How to Craft an Impressive ATS-Friendly Resumes: Full Guide for 2025

 

How to Craft an Impressive ATS-Friendly Resumes: Full Guide for 2025

When writing a resume, it is important to check if it is ATS-friendly. The job market has skyrocketed, and many organizations are using ATS to scan applications and choose the right candidate.

This might be a problem if you don’t know how to write an ATS-friendly resume.

Stick around as we dive into what ATS is all about and how to craft a tailored resume.

What is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?

An Applicant Tracking System is software used by companies to read, scan, and filter resumes that are relevant to the job. Many organizations use ATS before even reaching out to human recruiters.

The system searches for keywords in your resume to find the right candidate. You may be a perfect fit for a job, but if your resume is not optimized, you might not pass through the ATS.

Why Do Companies Use ATS?

With hundreds of people searching for jobs every day, imagine the number of resumes recruiters have to check before selecting the right candidate. If a job posting receives over 100 applications in less than two days, recruiters cannot manually filter all of them. This is where ATS comes into play.

Organizations prefer using ATS because it speeds up the recruitment process. Sometimes, during the submission process, candidates might be asked to answer questions like, “Is accounting your go-to course?” or “How long do you stay online?” These seemingly random questions are also used in the ATS screening process.

How Do Companies Use ATS?

It is said that 75% of resumes are rejected before reaching the hiring manager due to ATS screening. ATS works by matching job titles and descriptions to keywords in resumes. It sorts, scans, and ranks resumes based on relevance. The better your resume, the higher your chances of getting noticed.

ATS ensures that the best candidates are considered first.

How to Write an ATS-Friendly Resume

It's important to carefully write your resume to increase your chances of passing the ATS. The above are some ways to create an ATS-friendly resume.

1. Check the Job Description

Read and reread the job description before writing your resume. Carefully reviewing the job description increases your chances of getting noticed. Identify the required skills, and highlight key requirements such as experience, job roles, and software or tools relevant to the role. How? 

• Focus More on Hard Skills: Most ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) prioritize hard skills. Highlight them in your resume based on the job description. If SEO skill is listed as a requirement, ensure you include it—provided you have sufficient knowledge.

• Required Qualifications: Check the required educational qualifications. Is the position for an HND, OND, BSc, Master's, or an internship? Also, review the skill qualifications and the required years of experience.

• Company Overview: Before writing your resume, research the company you’re applying to. Understanding their work culture, values, and ethics can help tailor your resume. After your research, consider incorporating the company’s values to demonstrate that you’ve done your homework.

2. Highlight Your Job Title

Your job title should be placed at the top of your resume. This indicates the role you are applying for and helps you easily pass through the ATS. Including the exact job title from the job description (when applicable) can make your resume more relevant to the role. 

This alignment increases the chances that the ATS will flag your resume as a match for the position.

3. Add Keywords to Your Resume

After fully understanding the job description, incorporate relevant keywords from it into your resume. This will tailor your resume to the role and help you pass through the ATS. One significant function of the ATS is to check if your resume aligns with the job description. However, avoid overloading your resume with too many keywords, as it may seem unnatural.

To identify the keywords to add, do the following:

• Search for repeated words or phrases (e.g., project management, customer service, data analysis, assistant).

• Identify specific technical skills, software, or certifications mentioned in the description.

• Note soft skills like "leadership," "collaboration," or "problem-solving."

4. Optimize Your Work Experience

Your work experience should be written in a way that highlights your skills, responsibilities, and achievements in previous roles. Ensure that the experience aligns with the skills and qualifications mentioned in the job description. Do this:

• Use Actionable Verbs: Be concise and impactful by using actionable verbs in your work experience bullet points. These verbs help you sound professional and demonstrate your proactive approach. Examples include: transformed, boosted, analyzed, optimized, managed, spearheaded, crafted, increased, facilitated, and initiated.

Instead of starting with “I created a…,” “I managed a project…,” or “I crafted…,” focus on the result, e.g., “Managed a project…,” “Increased ROI by 20%…,” etc.

• Highlight Achievements: Go beyond just describing your duties—emphasize your accomplishments. “Show, don’t tell.” Quantify your achievements wherever possible. For example, “Increased sales by 20%” or “Reduced operational costs by 15%.”

• Remove Irrelevant Experience: Only include experiences that are directly relevant to the job you’re applying for. Remove any roles that do not add value to the position.
  For example, if you previously worked as a teacher but are now applying for a content writing role, omit your teaching experience unless it directly relates to writing or communication skills.

5. Compare Your Resume

Once you’ve identified the relevant keywords, compare your resume with the job description to ensure a good match. The closer the match between your resume and the job listing, the higher your chances of getting noticed.

During the comparison process, do the following:

• Check if all required skills and qualifications match those listed in the job description.

• Confirm that the exact terms from the job posting are reflected in your resume. 

For example, if the job description uses "content strategy," use that exact phrase instead of "content planning." 

If the job posting states "Web Developer," use that term rather than "web designer."

• Review your experience to ensure it aligns with the responsibilities outlined in the job description. 

6. Use the Right Resume Format

Writing your resume in the right format is crucial. The format includes several key elements that contribute to making your resume both ATS-friendly and easy for hiring managers to read. These elements include:

Fonts and Spacing: Use widely accepted resume fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri, and Georgia. 

These fonts are clear, bold, and easy to read, making your resume more professional.  ATS can easily scan a resume that is well-spaced, so use double-line spacing or at least 1.5-line spacing.

Resume Template: Choose a clean, professional template. Avoid using templates that contain photos, excessive graphics, or tables. 

These can be distracting and may prevent your resume from passing through ATS. Many templates available online are not ATS-friendly, so be sure to check before use. 

Sections: The order of sections in your resume should be well-organized, with the most important information placed first. Here’s a better order for the sections:

• Heading (Name, Phone number, Job title, Email, LinkedIn URL)

• Professional Summary

• Skills

• Work Experience

• Certification

• Education

Alternatively, you could place Work Experience before Skills, depending on your career stage and focus.

Tools That Can Help You Write an ATS-Friendly Resume

Grammarly

Grammarly helps check for grammatical errors in your resume. Errors can prevent your resume from passing through ATS, so it’s important to eliminate them. Grammarly corrects typos, punctuation, and grammatical mistakes while offering suggestions to polish your writing.

Canva

Canva is a great platform for free resume templates that you can customize to your preferences. However, with many templates available, ensure that you select one that is ATS-friendly before downloading.

Resume.io

Resume.io offers free resume templates for various fields and experience levels, including entry-level, internships, and professional roles. The platform provides ATS-friendly templates, though you may need to sign up to access them.

Jobscan

Jobscan helps match your resume to a job description, optimizing the keywords to make it ATS-friendly. You can edit and download resumes directly from the site. Jobscan also offers free resume templates.

SkillSyncer

SkillSyncer is an ATS resume scanner that identifies relevant keywords and skills missing from your resume. Powered by AI, SkillSyncer automatically optimizes your resume to match the job description and help you pass the ATS.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT can also assist in writing an ATS-friendly resume. When properly prompted, it can generate an error-free resume, match it to the job description, and include relevant keywords.

Here’s an example prompt you can use in ChatGPT to create an ATS-friendly resume

“You are an expert resume writer. Create an ATS-friendly resume for a [job role]. The resume should include contact information, a professional summary, skills, work experience (with action verbs and quantifiable metrics), certifications, and education. Utilize relevant keywords and ensure proper formatting.”

Download a Free Resume Template Here 

Let’s Recap

ATS is Real!
Your resume must be well-written to make you stand out among the millions of candidates. Ensure you carefully check the job description, add keywords to your resume, include relevant skills from the job description, and highlight your work experience using metrics.

Remember to format your resume properly with clean fonts, proper spacing, and relevant sections in the right order. Leverage all the tools mentioned above. Focus on making your resume clear, concise, and tailored to the specific role.

With the right approach, you will increase your chances of getting noticed!