Applicant Tracking System-Friendly Resume Templates and Examples for 2024
Applicant Tracking System (ATS)-friendly resume templates are effective for any industry, occupation, and stage in your career. This type of resume is carefully formatted and keyword optimized to ensure the document meets necessary ATS requirements so your resume advances to the next step in the application process.
ATS uses an algorithm to identify keywords in a resume that align with job descriptions. Modern ATS tools employers use include Greenhouse, Breezy HR, Workable, BambooHR, and Lever. What ATS-friendly resume templates have in common is a simple format with essential keywords and no text boxes or distracting graphics.
Learn how to select the best ATS-friendly resume template and successfully complete a document that will smoothly move through these artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tracking systems.
Applicant Tracking System-Friendly Resume Templates
An ATS-friendly resume template is for any job and all industries. Its purpose is to help you generate a document that will pass through software algorithms and AI-enabled tracking tools. ATS systems filter through hundreds of resumes for a single job opening.
Those with bold graphics, charts, text boxes, and overuse of color can get “stuck” in the system, and those resumes never make it to the next step in the application process. You can improve your chances of getting a job interview by creating an ATS-friendly resume with a simple format and keywords that align with the job description.
Essential components of a simply formatted ATS-friendly resume include:
- Contact information
- Profile
- Key skills
- Professional experience
- Education and certifications
What makes an applicant tracking system-friendly resume template?
What separates ATS-friendly resume templates from other styles, such as stylish resumes, is a focus on keyword alignment with the job description, concise language, and clear and basic formatting.
You can create an ATS-friendly resume for online applications and use a stylish resume for in-person interviews.
Top 10 parts of an ATS-friendly resume template:
- Simple format without bold graphics and colors
- No text boxes, charts, columns, or distracting graphs that get caught in the ATS system
- Carefully selected keywords that align with the job description
- Only including relevant career experience
- Updated contact information and link to website or LinkedIn profile
- Education, certifications, and other credentials relevant to the industry
- Strong emphasis on section headings
- Concise language
- Plenty of white space for readability
- A succinct, engaging profile incorporating the job description’s keywords
When to pick an applicant tracking system-friendly resume template
Top five reasons to choose an ATS-friendly resume layout:
- Increased visibility
- Improved likelihood of advancing in the application process
- Greater accessibility for hiring managers to download and read your resume
- More efficient application process
- Demonstrates your relevant skills and accomplishments
How to get the most out of this template
Get the most out of an ATS-friendly resume template by aligning your key skills and professional experience with keywords in the job posting. Use concise language, leading with action verbs and demonstrating your value with measurable data, numbers, and figures. Keep the design simple and avoid heavy graphics, vibrant colors, text boxes, graphs, or other distracting elements that could get “stuck” in the ATS system. ATS-friendly resume templates are ideal for any occupation, and when properly executed, they can improve your chances of advancing in the application process and securing a job interview.
More Resume Templates
Looking for a different resume template? Check out this list:
| ATS-friendly | Basic |
| College | Creative |
| Entry-Level | First Job |
| General (Universal) | Hybrid |
| Internship | Minimalist |
| Modern | Professional |
Frequently Asked Questions: Applicant Tracking System-Friendly Resume Templates
Many resumes are rejected automatically before they even reach a recruiter’s eye because the documents are not ATS-compatible. ATS is a software tool that scans resumes for keywords and qualifications that match the job description. Most employers use ATS to improve the efficiency of the hiring process and to weed out resumes that lack the necessary qualifications. But you can have the experience and skills an employer is seeking and not get invited for an interview if your resume is not ATS-friendly. This is why it is necessary to have an ATS-friendly resume in today’s job market.
The best ATS-friendly resume format is reverse chronological order, listing your most relevant and recent work experience first. ATS-friendly resumes are clean and simple and do not have distracting graphics or fancy fonts. By incorporating keywords found in the job description into a concise resume template, ATS will effectively read your resume.
ATS looks for clearly labeled sections with titles such as Professional Experience, Education, Key Skills, and Certifications. Within these sections, ATS scans for requirements including years of experience, degrees, and keywords that align with the job description.
ResumeTemplates offers free, HR approved resume templates to help you create a professional resume in minutes. Choose from several template options and even pre-populate a resume from your profile.