What an ATS resume scanner actually is

ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System. It is the software companies use to store applications, post jobs, and help recruiters filter hundreds or thousands of resumes.

When you apply online, your resume is usually uploaded into an ATS. The system scans your file, tries to understand the text, and then lets recruiters search and filter based on keywords like job titles, skills, tools, and locations.

An ATS resume scanner is simply the piece of that system that:

• Parses your resume content into fields (name, experience, skills, and so on)
• Checks how closely your resume matches the job description
• Surfaces your resume when a recruiter searches for certain keywords

How ATS scanners read your resume

Different systems behave differently, but most ATS resume scanners follow the same basic steps.

1. They convert your file to plain text

The scanner strips away most of your visual design. It reads what is left as plain text. That is why simple layouts work better than dense graphics or multi column designs.

2. They try to identify key sections

The system looks for headings such as:

• Experience or Work History
• Education
• Skills
• Certifications

If your headings are labeled clearly, the ATS has a much easier time putting text in the right place.

3. They search for keywords and phrases

Many recruiters run searches inside their ATS for things like:

• "project manager"
• "React" or "Python"
• "nursing license"
• "customer success" and "churn"

If these keywords are in your resume in a natural way, you are more likely to show up in those searches and rank higher for that job.

4. They may score your match to a job description

Some ATS tools compare your resume text directly to the job posting. The closer the match on skills, job titles, and requirements, the better your score and the more likely you are to be flagged as a strong candidate.

What ATS scanners look for (and what they ignore)

Keywords related to the role

ATS scanners are built to make it easy for recruiters to find people with certain skills or backgrounds. This usually means:

• Job titles (for example, Product Manager, Staff Nurse, Data Analyst)
• Core skills (for example, budgeting, stakeholder management, triage, forecasting)
• Tools and technologies (for example, Salesforce, Figma, Python, Excel)
• Certifications (for example, PMP, CPA, RN, AWS)

Context around those keywords

A keyword by itself is not very helpful. A good ATS resume shows those keywords inside real experience:

• "Managed a team of 5 customer success managers using Salesforce to track churn risk."
• "Built dashboards in Power BI to forecast revenue and identify trends."

That context makes it easier for a human recruiter to trust what they are seeing.

Clean, readable structure

ATS scanners favor resumes that:

• Use clear headings instead of creative labels
• Use a single column layout with left aligned text
• Have bullet points instead of dense paragraphs
• Use a common font and reasonable font size

What ATS scanners ignore

Most of the visual flare you might see in design heavy templates does not help in an ATS:

• Decorative icons and charts
• Photos and headshots
• Infographic style layouts
• Text inside images or shapes

Those elements might even break parsing, which makes your resume harder to search and match.

Common ATS mistakes that silently hurt your resume

Here are the biggest ways candidates accidentally make their resumes harder to read for ATS scanners.

1. Using complex templates with multiple columns

Two or three column layouts can cause important information to be read in the wrong order or missed entirely by the scanner.

Fix: Use a simple one column layout with clear headings.

2. Saving only as an image based PDF

If your resume is effectively one big image (for example, exported strangely from a design tool), the ATS cannot read the text at all.

Fix: Export as a text based PDF or .docx. If you can copy and paste the text, it is readable.

3. Hiding information in headers, footers, or text boxes

Some ATS tools struggle with content in headers, footers, or complex text boxes. That means contact details or skills can vanish from the parsed version.

Fix: Keep all important content in the main body of the document.

4. Keyword stuffing

Repeating the same keywords over and over without context can look spammy and is obvious to human readers.

Fix: Use the job description to pick the most important skills and weave them into real experience bullets instead of long keyword lists.

5. Generic, untailored resumes

A generic resume might contain the right skills, but if they are not highlighted in the right places, you can still get buried in the ATS.

Fix: Tailor the top of your resume (title, summary, and top bullets) to each role, or use a tool that does this for you.

ATS friendly resume checklist

Use this quick checklist before you upload your resume to an online application.

• Your resume is in .docx or a clean text based PDF
• You use a single column layout with clear section headings
• Your job titles match (or are close to) the job you are applying for
• You include 8 to 15 relevant skills and tools in your resume
• Those skills show up in your experience bullets, not just in a list
• You have removed images, charts, and decorative text boxes
• Your contact info is in the main body of the document
• You have tailored your summary and top bullets to this specific job

ATS friendly resume example (before and after)

Here is a simplified example of how a resume can change when you design it with an ATS scanner in mind.

ATS FAQ

Do all companies use ATS resume scanners?

Many medium and large companies do. Smaller companies sometimes review resumes directly in email. Designing for ATS gives you a layout that works well in both cases.

Are graphics and design always bad?

Graphics are not always bad, but they should never hide information an ATS needs. If in doubt, keep your main resume ATS friendly, and save design heavy versions for in person networking or your portfolio.

Does an ATS reject me automatically if I do not hit a keyword score?

Some systems can filter out candidates that clearly do not meet basic requirements, but many simply rank resumes. A human recruiter still decides who to contact.

How do I know which keywords to use?

The best source is always the job description. Look at:

• Skills and qualifications sections
• Tools and software mentioned by name
• Top responsibilities and repeated phrases

Then reflect those terms in your experience if they are true for you.