ATS Systems Explained: How to Beat Them

What an ATS actually does

An Applicant Tracking System typically does two jobs:

1. Parse: extract your resume into structured fields (name, roles, dates, skills).\n
2. Filter: rank or filter candidates based on role requirements.\n

The first step is where most formatting mistakes hurt you.\n If parsing fails, the resume becomes noisy data.

The biggest ATS wins are boring (that’s good)

You don’t beat an ATS with tricks.\n You beat it with clarity:

• Standard section labels (“Experience”, “Education”, “Skills”).\n
• Consistent chronology.\n
• Text-first content (avoid putting key text inside images).\n
• Simple bullets.\n

Keywords: use them like a professional, not a spammer

Keyword stuffing looks untrustworthy and often reads poorly.\n Instead:

• Mirror the job description where accurate.\n
• Use the exact tool names (“React”, “Next.js”, “AWS”) rather than vague categories.\n
• Put the most relevant keywords in recent roles.\n

The goal is semantic match and human trust.

Multi-column layouts: safe, but be careful

Some ATS parsers struggle with complex columns.\n If you use columns:

• Keep content linear (don’t split a role across columns).\n
• Keep the right column for secondary info (skills, languages).\n
• Avoid decorative boxes that reorder reading flow.\n

A practical ATS checklist

Run this before exporting:

• Are section names standard?\n
• Are dates present and consistent?\n
• Are job titles clear?\n
• Is contact info plain text?\n
• Is the document readable when copied into a plain text editor?\n

If yes, you’re already ahead.