How to Create an ATS-Friendly Resume Template

If you want to create an ATS-friendly resume template, the answer is simple: keep the layout plain, the headings standard, and the keywords matched to the job description. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are software that companies use to scan resumes before a person ever reads them. The system looks for text it can parse, so anything that looks fancy to a human can look like garbage to a machine.

Start With a Clean, Simple Layout

The safest template is a single-column layout with no tables, text boxes, images, or graphics. Use a standard font like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman at 10 to 12 points. Set your margins to one inch. Black text on a white background only.

Put your name in bold at the top, followed by your contact details on one line: phone number, email, LinkedIn URL, and city. Do not put any of this in the header or footer of the page, because ATS often skips that area. Save the file as a .docx or a text-based PDF, never a scanned image.

Match Your Keywords to the Job

ATS ranks candidates by how well their resume matches the job posting. So the most important step is to read the job description carefully and note the specific skills, tools, and phrases it repeats. Those are your keywords.

1. Copy the job description into a simple word counter or a tool that shows word frequency.
2. Pick the top 10 to 15 terms that match your actual experience.
3. Work those terms naturally into your professional summary, skills section, and work experience bullets.
4. Use variations, like both "managed teams" and "team management," so you cover different phrasings.
5. If the job says "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)," write it out fully the first time, then use the acronym after.

Do not stuff keywords into every sentence. One or two per bullet is enough. The goal is to sound like a human who happens to use the same words as the job posting.

Use Standard Section Headings

Stick to conventional headings that ATS recognizes: Contact Info, Professional Summary, Skills, Work Experience, Education, Certifications. Avoid creative names like "My Journey" or "Career Highlights." Bold the headings and do not underline or italicize them.

List your work experience in reverse-chronological order. For each role, write the job title, company, city, and dates on one line, then three to five bullets underneath. Start each bullet with an action verb like "led," "built," "increased," or "managed," and include a number where you can. For example, "Led a team of eight to cut delivery time."

Keep the resume to one or two pages. If you have more than ten years of experience, focus on your recent roles and summarize older ones briefly. A short skills list of eight to twelve items is fine, and it helps to tailor that list for each application.

Check for Common Mistakes

• Do not use headers or footers for your contact information; ATS often misses it.
• Spell out acronyms the first time you use them.
• Avoid unusual fonts, colors, or decorative elements that can garble the text.
• Proofread for spelling errors, since even small mistakes can flag your resume.
• Test your finished template by pasting it into a plain text editor to see what the ATS will actually read.

Once your template is solid, make a master version and then customize a copy for each job you apply to. Change the summary and the skills list to mirror the specific posting. That takes a few minutes per application and makes a real difference in whether you get through the scan.

If you want help building or fixing your resume, Destava's AI career manager can create an ATS-friendly template, rewrite your experience bullets, and tailor your resume to a job description before you apply.