How to Write an ATS-Friendly Resume

What Hiring Managers Look For

Two things decide whether an ATS-friendly resume survives the first pass: the specific qualification terms on the page, and whether the file can be parsed at all.

Named software and systems. MyPerfectResume, undated, notes that ATS software can scan resumes for skills, certifications, education, and work history keywords. If a posting asks for a named tool, spell it out exactly — the platform name, the module, and the version if the posting gives one. A recruiter searching the database for 'Epic' will not surface a resume that says 'electronic health records system'. Jobscan, undated, lists Greenhouse, Workday, Lever and iCIMS among the platforms it sees most often across the companies it analyzes, and SHRM, undated, reports Ongig's review of 476 large U.S. companies' career sites found Workday Recruiting the most-used ATS among the Fortune 500, narrowly ahead of Oracle's Taleo. You do not need to know which one an employer runs; you need your terms to match theirs.

Credentials, licences and years of experience, written literally. CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated, points out that a filter can be set to screen for an education credential or a stated number of years of management experience. Write the certification in full and in its abbreviated form on first use — 'Certified Public Accountant (CPA)', 'Project Management Professional (PMP)' — so either search string hits. State experience numerically: 'six years managing a team of 11'. Jobscan, 2026-08, citing a Harvard Business School survey, reports that most employers initially filter or rank middle-skill and high-skill candidates by criteria such as skills, credentials, and years of experience.

A layout the parser can follow. Zety, undated, recommends a simple, clean layout with standard fonts, clear headers and bullet points, and advises against tables, graphics and text boxes that ATS software cannot read. MyPerfectResume, undated, adds that graphics, tables, multiple columns and unusual fonts can make it harder for some tools to extract information accurately. ResumeBuilder.com, undated, recommends a format with a detailed, recent work history and advises against the functional format unless you know a human reviews the document first.

How to Write the Resume

Build the document section by section, in the order a parser expects to find them.

1. Start with a keyword list, then write the summary. CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated, advises creating a list of core qualifications for your job title and working those keyword qualifications into the work experience, skills or summary sections using the exact terms. Pull 8–12 phrases from two or three postings for the same role, then open with three lines that carry the most important ones. > Summary phrase to adapt > Medical biller with 7 years in Epic and 3 years in Availity, processing 400+ claims per week across Medicare and commercial payers. 2. List skills as plain text under a heading called 'Skills'. No columns, no star ratings, no skill-bar graphics. Group by type and keep each item to the phrase the posting uses. > Skills line to adapt > Software: Workday, NetSuite, Excel (PivotTables, VLOOKUP), SQL. Certifications: Certified Payroll Professional (CPP), 2022. 3. Write work experience in reverse chronological order with measurable results. Rezi.ai, undated, recommends listing the most recent job first. Jobscan, undated, advises detailing work experience with measurable results. Each entry needs job title, employer, city and state, and month–year dates on one line. > Experience bullet to adapt > Reduced month-end close from 9 days to 5 by rebuilding 14 reconciliation templates in NetSuite. 4. Keep education short and factual. Jobscan, undated, suggests limiting the education entry to school name and graduation date for most job seekers. Add the credential itself, since that is often what a filter checks for. > Education line to adapt > B.S. Accounting, State University, 2019 — degree required per posting; CPA exam candidate, two sections passed.

Example Resume Bullets

Adapt the structure, not the figures: action verb, the tool or duty, and a number you can defend in an interview.

Operations or logistics

Bullet

Scheduled 120–140 outbound loads per week in SAP TM, lifting on-time delivery from 91% to 97% over two quarters.

Customer support

Bullet

Handled 65 inbound tickets per week in Zendesk, maintaining a 4.7 of 5 satisfaction score across 14 months.

Accounting and finance

Bullet

Processed 900+ invoices monthly in QuickBooks and cut duplicate payments by 22% after introducing a three-way match check.

Healthcare administration

Bullet

Verified insurance eligibility for 180 patients per week in Epic, reducing claim denials by 18% year over year.

Supervisory or management

Bullet

Supervised 11 associates across two shifts, cutting voluntary turnover from 34% to 19% in 12 months.

Skilled trades

Bullet

Completed 300+ preventive maintenance work orders annually in Fiix, holding unplanned downtime under 3% of scheduled hours.

Before You Submit

• Save the file as FirstLast_Resume.pdf, unless the posting asks for .docx.
• Move your name, phone number and email out of any header or footer and into the first lines of the document body (Rezi.ai, undated).
• Set body text to Arial, Calibri, Verdana or Helvetica at 10–12 point, and headings at 12–14 point (Rezi.ai, undated).
• Delete every table, text box, column break, logo and icon from the layout (Zety, undated).
• Rename your section headings to 'Summary', 'Skills', 'Work Experience' and 'Education'.
• Copy 8–12 qualification phrases from the posting into a scratch document and confirm each one appears verbatim in your summary, skills or experience section (CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated).
• Write each certification once in full with its acronym in parentheses, then use the acronym.
• Send the posting and your resume to one contact in your network before you apply — CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated, notes networking is still considered the best way to get a resume directly into a hiring manager's hands.