Home › Guides › ATS Resume Checklist: 12 Things to Check Before You Apply

ATS Resume Checklist: 12 Things to Check Before You Apply

An applicant tracking system stores and searches resumes. It does not "reject" resumes by magic, but a resume that parses badly can hide your experience from the people searching it. Use this checklist before you apply.

Formatting that parses cleanly

1. Use a standard file: a text-based PDF or a DOCX. Avoid scanned images of a resume, because the text cannot be read.

2. Use a single column and a normal reading order. Multi-column layouts, text boxes and tables can scramble the order in which text is read.

3. Use plain section headings such as Summary, Skills, Experience and Education. Creative headings can confuse parsers.

4. Put your name and contact details in the body of the page, not only in a page header or footer.

5. Use common fonts and simple bullets. Icons, graphics and skill-rating bars carry no readable text.

Content that matches

6. Mirror the job description's wording for skills you really have, including tool names and acronyms.

7. List each role as: job title, company, location, dates. Use consistent date formats such as 05/2021 – 03/2024.

8. Start bullets with strong verbs and include results where you can: what you built, with what, and what changed.

9. Put a short skills section near the top and keep it relevant. A very long list of every tool you have touched dilutes the ones that matter.

Final checks

10. Select all the text in your PDF and paste it into a plain text editor. If the order or characters look wrong, a parser will see the same thing.

11. Proofread names of technologies. "Javascript" versus "JavaScript" is fine, but missing characters such as "C#" or ".NET" are easy to lose.

12. Keep it to the length that fits your experience, usually one to two pages for engineers, and name the file clearly, for example FirstName_LastName_Role.pdf.

Frequently asked questions

Do ATS systems automatically reject resumes?

Most systems store and rank resumes for a human to review. Rejections usually come from recruiters filtering on required criteria, so clear, matching content is what helps.

Is a PDF or a DOCX better?

Both are widely accepted. A text-based PDF keeps your layout stable; some employers ask for DOCX. Follow the instructions on the posting.

Put this into practice.

JobSahara matches you to jobs, tailors your resume and cover letter to each posting using only what is in your resume, and helps you reply to recruiters.

Try JobSahara