10 Expert Tips to Beat Any Applicant Tracking System in 2024

What Is an ATS?

An applicant tracking system is a type of software companies use to streamline their recruitment process. It’s a central database that manages job applications, stores candidates’ information, and analyzes documents such as resumes or cover letters.

The ATS scans, organizes, and ranks resumes before they ever reach the hiring manager. When you submit your application online, the ATS is probably the first to review it. 

Although there are different types of ATS, they all have the same purpose: to help employers sift through the many applications they receive and quickly eliminate candidates who don’t meet the basic criteria. 

The ATS does this by searching for relevant keywords, such as job titles and important skills that match the job requirements set by the employer.

The software scans each resume it receives and then assigns a score based on how well the application aligns with those pre-set job requirements. The candidates with the highest score make it to the hiring manager, while those who don’t meet the minimum requirements are disqualified automatically.

How Do Applicant Tracking Systems Work?

You have a general idea of what an ATS is, but how does it work?

Here’s a step-by-step look at how most ATS work:

1. When a company needs to fill a role, they write a comprehensive job description and upload it into the ATS.
2. The ATS builds a profile of the ideal candidate based on that job description and evaluates incoming resumes based on how well they match the necessary skills, qualifications, and experience.
3. As the ATS scans each resume, it assigns a score based on how well it meets the job requirements.
4. The ATS filters out any resumes that don’t meet basic criteria, so hiring managers only see the highest-scoring resumes. Then the hiring team can quickly go through the best candidates and reach out to them for the next steps in the hiring process.

9 Proven Ways to Beat Applicant Tracking Systems

Now that you know the basics about applicant tracking systems, let’s get down to business – making sure your resume gets a high ATS score and lands on a hiring manager’s desk.

Just follow these nine, tried-and-tested tips and you'll increase the odds of landing that interview in no time!

#1. Optimize Your Format

Generally, there are three resume formats you can choose for your resume – chronological, skill-based, and combination.

In 99% of cases, we advise you to choose the reverse-chronological format. 

The reverse-chronological resume format highlights your work experience by listing your most recent roles first and then moving backward. What’s more important, on top of ATS being able to read this format easily, it’s what hiring managers expect too.  

Long story short, the reverse chronological format is your best friend. Here’s what it looks like in action:

#2. Stick to a Simple Layout

If you want your resume to beat the ATS, complicated designs aren’t the best idea.

At the end of the day, all the ATS cares about is the text on your resume, so if you’re using an unusual resume layout or too many graphics, the software might miss important information. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that your resume’s font should be professional and easy to read.

This type of font is not something that the ATS is going to appreciate:

We recommend you choose a unique but professional resume font like Roboto, Ubuntu, or Overpass.

And when you’re describing your achievements and experiences, keep your bullet points nice and neat – a simple circle, square, or dash is ideal. Don’t get too creative with fancy characters, like hearts, stars, or diamonds.

Here's a quick example of what your work experience should look like:

#3. Use an ATS-Friendly Resume Template

Your resume template can make or break your chances of breezing through the ATS. 

That’s why using an ATS-friendly template is a must!

ATS-friendly resume templates come with a simple layout and clean formatting and avoid complex design elements that could trip up the ATS.

Try one of our free ATS-friendly resume templates to get started!

Our templates are designed in collaboration with hiring professionals to make sure you can build a standout application that impresses any ATS and human reviewer out there.

Just look at how one of our templates compares to a standard text editor resume:

#4. Don’t Apply for Too Many Roles in the Same Company

We know that job searching can be tiring and if you’ve been unemployed for a long time, you probably just want to get hired, regardless of where.

It's tempting to apply for every open position at your dream company but that can backfire with applicant tracking systems. 

Some ATS are designed to flag candidates who submit multiple applications in a short time frame. Applying for every position at a company can make you look unfocused or desperate and ultimately hurt your chances of landing any role. 

Instead, just choose one or two positions that best match your essential skills and experiences and put all your effort into tailoring your application for them. Quality always beats quantity when you're trying to get that dream job.

Additionally, if you are applying for two different roles in the same company or if you’re in the middle of a career change, make sure to focus on your transferable skills! They’re a great way to show hiring managers you can apply your know-how in different ways!

#5. Use Common Job Titles

You might think weird job titles like "Chief Happiness Officer" are creative but the ATS probably won’t recognize what they are.

The software is designed to match exact job titles from the job description, so using buzzwords and quirky euphemisms could result in the ATS overlooking your application. 

Avoiding this scenario is pretty easy – just use the exact job title listed in the ad for the role you’re applying to. Both the ATS and human hiring managers will appreciate it.

Let’s take a look at how this would look on a business development manager’s resume:

#6. Tailor Your Resume for Each Application

The most important thing you can do to beat the ATS is to make a tailored resume for each role you apply to.

Tailoring your resume takes more time but dramatically increases your chances of getting a high resume score and moving on to a job interview. And it all comes down to using the right resume keywords.

Keywords are specific words or phrases that directly relate to the job you’re applying for. These are usually hard or soft skills, certain certificates, or experiences that match the role you’re aiming for. 

So, how do you pick the right keywords?

Start by carefully reading the job ad and identifying any key skills and qualifications it mentions. Pay attention to the action verbs mentioned in the description, too – words like ‘lead,’ ‘communicate,’ or ‘design’ are great hints about skills the employer wants you to have.

That being said, don't stuff your resume randomly with keywords just because. Instead, weave them in organically so they fit into the context. Keywords will help you pass the ATS, but your resume still needs to make sense to the hiring manager, who’ll be giving the final verdict.

Let’s take a look at a real-life job ad. We’ve bolded the keywords to show you what you should pay attention to.

Now, here’s an example of a well-written, ATS-friendly software developer resume that features all the relevant keywords from a job ad:

#7. Include All Necessary Sections

You don’t want your resume to fall short by missing any key information.

Some applicant tracking systems look for specific information exactly where they expect to find it, so make sure your resume includes all the essential sections, such as:

• Contact information
• Resume summary or objective
• Work experience
• Education
• Skills

The ATS might also scan for additional sections like certifications, publications, or volunteer experience, depending on the role and its requirements.

That’s why it’s important to organize your resume sections with clear headings and titles that the ATS can easily identify. Don’t write ‘professional journey’ when ‘work experience’ is what the applicant tracking software is looking for!

#8. Run an ATS Check on Your Resume with ChatGPT

Finished writing your ATS-friendly resume? 

Now, it's time to double-check whether your resume truly is ATS-tailored.

One of the simplest ways to make sure is to ask ChatGPT for assistance. So, start by logging in, opening a new chat, and telling ChatGPT that you need assistance with your ATS check.  

Then, upload both the job listing and your resume, and ask ChatGPT to give you an estimated ATS score along with recommendations for improvement.

For reference, we compared a medical assistant resume to a relevant job advertisement, and here's the feedback that ChatGPT provided:

#8. Proofread Before Submitting

Submitting a resume with typos and grammatical errors is among the biggest resume mistakes you can make. Not only is it unprofessional and shows a lack of effort, but it can also trip up an ATS.

The software might not recognize a relevant keyword if it’s misspelled, which can potentially lower your resume score. So, always proofread your resume carefully before sending it and run it through a spellchecker like Grammarly or QuillBot.

But while these online tools can help, don't rely solely on them. They can miss context-specific errors, so you need to manually make corrections yourself.

You can also ask someone else to check your resume. A fresh pair of eyes can catch mistakes both you and the spellchecking software might have missed.

#9. Save It as the Right File Type

When it comes to ATS compatibility, not all file formats are created equal.

Generally, PDF is the safest option for submitting your resume, since it keeps your formatting the same across any device and operating system the hiring manager might be using.

However, while most modern ATS can process PDF files, you should still check the job ad just in case the employer has specific instructions.

If an employer outright requests a Word document, such as DOC or DOCX, just stick to that. It probably means that their ATS is an older model that can’t read PDF files.

ATS-Friendly Resume Example

Let’s put everything we’ve learned into practice. 

Here’s an example of an ATS-friendly resume that checks all the boxes:

This ATS-friendly resume is bound to impress hiring managers too! Here’s what it gets right:

• The resume uses a reverse chronological format, which is ideal for both the ATS and the hiring manager. It highlights work experience first and puts the most recent roles at the top of your resume.
• By sticking to a simple layout, you can avoid any formatting mistakes and automatic rejections from the ATS.
• We created this resume using our free resume builder and an ATS-friendly template, thus meeting all industry standards.
• The candidate uses standard job titles instead of buzzwords or quirky descriptions that could trip up the ATS.
• The resume is perfectly tailored to the specific job by including relevant skills, experiences, certifications, and courses throughout the whole page.

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap on our article! 

By now, we’re sure you’re more than ready to beat the ATS system and secure an interview for that dream job.

Before you begin making your resume, let’s quickly recap what we’ve covered:

• Applicant tracking systems, or ATS for short, are software that companies use to organize, screen, and rank job applications before they make it to a human reviewer.
• ATS are incredibly popular, so you should always optimize your resume to make it past them.
• Some things you can do to increase your chances of beating the ATS include using the reverse-chronological resume format, keeping your design simple, and using standard section headings and job titles when describing your experience.
• Consider using an ATS-friendly resume template to complete your application in minutes. All the templates at Novorésumé are designed to increase your chances of passing that initial screening!
• Always tailor your resume for each job you’re applying to so the ATS sees your match the job requirements perfectly. This means including relevant keywords from the job posting, such as relevant skills, specific experiences, certain degrees, and other qualifications.