If you've been applying to jobs and hearing nothing back, your resume is probably getting filtered out by an ATS before a human ever sees it. Here are 10 tips that address how ATS systems actually work in 2026, not recycled advice from 2020.
1. Use a Single-Column Layout
Multi-column resumes look great to humans but confuse most ATS parsers. Workday and Lever both struggle with side-by-side content. Stick to a single column with clear section headings.
2. Standard Section Headings Only
Use "Experience," "Education," and "Skills" — not "My Journey," "Where I Learned," or "What I Bring." ATS software looks for standard headings to categorize your information. Creative headings get ignored.
3. Include Both Acronyms and Full Terms
If you know "SQL," also write "Structured Query Language" somewhere. If you have a "PMP," also spell out "Project Management Professional." ATS keyword matching is often literal, and job descriptions use both forms.
4. Quantify Everything
Replace "Managed a team" with "Led a 12-person engineering team that shipped 3 products generating $2.4M ARR." ATS systems in 2026 increasingly weight quantified achievements because they correlate with interview callbacks.
5. Match Job Description Keywords Exactly
If a job posting says "cross-functional collaboration," use that exact phrase — not "working with different teams." Modern ATS systems use semantic matching, but exact keyword matches still score highest. Plancv's Job Description Matchmaker automates this process.
6. PDF Format, Not DOCX
Contrary to old advice, most modern ATS systems parse PDFs reliably. PDF preserves your formatting exactly. The exception: if a job application specifically requests DOCX, follow their instructions.
7. No Tables, Text Boxes, or Images
Tables are the single biggest ATS formatting killer. Even a simple two-column table for contact info can cause parsing failures. Use plain text with line breaks instead.
8. Standard Fonts in 10-12pt
Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, or Times New Roman. Custom or decorative fonts may not render in ATS preview screens, making your resume look broken to recruiters even if it parses correctly.
9. Front-Load Your Most Recent Experience
ATS systems weight recent experience more heavily. Your last 2-3 roles should have the most detail. Roles from 10+ years ago can be condensed to title, company, and dates.
10. Test Before You Submit
Don't guess whether your resume is ATS-compatible. Use an ATS scoring tool to check parseability before submitting. Plancv's ATS Simulation Lab scores your resume against real parsing algorithms from Workday, Greenhouse, and Lever so you know exactly what the system sees.
The Bottom Line
ATS optimization isn't about gaming the system. It's about making sure your actual qualifications are readable by the software that screens them. A well-formatted, keyword-aligned resume benefits both the ATS and the human recruiter who eventually reads it.