ATS-friendly resume checklist

An ATS Friendly Resume, Step by Step

Build an ATS friendly resume with plain formatting and the job post's own keywords, then add a cover letter that matches both.

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The checklist

Six rules for an ATS friendly resume

Applicant tracking systems read your file as plain text. Anything that confuses that reading hides your skills from the recruiter's search.

One column only

Parsers read left to right, top to bottom. Two columns can merge into one jumbled line, so keep a single column for online applications.

Standard headings

Use Experience, Education and Skills. Creative labels like My Journey are easy for a human to enjoy and easy for a parser to miss.

Common fonts

Arial, Calibri and Times New Roman are safe. Keep body text around 10 to 12 points and skip decorative typefaces.

Contact info in the body

Some systems ignore headers and footers. Put your name, email, phone and city at the top of the page, not in the header area.

No tables or graphics

Skill bars, icons, photos and text boxes carry no readable words. Write your skills as plain text, comma separated.

The job post's keywords

Mirror the exact skills and job title from the posting. If the post says Salesforce, write Salesforce, not CRM software.

Formatting

Plain layout, readable by any parser

Fancy layouts photograph well and parse badly. The safest resume has one column, clear section headings, and bullets made with standard characters. Save it as a .docx or as a PDF with selectable text, and test it: open the file, press select all, and paste into a plain text editor. If the order is scrambled or words are missing, a parser will see the same mess.

Single column, 10 to 12 point standard font
Dates in one format, such as Mar 2024 to Present
Selectable text, never a scanned image
Paste-test the file in a plain text editor before you send

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Plain single-column page layout next to a pencil and a ruler

Match the job

Tailor it to each job in 15 minutes

A clean file gets read. The right words get found. Do this for every role you apply to.

1

Highlight the repeated terms

Read the job post and mark the skills, tools and titles that appear more than once. Those carry the most weight in a recruiter's search.
2

Mirror them where they are true

Put each matching term in your summary, your skills list and one experience bullet. Use the employer's phrasing, and add the full name next to any acronym once.
3

Prove it with a result

Keywords get you found. Numbers get you shortlisted. Attach a figure to the bullet, such as cut onboarding time from 9 days to 5.
4

Match the cover letter

Reuse the same top keywords in your cover letter and check the match score before you submit. Same words in both documents, same story.

Keywords

Write the words the recruiter will search for

Recruiters often search their applicant pool the way you search the web: a job title, two or three skills, maybe a tool name. If your resume says the same thing in different words, you do not come up. Match the posting's language for the skills you really have, and leave out the ones you do not. Never paste a hidden block of keywords in white text. Systems and humans both treat that as a red flag.

Use the exact job title from the post if it fits your role
Spell out acronyms once, then use the short form
Put key skills in context, not only in a list
Never fake a skill to match a keyword

Highlighter marking key lines on a printed job description

Safe vs risky

What helps and what hurts in a parser

Common choices, compared on how reliably a system reads them.

Element	ATS-safe choice	Risky choice
Layout	One column	Two columns, sidebars
Headings	Experience, Education, Skills	Creative or icon-only labels
Contact details	In the page body	In the header or footer
Skills	Plain text list	Rating bars or icons
File	Docx or text-based PDF	Scanned image, PDF of a picture
Bullets	Standard round bullets	Custom symbols or emoji

Your application

Your resume is half the application

A resume that parses well still needs a cover letter that speaks the same language. Write Me A Cover Letter reads the job post URL, matches the company's tone and writes a cover letter plus a LinkedIn note, a follow-up, a thank-you and interview prep. It runs an ATS keyword scan on the letter and shows the match score before you send. It does not build or scan resumes, so use it for the part of the application that sits next to your resume.

Paste a job URL and get a full bundle
See your ATS match score and the keywords you hit
Works in 13 languages
First bundle is free, no credit card

Build my cover letter

Two blank sheets side by side with a pen between them, ready for a resume and a cover letter

Pricing

Start free, pay only if it works for you

Prices for the cover letter bundle, as listed on the pricing page at the time of writing. Check the site for current plans.

Free trial

$0

See it on a real job post

1 full application bundle
No credit card required
Company tone analysis
ATS match score

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Applicant

$12 /mo

For an active job search

5 full bundles per month
All 5 output formats
ATS keyword scan and score
Interview prep in STAR format

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One-shot

$9

One bundle, no subscription

1 full application bundle
All 5 output formats
ATS keyword scan
No subscription required

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FAQ

ATS friendly resume questions

What makes a resume ATS-friendly?

A resume is ATS-friendly when software can read it as plain text and sort it into the right fields. That means one column, standard section headings such as Experience and Education, a common font, and your contact details in the body of the page. Then the content has to match the job post: the same skills and job title wording, spelled out.

Is a PDF or a Word file safer for ATS?

Either works if the file keeps real, selectable text. A .docx is the safest default, and a PDF exported from Word or Google Docs is usually fine too. Avoid scanned pages and PDFs made from images, because the system sees a picture and no words. If the job post names a format, follow it.

Do ATS reject resumes automatically?

Not as often as the myth suggests. In many systems the software parses your file into fields, and recruiters then search and filter those fields by keywords. The practical risk is simpler: a messy parse hides your skills, so a search for them never finds you.

Can I use a two-column resume template?

You can, but it is a risk you do not need. Some parsers read across the page and mix the two columns into one jumbled line. A single column costs you nothing in readability and removes the problem. If you love a two-column design, keep a plain version for online applications.

How many keywords should I copy from the job description?

Copy the ones that are true for you, in the employer's own wording. If the post says project management and you wrote managing projects, use their phrase. Aim to mirror the required skills and the job title, not to stuff every word. A human still reads the result.

Does this tool check or rewrite my resume?

No. Write Me A Cover Letter builds your cover letter and the rest of your application bundle from a job post, and runs an ATS keyword scan with a match score on what it writes. It does not build or parse resumes. Use it to make the cover letter match the same keywords as your resume.

Is it free to try?

Yes. You get one full bundle on the free trial with no credit card. After that, a single bundle is $9, or the Applicant plan is $12 a month for 5 bundles. Check the pricing page for the current plans before you buy.

Send a letter that matches your resume

Paste a job URL and get a cover letter in the company's tone, with an ATS match score. Your first bundle is free.

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