What is an ATS Resume? (And Why It Matters)

An ATS resume is optimized to pass through Applicant Tracking Systems—the software that screens resumes before human recruiters see them. Over 97% of Fortune 500 companies and most mid-size employers use ATS software. If your resume isn’t ATS-friendly, it may never reach human eyes regardless of your qualifications.

How ATS Systems Work

When you submit a resume online, ATS software parses the document into structured data fields: name, contact info, work history, education, skills. It then searches for keywords matching the job requirements and ranks candidates accordingly.

Problems occur when the ATS can’t properly parse your resume. Text in images, tables, or unusual formatting gets lost. Headers and footers are often ignored. Creative layouts may scramble your information into unintelligible data.

ATS-Friendly Resume Requirements

Standard formatting: Use simple layouts without tables, text boxes, columns, or graphics that break parsing.

Standard section headers: “Experience,” “Education,” “Skills”—not creative alternatives like “Where I’ve Made an Impact.”

Common fonts: Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman—fonts that render correctly across all systems.

Keyword optimization: Include terms from the job posting naturally throughout your resume.

Clean file format: PDF or .docx—avoid images, scans, or unusual file types.

Common ATS Mistakes

Submitting image-based PDFs (scanned documents), using icons instead of text for contact information, putting important content in headers/footers, and using abbreviations without spelling out full terms (write “Search Engine Optimization (SEO)” first, then use “SEO”).

StylingCV achieves a 95% ATS pass rate by testing every template against major systems including Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, iCIMS, Taleo, and SuccessFactors.

Related Resources

• Free ATS Resume Checker
• AI Resume Builder
• ATS-Friendly Templates