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ATS can struggle with parsing intricate fonts and formatting details, and this can limit the system’s ability to properly review your application documents

Use a standard résumé format like reverse chronological Include consistent dates

Use minimal formatting on headings and bullet points

Use a standard font such as Verdana, Calibri or Arial Avoid using headers, footers, charts, images or tables

Use simple bullet points (e.g., a circle or square)

While incorporating keywords is essential, avoid using them to the point that the document's quality suffers. There is a high likelihood that a human will read your application documents eventually so ensure it will make sense outside of the ATS software.

Some job seekers try to trick ATS by adding keywords to their application documents in white text to increase the number of times the word is counted by the system or because they lack certain qualifications (Liu, 2023), .

• While this may get your résumé noticed, if you don’t truly have the skills and experience required for the job you will likely not be offered an interview anyway and being dishonest may damage your professional reputation.

Ensure your application documents are free of spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and slang.

ATS rely on specific keywords, and errors may cause an ATS to overlook crucial information. Additionally, human readers may perceive these errors as a lack of attention to detail.