How to Beat ATS Systems: A Complete Guide for 2026

Most job seekers have heard of ATS by now. Applicant Tracking Systems are the software that companies use to manage incoming applications. Before a recruiter ever sees your resume, ATS software scans it, parses it, and decides whether you are a match for the role.

The numbers are sobering. Estimates suggest that 70-75% of resumes are rejected by ATS before a human reads them. That means you could be perfectly qualified and still get filtered out because of formatting issues or missing keywords.

Here is the good news: beating ATS is not complicated. It just requires understanding how these systems actually work and adjusting your approach accordingly.

How ATS Actually Works

An ATS does three main things with your resume:

1. Parsing. The system reads your document and tries to extract structured data: your name, contact info, work history, education, and skills. If your formatting is unusual, the parser gets confused and important details end up in the wrong fields or get lost entirely.

2. Keyword matching. The system compares the content of your resume against the job description. It looks for specific skills, job titles, certifications, and industry terms. Some systems use simple keyword matching, while more sophisticated ones look at context and synonyms.

3. Ranking. Based on how well your resume matches the job requirements, the ATS assigns a score or ranking. Recruiters typically only review the top-scoring candidates.

The Formatting Rules That Actually Matter

You have probably seen advice about using specific fonts or avoiding headers and footers. Some of that is outdated. Modern ATS software has gotten better at parsing, but there are still formatting choices that can trip up the system.

Use a standard file format. PDF works well with most modern ATS. If a job posting specifically asks for .docx, use that instead. Avoid .pages, .odt, or other less common formats.

Skip the tables and columns. Two-column layouts look nice to humans but confuse many parsers. The system might read across both columns on the same line, jumbling your content. Stick to a single-column layout.

Use standard section headings. "Work Experience" not "Where I Have Made an Impact." "Education" not "My Learning Journey." ATS looks for conventional headings to organize your information.

Avoid text in images. Any text embedded in graphics, logos, or images is invisible to ATS. Your name, contact info, and skills should all be in regular text.

Keep it simple with bullets. Standard round bullets work everywhere. Fancy symbols or custom bullet characters might not parse correctly.

Keywords: The Real Game

Formatting gets your resume parsed correctly. Keywords get it ranked highly. This is where most people fail, not because they lack qualifications, but because they do not speak the same language as the job posting.

Here is a practical approach:

Read the job description carefully. Highlight the specific skills, tools, certifications, and qualifications mentioned. Pay attention to what appears multiple times or in the "required" vs "preferred" sections.

Mirror the exact language. If the posting says "project management" do not just write "PM." If it says "Salesforce CRM," use that exact phrase, not just "CRM software." ATS keyword matching is often literal.

Include both acronyms and full terms. Write "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)" the first time so you catch both versions. This covers ATS that match on either form.

Do not keyword stuff. Some people try hiding white text with keywords or cramming unrelated terms into their resume. Modern ATS can detect this, and even if it does not, a recruiter who sees a suspiciously high match score will notice when your resume does not back it up.

Tailoring Is Not Optional Anymore

Here is the part nobody wants to hear: you should be tailoring your resume for every job you apply to. A generic resume might match 40-50% of keywords for a given job. A tailored resume can hit 80-90%.

The difference is massive. Going from a 45% match to an 85% match can move you from page three of results to the top of the pile.

This does not mean rewriting your resume from scratch every time. It means adjusting your summary, reordering your bullet points to emphasize relevant experience, and making sure you include the specific skills and terms from that job description.

If this sounds time-consuming, you are right. That is exactly why tools like ResumeMode exist. You upload your resume once, paste a job URL, and get a tailored version in about 30 seconds. The AI handles the keyword optimization and restructuring while keeping your experience accurate.

Common ATS Mistakes to Avoid

Submitting the same resume everywhere. We just covered this, but it bears repeating. One-size-fits-all does not work with ATS.

Fancy design templates. That beautiful resume template from Canva might look stunning on screen, but if the ATS cannot parse it, it is working against you. Save the creative layouts for industries where you hand-deliver your resume or email it directly to a hiring manager.

Missing standard information. Make sure your resume includes your full name, email, phone number, location (city and state is fine), and LinkedIn URL. Missing contact fields can cause parsing errors.

Using headers and footers for important info. Some ATS skip header and footer content. Put your name and contact info in the main body of the document.

Testing Your Resume

Before you submit, test your resume. Copy and paste the text into a plain text editor. Can you still read everything? Is the information in the right order? If something looks garbled, the ATS will have the same problem.

You can also try uploading your resume to ResumeMode and running it against a job posting. The match analysis will show you exactly where you are strong and where you have gaps.

The Bottom Line

ATS is not some mysterious black box designed to reject you. It is a sorting tool, and like any tool, once you understand how it works, you can work with it instead of against it.

Format simply, use the right keywords, and tailor your resume for each application. Do those three things consistently and you will already be ahead of most applicants.