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How to Get Your Resume Past Applicant Tracking Systems

Many employers use software to sort applications before a person ever reads them. The good news: you don't need tricks to get through. You need clear structure, relevant language and a document both software and people can read with ease.

3 min read · Sterling Career Library
How to Get Your Resume Past Applicant Tracking Systems
01

What these systems actually do

Applicant tracking systems store, sort and search applications. Recruiters often filter by job titles, skills or qualifications. If your resume uses unusual headings or hides key details inside graphics, important information may be missed.

Different employers configure their systems differently, so there is no universal score or guaranteed way through. The software may help with storage, searches, workflows, or eligibility checks. Concentrate on giving both the system and a person accurate, accessible information instead of trying to defeat a process you cannot see.

THE BIG PICTURE

Make the document easier to interpret

Readable source text becomes an organised, checked application document.

  1. 01

    Accurate language

    Use relevant terms truthfully.

  2. 02

    Simple structure

    Keep essential details in readable text.

  3. 03

    File check

    Follow the employer’s upload instructions.

02

Mirror the language of the role — honestly

Read the job description closely and note the skills and terms that repeat. Where they genuinely reflect your experience, use the same wording. Never add skills you don't have; an interview will reveal the gap quickly.

Make a short list of the role's relevant skills, tools, and qualifications. Compare it with evidence from your own work and use the employer's terminology where it accurately fits. Avoid hidden text, keyword stuffing, and invented experience. Clear language should help a reader understand you, not disguise a gap.

03

Keep the layout simple

Use standard section headings such as Experience, Education and Skills. Avoid placing essential text in tables, text boxes, headers or images. A clean single-column layout is usually the safest choice.

Keep essential information as selectable text with familiar headings and a logical reading order. Copy the exported text into a plain document as a basic check: can you still follow the sequence? This cannot predict every system's behaviour, but it can expose missing text or confusing layouts before submission.

04

Save in the right format

Follow the employer's instructions. When none are given, a well-formatted Word document or a text-based PDF is generally accepted. Name the file clearly, for example with your name and the role.

Follow the specific upload instructions even if they differ from general advice. Check the file opens, the text is readable, and the filename identifies you appropriately. If the form asks you to enter experience separately, review those fields carefully; an uploaded document does not always populate them correctly.

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

Make the document easier to interpret

Starting point

Important skills appear only in a graphic, with experience inside several text boxes.

A more thoughtful approach

Use a text-based Skills section and a clear Experience section, keeping relevant terms within accurate descriptions of your work.

This is a readability improvement, not an ATS bypass. Systems and employer filters vary, and no layout can guarantee an application advances.

Your next small step

  • Review your own example against: use relevant terms truthfully
  • Review your own example against: keep essential details in readable text
  • Review your own example against: follow the employer’s upload instructions

Software may open the door, but people make the decision. Write for both, and you give your experience the best chance to be seen.

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