The Simple Way to Beat the Bot
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One Simple Column Make your resume one straight line going down. This way, the software reads everything in the right order and doesn't get confused.
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Use Normal Titles Use boring, common titles like "Job History" and "Schooling" so the computer can easily put your information into the right boxes.
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Copy the Job Words Use the exact words and phrases from the job ad. This proves to the software that you are a perfect match for what they asked for.
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Check for Hidden Spots Do not put important details in the document header, footer, or inside images. The software often skips these areas, and your contact info might get missed.
What Is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software that employers use to collect, sort, and rank job applications before a human recruiter reviews them. It parses your resume, extracts key details like job titles, skills, and education, then scores how well you match the job description. If your resume doesn't pass the software's filters, a hiring manager may never see it.
According to Jobscan's 2025 ATS Usage Report, 97.8% of Fortune 500 companies now use an ATS to manage hiring. That means nearly every application you submit to a large employer goes through automated screening first. A study by Harvard Business School found that 88% of employers admit their own ATS filters out qualified candidates whose resumes don't precisely match the job description.
How ATS Screening Works
Parsing. The ATS extracts text from your file and maps it into structured fields: name, contact info, work history, education, and skills. If your formatting prevents clean extraction (tables, columns, images), your data gets scrambled before analysis even starts.
Keyword matching. Recruiters set filters based on the job description. Jobscan's research shows that 99.7% of recruiters use keyword filters in their ATS to sort and prioritize applicants. The system checks whether your resume contains the specific skills, certifications, and job titles listed in the posting.
Ranking. Based on keyword match rate and section completeness, the ATS scores and ranks all applicants. The average job posting draws 250+ candidates, but only 4 to 6 get invited to interview. Recruiters typically review only the top-scoring resumes first.
The Big Problem Job Seekers Face
You hit "Send Application," and then nothing. This happens again and again. Your years of hard work feel invisible, tossed aside by software before any person sees your name. According to an iHire survey, 55.3% of job seekers say the silence after applying is the most stressful part of looking for work. You start to wonder if anyone is reading your resume at all.
Most people fight back by dumping every keyword they can find onto their resume. But this "shortcut" usually fails. Even if you fool the software, you look dishonest to the hiring manager later on.
To succeed, you need to think differently: Don't try to trick the computer; use its rules to talk directly to the human who is waiting.
ATS-Friendly vs. ATS-Unfriendly: What Actually Matters
Not all resume formatting is equal in the eyes of an ATS. Some design choices that look polished on screen will break the software's ability to read your information. Here is a quick reference for what works and what doesn't.
| Element | Avoid | Use Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | Multi-column designs, sidebars, text boxes | Single-column layout, top to bottom |
| File Format | JPEG, PNG, or heavily designed PDFs | .docx or simple PDF (check the job posting) |
| Section Headings | Creative labels like "My Journey" or "Toolkit" | Standard: "Work Experience," "Education," "Skills" |
| Fonts | Decorative or uncommon fonts | Arial, Calibri, Georgia, or Times New Roman |
| Graphics | Icons, charts, skill bars, photos | Plain text with standard bullet points |
| Contact Info | In the header/footer of the document | In the main body text area at the top |
| Acronyms | Only "PMP" or only "Project Management Professional" | Both: "Project Management Professional (PMP)" |
Bottom line: A clean, single-column resume in a standard font with conventional section headings will parse correctly on almost every ATS. Jobscan's research found that candidates who include the exact job title on their resume are 10.6 times more likely to get an interview.
How Cruit Helps You Through the Computer Screen
For Bot Help
Resume Check ToolLooks at job ads and tells you exactly which industry words you are missing so you can add them smoothly to your resume.
For Skill Gaps
Job MatcherCompares your resume side-by-side with the job ad, gives you a score, and shows you exactly what steps to take to improve your fit.
For Easy Reading
Simple Format ToolKeeps your resume simple for computers while automatically turning your job duties into strong, number-focused sentences.
Common Questions
Does hiding keywords in white text work?
No. Modern ATS software can detect hidden text, and many recruiters use formatting-check tools that flag these tricks. Even if you slip past the bot, the human recruiter will notice you tried to cheat, and that will get you rejected. The better approach is to weave relevant keywords into your actual work descriptions so both the software and the reader see that you have the skills. For more on keyword strategy, see our guide on finding the right keywords for your resume.
Do graphics and columns help or hurt my resume?
They hurt. Most ATS software reads text from top to bottom in a single column. Sidebars, text boxes, icons, and images cause the system to scramble your information or skip it entirely. Use a clean, standard layout so your experience (not your design skills) is what gets noticed. We cover this in detail in our post on whether graphics and tables break ATS scanners.
Should I submit my resume as a PDF or Word doc?
Check the job posting first. If no format is specified, a .docx file is the safest choice because most ATS software is built to parse Word documents accurately. Simple PDFs also work on most modern systems, but heavily designed PDFs with layers, text boxes, or embedded fonts can cause parsing errors.
How do I find the right keywords for each application?
Read the job description carefully and identify the hard skills, certifications, and technical terms that appear more than once. These repeated words are the keywords the ATS is filtering for. Match them to your own experience and include the exact phrasing in your bullet points. If a term has an acronym, include both forms (e.g., "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)").
What ATS match score should I aim for?
Aim for a keyword match rate of 65-80% against the job description. You don't need a perfect score, and chasing 100% often leads to keyword stuffing. Focus on matching the hard skills, tools, and certifications that are central to the role. Free tools like Jobscan can scan your resume against a posting and show your current match rate.
Can I use the same resume for every job?
You can keep the same core resume, but you should tailor it for each application. Swap in the job title from the posting, adjust your skills section to match their requirements, and reword 2-3 bullet points to reflect their language. This doesn't mean rewriting from scratch; small, targeted changes make a large difference in how the ATS scores you. Learn how to test if your resume is ATS-friendly before submitting.
Focus on what really matters.
When you learn to use the computer system's rules correctly, you turn a wall into a doorway that leads right to an interview. This smart way of applying ensures people see your experience instead of losing it in a computer file.
Don't just let things happen to you in your career. Learning how the system works is the first step to fully controlling how you present yourself, which will help you for your entire career.
Start Controlling It Now
