You have faith in yourself and your skills that you’d be perfect for the role… but yet you keep getting auto rejected for every resume you send out. What gives? It’s ATS. Applicant tracking software is standing in the way of you being matched with your perfect employer.
Let’s get our resumes past ATS
So let’s learn today how to blow past these blocks, and land your career creds in the hands of the people who can secure you some good paid work doing what you love.
Before I dive deep into the subject matter, I want to credit my copywriting cohort Ally, who without her steady reminders, I probably still would not have an awareness of ATS and the problems that ignoring it can cause you in your career search.
Sad but true: your Canva resume probably is not useful now
Remember 5 years ago when your designer friend told you they’d spiff up your lackluster resume to help you stand out in the pile?
Or how about when you poked around LinkedIn looking for a good resume format that would show off your carefully selected headshot, and the perfect font sizes, colors and treatments that would fit all of your information into an organized, one-page presentation?
Throw those tips away, and also toss your own outdated resume that closely resembles a sleek marketing brochure, into the recycle bin.
It’s not about people anymore, because there’s no pile.
Okay, maybe people will eventually see your resume, but first you must outsmart the ATS screener.
Let’s get your resume past ATS
Back when we applied for jobs in the 90s, the gatekeeper was the HR lady. Now it’s a computerized scanner.
Your goal is to make your resume slip past this guard so you can pass through the doors and on to phase 2: an interview.
Now there’s only computer automation. So we’re going to retool our resumes today and we’re going to please the automated tracking software that’s stopping us from being considered for jobs that we could do with our eyes closed.
Let’s go.
Use Google Docs or MS Word to type your resume
Here’s the best advice you’re going to hear today about updating your resume for 2025 or 2026.
- Start a new Google doc.
- Select Templates.
- Choose Resume, and then find one that closely resembles this:
Following the template, it’ll be super easy to adhere to the below, general recommendation.
Use a standard, chronological format to list all of the jobs or roles you’ve held. Format as follows:
- One page only
- Clean, minimalist format
- No images
- No graphic elements
- No tables
- No text boxes
- Easy-to-read, web-friendly font
- No header or footer formatting
Resume File Types
Some say to save your resume as either a PDF or a docx file. But I think that PDFs are more secure, and they can’t be edited.
Other people say that PDFs are not easily read by ATS. So for that reason, you might just want to save your resume content in three different file types, and judiciously submit these based on what you see on the current site where you’re applying.
Once you have formatted, inputted and edited your resume to perfection, with no typos, no extra graphical junk, all information is correct and proofread, and everything fits on one page… copy and paste or save into the following file formats to use as needed:
- .docx
- .text
Some websites might even ask you to copy and paste resume text directly into a form.
In which case, you would access the text file that you have stored on your device or in your storage, and then do a control-A, control-C, and then copy into the space before submitting.
It wouldn’t hurt though, to have two types of resume files in case the doc is requested for some reason.
Resume layouts
Some experts describe the best resume layouts as either an F pattern or an E pattern.
These letters refer to the shape made after the information is presented and formatted. If you look at the resume from far away, the written part shows up in the shape of an E or an F.
How to create an E or F resume
Add a horizontal section across the top with your name and contact info.
(But again, do not use MS Word style formatting as a header for this. Just type it straight.)
Then beneath that, type in a keyword-friendly description of your desired position.
Below that, stack your lists. Experience, education, certifications.
In the old days, we used to add the line, “References available upon request” but apparently that’s a moot point now.
Here’s a screenshot of the ideal resume format:
Squint at it from far away. The shape of the text kind of looks like an F, right?
I searched Canva for a good format that would reflect all the advice listed in this article.
Believe it or not, there’s still plenty of graphically-heavy resume examples there, templates that look really pretty but would never fly in the bland draconian world of ATS.
Your Resume title
The title of your resume should contain your name and your desired position. Example:
Mary Dunn
Content Specialist
Try to use words and phrases that would match whatever the company is searching for. So if you’re a writer like I am, Content Manager might be one of the terms you choose for your self-titled expertise.
Directly beneath that, add a chunk of text that contains a few sentences describing the type of work you’re seeking.
Mine currently says:
Procure rewarding and meaningful work in the areas of copywriting, content writing, and online or print marketing
I also want to tell you this. Maybe you’re not sure what your desired position is. Maybe you can fit a handful of different roles.
If that’s the case, and you don’t know what to put at the top of your resume, then version yourself.
Version your resume for different roles
Make four resumes, each with the appropriate title and content that reflects your expertise in said area. Like this:
- Fred Durst, Customer Service Specialist
- Fred Durst, Virtual Assistant
- Fred Durst, Graphic Designer
Choose the appropriate resume to match whatever position you’re currently applying for.
What resume font should you choose?
Again, we’re going with super boring, so we can be sure that the ATS machine can scan and read your resume’s content.
Choose one of these basic fonts:
- Arial
- Calibri
- Garamond
- Helvetica
- Tahoma
- Times New Roman
Resume sections
Your resume sections should be as follows:
- Title/Role
- Career Objective
- Work Experience
- Education
- Certifications
I’m noticing that for the title/role and for the career objective up top, you don’t have to literally type out these words “Career Objective” etc. in the heading the way that you would for Education, Work Experience and Certifications.
Work Experience section:
This is a simple list format that covers each role you assumed, where, for how long and what you did.
Start each list with a heading that contains the title you held, the company and town / state.
Beneath that, add a description of your responsibilities that includes an action verb, short explanation of your duties, and any measurable results.
TIP: if you have never been provided with numerical quantification of how you helped, you might want to do some back research on the company’s performance that year and slip that into the short description to kind of self-quantify your worth.
Date formatting
Format your dates as month/year, and keep the formatting consistent, like one of these (but not both):
- October 2007-December 2021
- 10/2007-12/2021
So if you choose the date where you wrote out the full month and the full year, then repeat that for every job listed.
Or, if you choose the numerical format and type four digits for the year, then do that consistently.
What about a Skills section for your resume?
It’s tough to know how to proceed with this. I myself think it’s useful to see bullet pointed skills.
Current word on this is that ATS scanners will automatically assign you as having six months of experience and skills like this if you bullet point them out (which to me is totally weird, but I’m following the recommended approach).
You might have better luck slipping these types of keywords directly into the job descriptions listed in your Career History section.
Interestingly enough, I found conflicting information on this. The example of a resume that was shown along with this advice, contained a bullet pointed list of skills.
So you could theoretically try some different formats for the same company and see how it works for you.
What should you name your resume file?
This is a good question. I always just put my name, first and last, and the word resume. But people are recommending that you actually use the title you seek as a position.
So if your name was Fred Durst and you were looking for a role as a content manager, then this is how you would do it:
Fred-Durst-Content-Manager.pdf
Again, I’m sharing what I’ve read. But to me, if you have all different files on your computer it’s much easier to include the word “resume” so you can find the resume when you need to search for the file. And it would be the same on the receiving end. So I would also add the word “resume:”
Fred-Durst-Content-Manager-Resume.pdf
Final thought
The 2025 job search has been absolutely brutal, especially for people in creative, content management and similar positions.
For this reason, you want your resume to be as ATS-compliant as possible.
So let’s make it a project, this weekend or over the next few days, to revamp our resumes according to this suggested format.
2026 is on the horizon. There are jobs to fill, and there’s money to be made.
Don’t pay attention to the sensational headlines, and don’t let rumors stop you from getting where you need to be in your life.
Instead, grab my hand, and we’ll walk together into the next realm of possibilities as we take back the power in our content marketing, tech, and creative advertising careers.
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Email dinagio@dinagio.com for a quote to help rewrite your resume.