ATS Resume Checklist: 12 Fixes That Get You Past the Robots

Before a human sees your resume, software parses it: the applicant-tracking system. One wrong format choice and you are filtered out unseen. Run through this checklist before every application.

What the robots actually check

Keywords from the job ad, job titles, skills, dates, and whether your text is readable at all. Fancy design that humans love is exactly what parsers choke on.

The 12-point checklist

1. One column only — no sidebars, no text boxes.
2. Standard headings: Experience, Education, Skills.
3. Common fonts: Arial, Calibri, Georgia, Times.
4. No tables, headers/footers, or graphics with text.
5. Save as .docx or clean PDF (check the job ad).
6. Mirror keywords from the posting — exact phrases.
7. Standard job titles; put the creative one in parentheses.
8. Dates as Month Year, no gaps left unexplained.
9. Skills section with 8–12 relevant items.
10. No photos, icons with meaning, or QR codes.
11. Contact info in the body, not the header.
12. Test it: copy-paste into plain text — if it reads clean, parsers will too.

3 instant rejections

1. Canva infographic resume for a corporate role — beautiful, unreadable.
2. Abbreviations only (“Sr. SWE”) with no expanded form.
3. Five pages for three years of experience.

The bottom line

Start from a template that is already ATS-safe instead of fixing a broken one. See vetted options: Resume Templates.