is scrambled or misaligned, an ATS parser will have the same experience. Free tools like Jobscan or Resume Worded let you upload your resume alongside a job description and see a detailed breakdown of keyword matches and formatting issues. Use these as a final check before applying to your most important target roles.