Most job applications never reach a human recruiter. Before your resume lands on anyone's desk, it passes through an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) — software that parses, scores, and ranks every application based on keyword and format matching.

If your resume isn't ATS-friendly, it doesn't matter how impressive your experience is. You get filtered out before the game even begins.

Over 98% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS software. Even mid-sized companies in India increasingly use tools like Naukri RMS, Zoho Recruit, and Greenhouse to manage applications at scale.

How ATS Actually Works

An ATS does three things when it receives your resume:

  1. Parses your resume into structured fields (name, work history, skills, education)
  2. Scores it against the job description — looking for keyword matches
  3. Ranks your application relative to other candidates

The problem? Most resumes are formatted in ways that confuse ATS parsers — tables, columns, graphics, headers in text boxes, and unusual fonts all cause parsing failures that drop your score dramatically.

The 5 Most Common ATS Mistakes

1. Using tables and columns

Two-column resume layouts look clean to the human eye but are a disaster for ATS. Most parsers read left to right, top to bottom — a two-column layout gets scrambled into an unreadable mess. Use a single-column format.

2. Putting contact info in a header text box

Many ATS tools cannot read content inside Word text boxes. If your name and contact details are in a header text box, the parser may process your resume with no name attached — and auto-reject it.

3. Using images or graphics to display skills

Skill bars, rating circles, and icons look attractive but ATS cannot read images. If your skills section uses visual elements, those skills effectively don't exist in the ATS's view of your resume.

4. Not mirroring the job description's language

ATS systems match keywords from the job description to your resume. If the JD says "revenue growth" and your resume says "sales increase," the match score drops — even though the meaning is identical. Mirror the exact phrasing from the job description wherever it accurately reflects your experience.

5. Using creative section headings

ATS parsers are trained to look for standard headings: Work Experience, Education, Skills. If you rename your experience section "Where I've Made an Impact," the parser may not classify it correctly.

The ATS-Safe Resume Format

Here is the format that consistently performs well across all major ATS platforms:

  • Single-column layout with clear section hierarchy
  • Standard fonts: Calibri, Arial, Georgia, or Times New Roman (10–12pt)
  • Contact info in the body — not in a header/footer text box
  • Standard section headings: Summary, Work Experience, Education, Skills
  • Saved as .docx (not PDF, unless the JD specifically says PDF is acceptable)
  • No images, icons, tables, or text boxes

How to Keyword-Optimize Your Resume

Paste the job description into a text editor. Identify the top 10–15 skills, tools, and qualifications the employer emphasizes. Then audit your resume:

  • Are the most critical keywords present — in their exact form?
  • Do keywords appear in context (within your work bullets), not just listed in a skills dump?
  • Have you included both the full form and acronym where relevant? (e.g., "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)")

Keyword stuffing — hiding white text on a white background — is detectable by modern ATS and will get you flagged. Only include keywords that genuinely reflect your experience.

Writing Bullets That Score High

ATS systems increasingly use semantic matching, not just exact keywords. Strong, quantified bullet points that describe real impact naturally contain the right language. Use the formula:

Action verb + What you did + How (tools/methods) + Measurable result

Example: "Reduced customer churn by 22% by redesigning the onboarding email sequence using HubSpot, cutting drop-off in the first 30 days."

Final Checklist Before You Apply

  • Single-column format, no tables or graphics
  • Contact info in the body of the document
  • Keywords from the JD naturally woven into bullets
  • Standard section headings
  • Saved as .docx unless PDF is specified
  • File name is professional: FirstName-LastName-Resume.docx

Getting your resume past ATS is the floor, not the ceiling. Once you're through, the human recruiter still needs to find your story compelling. That's where strategic positioning, tight writing, and role-specific tailoring do the heavy lifting — which is exactly what we do at Reforge Me.