ATS Resume Tips: How to Make Sure Your Resume Passes in 2025
Learn how to make your resume ATS-friendly in 2025. Discover the best formats, templates, and optimization tips to ensure your resume gets seen by recruiters.
Updated Nov 21, 2025
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10 min
What Is an ATS Resume?
Today, the first step to getting a job isn’t about impressing a recruiter. It’s about passing the software that screens your resume.
An ATS resume is designed for Applicant Tracking Systems. These systems help companies collect, sort, and rank job applications.
An ATS doesn’t read your resume like a person. It scans for keywords, structure, and formatting. This helps it see how well your background fits the job description.
Think of it as a digital filter — it looks for titles, tools, and skills that align with the role. If your resume isn’t formatted right or lacks key phrases, it might get filtered out. This means a recruiter may never see it.
Why ATS Matters More Than Ever in 2025
Today, nearly all mid-sized and large employers use an ATS. This includes Fortune 500 companies using Workday or Greenhouse. It also covers smaller teams with Breezy or JazzHR.
As hiring becomes more digital, these tools continue to evolve. Some now use machine learning to analyze resumes. It looks for relevance, recent experience, and phrasing patterns. But while smarter, they’re still far from perfect.
That’s why even strong candidates get missed. If your resume isn’t optimized, great experience can slip through the cracks.
An ATS-friendly resume makes sure real people see your qualifications. It keeps them from getting lost in the digital shuffle.
How to Create an ATS-Friendly Resume
1. Use a Simple, Standard Format
The biggest mistake job seekers make? Over-designing their resumes.
ATS systems can’t read fancy columns, icons, or text boxes. They only understand plain text, reading it from top to bottom and left to right.
Keep it clean, single-column, and easy to follow.
Recommended structure:
Contact Information
Professional Summary or Objective
Work Experience
Education
Skills
A clear format ensures your details don’t get lost in translation when parsed by software.
2. Choose the Right File Type
The safest formats are .docx and text-based PDFs.
Scanned or image-only PDFs can’t be read by ATS software — they’re just pictures. Even if your content is perfect, it won’t matter if the system can’t extract it.
When applying, always check the employer’s instructions. Some systems prefer Word files; others accept PDFs. Having both ready ensures you can upload the right one every time.
Not sure which format is best for you?
Check out PDF vs Word Resume: Which Format Is Best for Job Applications in 2025? to see how each format works on various platforms.
3. Use Keywords Naturally
Here’s where many people overdo it. Yes, ATS software scans for skills and tools — but keyword stuffing doesn’t help.
Don't fill your resume with buzzwords. Instead, use the right language naturally.
Example:
❌ “Expert in project management, managing projects, and project coordination.”
✅ “Good at managing projects and coordinating teams — finishing initiatives on time and within budget.””
It sounds human, but still hits the keywords ATS is looking for.
A quick tip: Read the job description carefully. Highlight any repeated phrases or technical tools. These are usually your key terms.
For more details, check out the Resume Skills Section Guide: Top Hard and Soft Skills for 2025. It has great examples of skills that are in demand across various industries.
4. Avoid Complex Design Elements
ATS systems can’t read text that’s placed inside images, tables, or graphic elements. Even many popular resume templates from Canva or Figma break during parsing.
If you want your resume to look visually appealing, use two versions:
ATS version: Clean, simple, text-based for online submissions.
Visual version: Polished, branded design for networking, presentations, or print copies.
This hybrid approach offers flexibility. You’ll have one resume for software and another for people.
Learn how to make both look professional with Resume Fonts & Design That Impress in 2025 (Without Breaking ATS Rules).
5. Label Sections Clearly
ATS tools know to look for standard headings. This helps them grab and sort information with precision.
Stick to standard labels like:
“Professional Summary” or “Summary”
“Experience”
“Education”
“Skills”
Avoid creative alternatives like “Where I’ve Been” or “Career Highlights.” They may seem more personal, but they can confuse the parser. This can lead to important details disappearing from your profile.
Stick with familiar section names. This helps recruiters and ATS easily understand your resume.
6. Write Out Acronyms and Avoid Symbols
Not every ATS interprets abbreviations the same way. Some systems won’t connect “SEO” with “Search Engine Optimization” unless both appear.
Best practice: spell it out the first time, then use the acronym after.
Example: “Search Engine Optimization (SEO)”
Avoid special symbols, emojis, or fancy bullets. They can break when the file is parsed and make your resume unreadable.
Stick with clean, standard characters like dashes or circles.
ATS Resume Example
John Smith
john.smith@email.com | (555) 555-5555 | linkedin.com/in/johnsmith
Professional Summary
Marketing expert with over 6 years of experience. Skilled in driving digital campaigns, SEO strategies, and brand growth for both B2B and B2C companies. Focused on performance metrics and content strategy that drive measurable results.
Experience Marketing Manager | ABC Agency | 2019–Present
Led digital campaigns that boosted client traffic by 45%
Managed a five-person content team, optimizing workflows and ad reporting
Improved cost-per-click efficiency by 20% through A/B testing
Education
B.A. in Marketing, University of Utah
Skills
Digital Marketing | Google Ads | SEO | Content Strategy | HubSpot
Simple. Keyword-rich. Easy to scan. That’s exactly what both ATS and hiring managers want.
ATS Resume Tips for Different Experience Levels
If You’re Experienced:
Focus on measurable outcomes, leadership, and industry tools. Use metrics — percentages, dollar amounts, time saved — to prove impact.
If You’re Early in Your Career:
Lean on transferable skills, coursework, internships, and volunteer work. Emphasize initiative, reliability, and collaboration — the soft skills that translate across industries.
Not sure which resume format to choose? Look at Best Resume Format in 2025: Chronological vs Functional vs Hybrid for examples suited to different career stages.
Common ATS Mistakes to Avoid
Even small formatting errors can cause big problems.
Here’s what to double-check before you hit submit:
Uploading a scanned or image-only PDF
Using infographics, icons, or text boxes
Overstuffing keywords or repeating phrases
Submitting the same resume for every job
Using non-standard file types like .pages, .odt, or .txt
Quick test: Copy your resume into Notepad. If it pastes cleanly in the right order, it’s likely ATS-safe.
FAQs
What is an ATS resume?
It's a resume designed for Applicant Tracking Systems. It features a clean layout, simple text, and optimized keywords.
How do I make sure my resume is ATS-friendly?
Use standard headings, easy-to-read fonts, and simple formatting. Integrate keywords from the job description naturally.
Do resume templates work with ATS systems?
Yes, as long as they’re text-based. Avoid designs with tables, graphics, or columns.
Final Thoughts
An ATS-friendly resume is your ticket past the first filter.
Think of it as writing for two audiences: the software and the human. The system gets you in the door; the recruiter decides what happens next.
Keep your layout simple, your keywords natural, and your achievements measurable. With those basics right, you’ll stand out in both digital scans and real conversations.
For the easiest way to build a professional, ATS-approved document, try Wensa’s Resume Builder. It creates clean, keyword-optimized resumes that pass scans and impress hiring managers.
Teanca Holt is a recruiting expert and digital content writer from Utah with over five years of experience helping people craft resumes that get noticed. At Wensa, she shares practical tips on writing, career growth, and landing the job you want.
