10 Common ATS Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)
10 min read
Real reasons resumes get filtered out — and quick fixes before you apply.
Many qualified candidates never reach a human reviewer because of preventable formatting or content issues. Here are the most common problems we see, and exactly how to fix them in ResumeFriendly.
1. Using a photo in US/UK corporate applications
Photos can confuse parsers and trigger unconscious bias filters. For US, UK, and most remote tech roles, skip the photo. Use Classic ATS, Simple Plain, or Technical templates.
2. Burying contact info in a header
Put email, phone, and LinkedIn in the main body under your name. Do not rely on PDF page headers — parsers often ignore them.
3. Creative section names
'Where I've Been' instead of 'Experience' may look clever but fails keyword matching. Keep at least one standard term per section.
4. Missing dates on employment
ATS ranks by recency. Always include month/year or year for each role. Use Chronological template to keep dates visible.
5. Paragraphs instead of bullets for experience
Dense paragraphs are harder to scan. Use short bullet points starting with action verbs. Each bullet = one achievement or responsibility.
6. Skills listed only in a graphic
Star ratings and progress bars are invisible to text parsers. List skills as comma-separated text or bullet names.
7. Wrong file type
If the portal says 'Upload Word document,' export DOCX. If it accepts PDF, use ResumeFriendly PDF. Never upload a screenshot.
8. Keyword stuffing
Repeating the same keyword 30 times or hiding white text gets flagged. Use keywords naturally in context 2–3 times across summary and experience.
9. Inconsistent job titles
If your official title was 'Member of Technical Staff' but you write 'Software Engineer' everywhere, align with what HR records show — or note both: 'Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer)'.
10. One resume for every job
Tailor your summary and top 3 bullets to mirror the job description. Duplicate your resume in ResumeFriendly, rename it for the role, and adjust keywords — takes 10 minutes, improves match rate significantly.
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