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The ATS Resume
Checklist

24 points used on every document we produce. Based on research across 20+ hiring platforms, recruiter interviews, and data from Workday, Greenhouse, iCIMS, Taleo, and Lever. Check off each item as you go.

75% Resumes rejected by ATS before a human sees them
98% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS software
7.4s Average recruiter review time after ATS pass
70× More likely shortlisted at 80%+ keyword match

✓ Your Resume Is ATS-Ready

You've completed all 24 checkpoints. This is exactly what we verify on every document we produce.

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01 File Format & Technical Setup Critical
Parse Killer
File is saved as .docx or text-based PDF — not .pages, .jpg, or image PDF
.docx is supported by 100% of ATS platforms and is the safest default. Text-based PDF works on modern systems. Never submit a scanned PDF, image file, or .pages file — these are unreadable by every major ATS and will result in immediate rejection with no explanation.
Parse Killer
File name is professional — e.g. "JohnSmith_HVAC_Resume.pdf"
Recruiters download hundreds of resumes. A file named "Resume_Final_v3_ACTUALLY_FINAL.docx" signals disorganization before they open it. Use: FirstName_LastName_Role.pdf. It also helps when they search their downloads folder weeks later.
Parse Killer
No tables, text boxes, graphics, icons, or multi-column layouts
These break ATS parsers on every major platform. Tables get read left-to-right across all columns, scrambling your job history into nonsense. Text boxes are often skipped entirely. Icons next to your phone number are read as garbage characters (&%$#). Single column only. No exceptions.
Score Impact
Font is ATS-safe: Arial, Calibri, Georgia, Garamond, or Times New Roman — body 10–12pt
Custom or downloaded fonts can cause the ATS to substitute a default font that breaks your layout. Stick to web-safe fonts pre-installed on every operating system. Body text 10–12pt. Section headings 14–16pt. No script fonts, no handwritten fonts, no fonts that require installation.
02 Contact Information Critical
Parse Killer
Name, phone, email, and city/state are in the main body — NOT in a header or footer
25% of ATS systems fail to parse information stored in document headers or footers. If your contact info is in the header, the system may never capture it — meaning recruiters literally cannot call you back even if they want to. Move all contact information into the main document body.
Score Impact
LinkedIn URL is included and matches your resume exactly
92% of recruiters check LinkedIn before calling. Including a profile link boosts interview rates by 71% according to 2025 research. The profile must match your resume — different job titles, dates, or employers between the two is an immediate red flag that signals dishonesty.
Best Practice
Email address is professional — no nicknames, birth years, or old handles
77% of hiring managers say they judge professionalism from email addresses. Coolplaya1987@hotmail.com is a real problem. Create a clean Gmail: firstname.lastname@gmail.com or firstnamelastname@gmail.com. Takes 3 minutes. Costs you nothing. Signals you're serious.
03 Structure & Section Headers Critical
Parse Killer
Section headers use standard labels — "Work Experience" not "My Journey" or "Where I've Made an Impact"
ATS systems scan for specific labels to categorize your information. If you rename "Work Experience" to something creative, the ATS treats it as an unknown block and may ignore all the keywords inside it. Required: Professional Summary, Work Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications. Exact or very close. No creativity here.
Score Impact
Format is reverse chronological — most recent job first
Reverse chronological is parsed correctly by 99% of ATS systems and preferred by 99% of recruiters. Functional or skills-based formats confuse parsers and raise red flags with recruiters who assume candidates using them are hiding employment gaps. Unless you have a very specific reason, always go chronological.
Score Impact
Skills section appears immediately after your professional summary — not at the bottom
76.4% of recruiters now search ATS databases by skills first, not job title. ATS systems assign higher weight to skills based on placement — skills buried at the bottom of the page are weighted less than those near the top. Move your Core Competencies section directly below your summary. This is the biggest structural change in ATS optimization in 2025.
Best Practice
Dates are consistent and unambiguous throughout — "Jan 2020 – Mar 2024" format
Inconsistent date formats cause parsing failures across Workday, Greenhouse, and iCIMS. Avoid: "03/04/22" (ambiguous month/day), dates in a separate column (misread), or date ranges missing an end date. Use: Month Year – Month Year or Year – Year consistently throughout. Every single job entry.
04 Keyword Optimization High Impact
Score Killer
Keywords are pulled directly from the job description — exact phrases, not synonyms
ATS keyword matching is largely literal. If the job description says "Project Management" and your resume says "Project Oversight," it may not match. If the job says "Adobe Creative Suite" and you wrote "Adobe Creative Cloud," you might not appear in search results — even though you have the skill. Copy the exact terms used in the posting.
Score Impact
Keywords are spread throughout — summary, skills, experience bullets, and certifications
Don't stuff all keywords into one section. Spread them naturally across your summary, skills list, experience bullet points, and education/certifications. Resumes that place keywords contextually throughout score higher than those that front-load them. The goal is at least 80% keyword match rate with the target job description.
Score Impact
Job title on your resume matches or closely mirrors the title you're applying for
Your current or most recent job title carries more ATS weight than almost any other field. If you were a "Sheet Metal Journeyman" but are applying for "Sheet Metal Foreman" roles, your summary or title line should reflect your target — while staying truthful. Recruiters search by title first in most ATS platforms.
Best Practice
Resume is tailored per application — at minimum, refresh the summary and top 3 skills
Using the same resume for every job is the single biggest missed opportunity in modern job searching. You don't need to rewrite the whole thing — just refresh the summary, reorder your top skills to match the posting, and swap 2–3 bullet points. Tailored resumes are up to 70% more likely to be shortlisted. Takes 15 minutes. Worth every one.
05 Experience & Bullet Points High Impact
Recruiter Killer
Bullets describe accomplishments — not job duties. What you achieved, not what you were supposed to do.
This is the most common mistake on every resume we see. Recruiters are not interested in your job description — they already know what the role does. Bad: "Responsible for managing a crew of 8 workers." Good: "Supervised crew of 8 on $2.4M commercial HVAC install — delivered 3 days ahead of schedule with zero safety incidents." Accomplishments beat duties every time.
Score Impact
Every bullet starts with a strong action verb — Led, Built, Reduced, Delivered, Managed, Increased
ATS systems and recruiters both respond to active language. Passive openers like "Was responsible for" or "Helped with" make you sound like a bystander in your own career. Strong verbs: Supervised, Installed, Engineered, Coordinated, Negotiated, Reduced, Achieved, Delivered, Launched, Trained. Lead with the verb, follow with the result.
Score Impact
Achievements include numbers, percentages, dollar amounts, or project scale wherever possible
Quantified accomplishments are the difference between "looks qualified" and "we need to interview this person." Crew size, project value, square footage, completion time, cost savings, safety record, efficiency improvement — any number is better than no number. Example: "Managed $1.8M HVAC retrofit across 6-story medical facility, 12-person crew, delivered on schedule."
06 Summary & Professional Positioning High Impact
Score Impact
Professional summary leads with your title, years of experience, and most relevant skill — in 3 lines or less
Your summary is read in the first 7.4 seconds. It must answer: Who are you, how long have you been doing this, and what's your biggest value? Example: "HVAC Foreman with 18 years of commercial and industrial experience. Supervised crews up to 22 on projects exceeding $5M. OSHA-30 certified. Consistent record of on-time delivery and zero lost-time incidents." That's it. Three sentences. Everything else is in the bullets.
Best Practice
No objective statement — replace with a results-focused professional summary
Objective statements ("Seeking a challenging role where I can grow...") are a 2005-era relic. They communicate what you want from the employer rather than what you bring to them. Recruiters skip them entirely. Replace with a 2–3 sentence summary that leads with your value proposition, not your wishes.
Best Practice
No filler phrases — "hard worker," "team player," "results-driven," "innovative self-starter"
These phrases appear on 94% of all resumes and mean nothing to anyone. Every applicant claims to be a hard worker. These words take up space that could hold real information. Replace them with specifics: Instead of "strong communicator," write "Presented project plans to clients on 14 commercial jobs, zero change orders due to scope misunderstanding."
07 Final Quality Check Standard
Instant Rejection
Zero spelling or grammar errors — proofread twice, then have someone else read it
77% of hiring managers say they would likely dismiss a resume with spelling or grammar mistakes. This is the most avoidable mistake and the most costly. The hiring manager has no way to know if the error is a typo or a pattern. They assume the latter. Use spellcheck, then read it out loud, then have one other person read it. Three passes minimum.
Best Practice
Margins are 0.5–1 inch, font consistent throughout, no dense walls of text
Recruiters who receive a well-spaced, readable resume subconsciously assume the person is organized. Dense blocks of text signal either disorganization or padding. Use 1-inch margins, 1.0–1.15 line spacing, consistent bullet indentation, and enough white space that the document feels clean when you look at it from arm's length.

We Apply Every One of
These Points — On Every Order

We built this checklist from the same criteria we use on every résumé, cover letter, and interview guide we produce. We know what passes ATS and what gets recruiters to call back. If you want it done for you — we're ready.

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Research sources: Jobscan 2025 ATS Trends Report · Enhancv 2025 Recruiter Study · ResumeAdapter Q1 2026 Analysis · The Interview Guys ATS Guide · Indeed Career Advice · TopResume Recruiter Survey · Merit America 2026 Resume Tips · Ladders Eye-Tracking Research 2026 · iCIMS / Workday / Greenhouse platform documentation

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