How to Make an ATS Friendly Resume (Templates & Guide)

Here are some common mistakes that could be preventing your resume from passing ATS:

• Using non-standard fonts: Stick to traditional fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri to ensure readability. 
• Not using relevant keywords: Make sure to include relevant keywords that match the job description. Use industry-specific terms, technical jargon, and action verbs to showcase your skills and experiences.
• Including irrelevant information: Keep your resume focused on the job requirements and relevant qualifications.
• Not proofreading your resume: Always proofread your resume for spelling and grammar errors. ATS may reject your resume if it contains too many errors.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can increase your chances of getting noticed by recruiters and getting an interview.

Not all companies use ATS for resumes, but they are increasingly common, especially among larger corporations and organizations with high volumes of job applications. According to data from GoodFirms, 90% of Fortune 500 companies use applicant tracking software. 

However, smaller businesses or startups may not utilize ATS due to cost constraints or because they handle their recruitment process manually or with simpler tools. Nonetheless, it’s a good idea for job seekers to be familiar with ATS, as they’re prevalent in today’s job market.

A concise one-page resume or a two-page resume is ideal for ATS compatibility. Overly lengthy documents can be challenging for ATS systems to parse and process effectively.

Focus on including relevant information that highlights your skills, experiences, and achievements related to the job you’re applying for. Balancing brevity with substance is key to creating an impactful resume for both ATS and human reviewers.

Yes, ATS can read two-page resumes, but it’s essential to ensure the formatting and content are ATS-friendly. Here’s what you need to know:

• ATS reads entire documents. ATS scans the entire document, regardless of resume length, as long as it’s formatted properly and submitted in a compatible file type. 
• Use consistent formatting across pages. Use clear headings and consistent font styles throughout both pages to ensure ATS parsing doesn’t break.
• Avoid headers or footers for key info. ATS may not read information in headers or footers. Avoid placing contact information or page numbers there.
• The first page is critical. Ensure your most critical skills, accomplishments, and qualifications appear on the first page, as recruiters may prioritize what they see first.

Ultimately, a two-page resume is compatible with ATS as long as it’s well-structured, relevant, and optimized with keywords to pass the system and impress human reviewers.

Yes, ATS systems can read PDF files, but it depends on how the PDF was created. PDFs generated from text-based documents, such as Word or Google Docs, are fully readable by most ATS software because the text is selectable and searchable. 

On the other hand, image-based PDFs, such as scanned resumes or documents saved as images, usually cannot be read by ATS. Some ATS systems have optical character recognition (OCR) capabilities to try to extract text from images, but this process is often unreliable and can result in missing or misinterpreted information.

Even with text-based PDFs, it’s important to keep formatting simple. Complex layouts, multiple columns, tables, and graphics can confuse ATS software and prevent it from accurately parsing your resume. A clean, single-column format with standard headings is always best.

Both PDF and Word file formats are generally compatible with ATS, but each has pros and cons, and the optimal choice depends on the situation. 

Word (.docx) is often the safest option for ATS because it is universally compatible with almost all applicant tracking systems. It preserves plain text and simple formatting, making it easier for the ATS to read and parse your information correctly. 

Some older ATS versions may struggle with PDFs, so submitting a Word file avoids that risk entirely. If the job posting specifically requests a format, follow that. Otherwise, Word is the safest default for ATS. 

PDF is a good choice as long as it’s text-based (not scanned as an image) and uses simple formatting. It preserves the layout exactly as you designed it, which is useful if you want to control how your resume looks for human readers.

The most ATS-friendly resume format is a simple, chronological resume layout that lists your work experience from most recent to oldest. The clean, straightforward structure ensures your resume is accurately read by both ATS and human reviewers.

An ATS-compliant resume is clean, simple, and easy for software to read. It typically has a single-column layout with standard section headings like “work experience,” “education,” and “skills,” listed in a clear, reverse-chronological order. 

Job titles, company names, and dates are presented consistently, making it easy for ATS to parse your career history. The formatting avoids tables, graphics, images, and unusual fonts. Bullet points are simple, and relevant keywords from the job description are naturally incorporated throughout.