Answers to the Main Questions / Write a resume

What is an ATS-friendly resume?

InsightGuidanceAI amplification

Insight

An ATS-friendly resume is one the software can parse into fields. Use one main column, standard headings (Experience, Education, Skills), a common font, and a .docx or a simple PDF. Do not put your name, dates, or bullets inside images, text boxes, or complex tables. ATS-friendly is about parseability, not a secret keyword score.

When to use this. You are applying through a company site or a job board that uses an applicant system.

When not to. A designed PDF can be fine when a human asked you to email them directly. Still keep a plain version.

Guidance

  1. Use headings the parser expects: Experience (or Work Experience), Education, Skills. Optional: Summary.
  2. Put company, title, location, and dates on ordinary lines of text, not in a two-column table.
  3. Avoid headers/footers for contact details; put contact info at the top of the body.
  4. Skip icons, skill bars, and photos on U.S. industry resumes.
  5. Export as .docx or a text-based PDF and open it to confirm you can select the text.

AI amplification

Optional. Copy this into ChatGPT or a similar tool if you want a first draft. Replace the [PASTE] sections with your own material. The work stays in that tool; we do not save it here.

Prompt to copy

Rules: Do not invent employers, job titles, dates, metrics, team sizes, or outcomes. If something is missing, ask me or write [unknown]. Keep hedges such as "approximately" and "more than" exactly as I stated them. Never turn a qualitative result into a number.

Check this resume for applicant-tracking parseability. List specific issues (columns, tables, images, unusual headings, contact info in a header). Do not rewrite unless I ask. Do not invent a numeric “ATS score.”

Resume:
[PASTE]

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