Have you applied for jobs you’re qualified for, only to hear nothing back? Your resume is strong, but the interview requests aren’t coming in.
The problem might be that your resume is getting filtered out by a recruiter using an applicant tracking system (ATS).
Recruiters use ATS to search for resumes that contain specific keywords. Without these keywords, your resume won’t appear in searches.
In this article, I’ll explain to you what an ATS is and how it works. Then I’ll show you how to write your resume so it gets found and read by recruiters.
What is an ATS?
Online job boards like Indeed have made it easy for job seekers to submit applications. Just click submit, submit, submit.
The result is that employers are now flooded with resumes for every open position.
To manage this resume overload, employers have turned to applicant tracking systems (ATS).
An ATS is software that helps companies streamline their recruitment process by:
- Collecting resumes submitted online.
- Ranking candidates based on relevant keywords and qualifications (not all ATS do this).
- Filtering out resumes that don’t match the “knockout” job requirements the recruiter set.
- Tracking each candidate’s progress through the hiring process.
By automating these steps, an ATS helps employers save time and money while ensuring that qualified candidates don’t slip through the cracks.
Who uses applicant tracking systems?
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are now commonplace in hiring, especially for large companies.
Jobscan research reveals that 98.4% of Fortune 500 companies use an ATS. That’s 492 out of 500 companies.
The remaining 8 companies didn’t have a detectable ATS, which might mean they use a proprietary system built in-house.
ATS aren’t just for Fortune 500 companies and large corporations. They’re used by a wide range of organizations, including:
- Staffing agencies: To quickly match candidates to jobs across different industries.
- Government organizations: For handling the complex hiring processes in the public sector.
- Mid-sized companies: To stay organized and keep up with growing applicant numbers.
- Small businesses: Particularly those growing fast or hiring for competitive roles.
- Nonprofits: To manage both paid staff and volunteer applications.
In short, any organization that deals with a large number of applicants or that needs to streamline its hiring process can benefit from using an ATS.
Which ATS are most popular?
Using Jobscan data, we analyzed job descriptions from over 12,820 companies where an ATS was detected to see which systems are most popular. Here’s what we found:
- 19.3% of analyzed companies use Greenhouse.
- 16.6% of analyzed companies use Lever.
- 15.9% of analyzed companies use Workday.
- 15.3% of analyzed companies use iCIMS.
How do applicant tracking systems work?
An ATS can do many things for employers, from organizing resumes to tracking candidate progress.
But for job seekers, what really matters are these three basic steps:
STEP 1: Recruiters enter into the ATS details about the job opening—job title, required skills, and experience. In other words, the job description.
STEP 2: The ATS scans incoming resumes, sometimes ranking candidates, and stores the resumes in a searchable database.
STEP 3: Recruiters can choose from the ranked candidates. They can also search the database for strong candidates using resume keywords and skills.
Given how hiring works today, you must optimize your resume for the ATS if you want it to be found by recruiters.
How to optimize your resume for the ATS
Want more interviews? Start with the job title.
Jobscan analyzed over 2.5 million resumes and found that resumes that contained the job title of the targeted role received 10.2 times more interview requests than those without it.
The job title can be found at the very top of the job description. It’s the most important keyword of all.
But there are other important keywords that recruiters search for.
Include top keywords recruiters search for
According to a Jobscan survey of 384 recruiters, over 99.7% of recruiters use keyword filters to search for candidates inside their ATS. What do they filter by?
- 76.4% filter by skills
- 59.7% by education
- 55.3% by job titles
- 50.6% by certifications
- 44% by years of experience
Where can you find all these keywords? In the job description. Read it carefully, pick out the most important keywords, and work them naturally into your resume.
In other words, try to mirror the language used in the job description as much as possible. This is called tailoring your resume to the job.
Use an online tool to tailor your resume
Tailoring your resume can take time, and it’s not always easy to know which keywords matter most.
That’s where an online tool like Jobscan’s resume scanner can help. It speeds up the tailoring process by telling you exactly which keywords to add to your resume.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Upload your resume into the scanner.
Step 2: Paste the job description into the scanner.
Step 3: Click the “scan” button.
You’ll then receive a match report that lists the keywords recruiters are most likely to search for. Adding these keywords to your resume will help it show up in ATS searches.
Adding important keywords can have immediate benefits.
As one Jobscan user said, “I went from not getting interviews for months at a time, and then I got three or four interviews. It was a definite change.”
How to format your resume for the ATS
As we’ve seen, keywords are important, but they’re not the whole story. Your resume must also be formatted correctly so the ATS can extract your data correctly.
If your resume isn’t formatted correctly, the information on it might appear as a jumbled mess.
The following tips will help you format your resume so it can be read by the ATS.
Use a simple layout
Boring is better! Fancy layouts might look great, but they can confuse an ATS.
Keep your resume clean and straightforward. Avoid tables, graphics, images, or anything that could throw off the ATS.
Skip the photo, and use standard bullet points to list your experience and achievements.
PRO TIP: Jobscan’s resume builder includes modern templates that are already formatted for ATS compatibility. Just pick one and customize it with your information.
Stick to standard fonts
Choose common, ATS-friendly fonts like Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, or Georgia. Avoid uncommon fonts that the ATS might struggle to read.
Avoid headers and footers
Many ATS systems can’t read information placed in headers and footers. Keep all your important details within the main body of the document to ensure nothing gets missed.
Use standard section headings
Use conventional section headings such as “Skills,” “Work Experience,” and “Education.” Avoid creative headings like “My Professional Journey” which might confuse the ATS.
Use an online tool to check your formatting
Jobscan’s resume scanner not only helps you find important keywords, but it also checks your resume for formatting issues that could prevent an ATS from reading it properly.
Here is an example of Jobscan’s searchability report. The red x’s mean that there are issues with your resume that you need to address to ensure that your resume can be read by the ATS.
Other reasons why an ATS is important for recruiters
Many job seekers think an ATS is just there to block them from reaching a real person. But that’s not the case.
Applicant tracking systems do much more behind the scenes to help companies manage the entire hiring process. Here’s what else they handle:
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Schedule interviews: Automatically sends reminders and syncs with calendars to keep things on track.
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Communicate with candidates: Uses built-in email templates and automated messages to keep applicants in the loop.
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Team collaboration: Lets hiring teams share notes and feedback in real time, so everyone’s on the same page.
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Track hiring data: Provides insights into time-to-hire, source of applicants, and more to improve recruiting strategies.
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Tool integration: Connects with CRM systems, email platforms, and onboarding software for a smoother workflow.
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Candidate tracking: Keeps tabs on every applicant throughout the process so no one slips through the cracks.
By managing all of these tasks, an ATS helps hiring teams stay organized, communicate more efficiently, and make smarter hiring decisions.
What’s the difference between an ATS and a CRM?
There are two main types of recruiting software:
- Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
- Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) Systems
Here’s a quick breakdown of each.
Applicant tracking systems (ATS)
The ATS manages candidates during the hiring process. But it only tracks people who’ve already applied for a job at the company.
With the flood of resumes coming in—especially since it’s so easy to apply online—ATS help companies quickly find the right applicants.
Candidate relationship management (CRM) systems
CRMs build relationships with potential candidates who haven’t applied yet. These candidates are sometimes referred to as passive candidates or talent.
CRMs include tools like email campaigns, scheduling, and messaging features that help companies stay connected with potential candidates and keep them engaged until they’re ready to apply.
The key difference? ATS focus on applicants, while CRMs focus on potential candidates who might not even know they want to work for a company yet.
Many companies use both ATS and CRM to cover all their recruiting bases—from finding top talent to hiring the perfect fit.
What are the most common ATS myths?
There’s a lot of confusion about applicant tracking systems (ATS) and how they work.
Let’s clear up some of the most common myths:
ATS doesn’t reject resumes. It stores them and allows recruiters to search using keywords. If your resume isn’t optimized, it may simply not appear in search results, but it’s not actively rejected by the system.
While overly complex designs can trip up some ATS, you don’t need to strip your resume down completely. A clean, professional layout with standard fonts, bold text, and bullet points is perfectly acceptable.
ATS looks for relevance, not repetition. Keyword stuffing or copying full job postings can backfire and make your resume unreadable or inauthentic. Use the right keywords naturally and selectively.
There are dozens of ATS platforms, and they don’t all function the same. Some rank resumes, some don’t. Some scan PDFs easily, others prefer Word docs. That’s why using Jobscan can give you a big edge.
The goal of an ATS is to help recruiters, not replace them. Resumes that are found in an ATS search still go through a human review before any hiring decisions are made.
What is the future of applicant tracking systems?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already reshaping recruitment, and ATS is evolving with it.
Today’s AI-powered applicant tracking systems don’t just screen resumes. They can identify top candidates, handle parts of the interview process, and even help conduct background checks.
AI technology will help hiring teams create more targeted job descriptions, making it easier to tailor your resume.
With more AI tools, the goal is to personalize candidates’ experiences without adding time to the recruitment process.
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Mobile-friendly tools: Both job seekers and recruiters want the freedom to search, apply, and manage applications right from their phones or tablets.
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Better experiences for job seekers: Expect more intuitive platforms, self-scheduling interview tools, and built-in chatbots to answer questions and keep candidates updated.
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Social media integration: ATS systems will likely connect more deeply with platforms like LinkedIn to help recruiters find and vet candidates faster.
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Reducing bias in hiring: Future ATS tools may anonymize resumes by removing names, photos, and other identifying information. This will allow hiring teams to focus purely on skills and qualifications.
Ultimately, AI will help streamline hiring and create a more personalized experience on both sides of the process.
Key takeaways
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Most companies use ATS: 98.4% of Fortune 500 companies rely on applicant tracking systems to manage resumes and streamline hiring.
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ATS filters by keywords: Recruiters use ATS to search for specific keywords like job titles, skills, and qualifications. Without these, your resume may never be seen.
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Tailor your resume to the job description: Including the exact job title and matching keywords from the job posting can dramatically increase your chances.
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Use a resume scanner: Tools like Jobscan help you identify missing keywords and formatting issues. They also give you a match score to show how well your resume aligns with the job.
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Keep your formatting simple: ATS can’t read complex layouts. Avoid tables, graphics, headers/footers, and use standard fonts and section headings.
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ATS isn’t rejecting you: ATS systems don’t automatically reject candidates. They help recruiters search, filter, and rank resumes, but human eyes still make the final decision.
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CRM vs. ATS: ATS manages active applicants; CRM tools focus on building relationships with passive candidates who haven’t applied yet.
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ATS are evolving: Expect more mobile-friendly features, chatbot communication, social media integration, and tools to help reduce hiring bias in the future.
FAQs
ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System. It’s computer software that companies use to manage resumes and screen candidates during the hiring process.
An ATS resume is a resume tailored to the job you’re applying for, using relevant keywords and the job title from the job description. The goal is to ensure the resume matches what the applicant tracking system is looking for, increasing the chances it gets through to a hiring manager.
Employers use ATS to manage the hiring process more efficiently. They search resumes for specific keywords and job titles that match the job description. This helps HR departments quickly filter through large volumes of resumes and focus on the most qualified candidates. ATS can also schedule interviews and handle email communications.
Over 98% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS. But it’s not just large corporations—staffing agencies, government organizations, mid-sized companies, small businesses, and nonprofits also rely on ATS to handle the high volume of applications and streamline recruitment.
All ATS recognize Word documents. Most of them can also read PDF files.
The best way to see if your resume is ATS-friendly is to use a resume scanner like Jobscan’s.
Yes, small companies do use applicant tracking systems for resume screening, especially those experiencing growth or handling competitive job roles. Studies show that around 35% of small businesses now use ATS and that number is rapidly growing.
Some of the best ATS providers include Lever, Greenhouse, Taleo, and iCIMS.
Companies ask you to re-enter your info because ATS systems sometimes don’t pull all the details correctly from your resume. It ensures everything is accurate and helps the hiring process run smoothly.
