ATS resume: how to get past screening

ATS stands for applicant tracking system: the software many companies use to receive and sort resumes. It reads the text of your file, looks for words related to the job and helps the recruiter filter candidates. A beautiful resume that the software cannot read may be left out without anyone looking at it.

How screening software reads a resume

The system extracts the text from the PDF or Word file and tries to split it into parts: name, contact, experience, education, skills. Then it compares that with the job. It does not "see" the page design: it reads the text, in the order it appears in the file.

What helps

• Real text: the resume must be selectable text, not an image. A scanned resume or a photo of one is not read.
• Standard headings: "Experience", "Education", "Skills". Creative names confuse the system.
• A simple reading order: one column, or two well-built columns that come out in the right order when the text is extracted.
• Words from the posting: use the terms in the job ad when they are true for you ("customer service", "Excel", "logistics").
• Clear dates: month and year for the start and end of each role.
• PDF or Word: both work; send the one the company asks for.

What gets in the way

• Text inside images or loose text boxes.
• Complex tables and many columns.
• Icons instead of words, such as a phone icon without the word "phone".
• Decorative fonts that turn into odd characters when the text is extracted.

CurrículoRaiz templates and screening

CurrículoRaiz templates produce PDFs with real text, in reading order, and with the file metadata filled in (name and job title). We test how every template and font style reads. For maximum safety, Classic has a single column. Others, like Sidebar, also come out in reading order even with two columns.

Write for the person, not the machine

The software only filters: a person makes the decision. A resume stuffed with repeated keywords may pass the filter and be rejected right after. Write for whoever will read it, with the right words in the right places. How to write a resume shows a structure that works for both.