The Ultimate ATS Resume Checklist for 2025
Priya Sharma · Career Coach & Ex-Recruiter
Before you hit "Submit" on any job application, run through this checklist. Each item addresses a specific way that ATS systems either parse your resume correctly or silently discard it.
checklist items
across 5 categories. Miss even one and you might lose the role.
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- Save as .docx or text-layer PDF (not a scanned image)
- File size under 5MB
- No password protection
- Filename is professional: FirstName-LastName-Resume.pdf
- Tested that text can be selected/copied from the PDF
Layout & Formatting
- Single-column layout (no tables, no text boxes)
- Standard fonts: Arial, Calibri, Georgia, Times New Roman
- Font size 10–12pt for body, 14–16pt for name
- No graphics, icons, images, or logos
- No headers or footers with critical information
- Consistent date formatting (e.g., Jan 2023 – Mar 2024)
- Margins between 0.5" and 1"
Section Headers
- Contact Information (name, email, phone, LinkedIn, city)
- Professional Summary or Objective
- Work Experience (or Professional Experience)
- Education
- Skills (dedicated section)
- Certifications (if applicable)
- Projects (if applicable)
Keywords & Content
- Read the job description and extracted top 15–20 keywords
- Job title from JD appears in your resume headline or most recent role
- Core technical skills appear in dedicated Skills section
- Both acronyms and spelled-out forms included (e.g., SEO / Search Engine Optimization)
- Tools mentioned in JD are listed in Skills (exact names, not paraphrases)
- Each bullet point starts with a strong action verb
- At least 3–5 bullets per role have quantified achievements
ATS-Specific Checks
- No special characters in section headers (★, ✔, ▶ etc.)
- Avoid tables for skills (use plain comma-separated lists)
- No text in shapes or callout boxes
- Phone number formatted consistently (no emoji flag, no parentheses in unusual format)
- Email address is professional (not a nickname or birthday-year address)
The 5 Biggest ATS Mistakes (That Cost the Most)
Submitting a two-column resume
Two-column layouts are the single biggest ATS killer. The parser reads left to right and mixes your Job Title column with your Dates column, creating gibberish in the database.
Using a creative resume template
Canva and Novoresume templates look great but often use text boxes that ATS systems can't read. Your skills section may show as blank.
Not customizing per application
A generic resume targeting all software engineering roles won't match the keyword profile for a 'Staff Engineer at Google' vs a 'Backend Developer at a startup'. Each JD has a different keyword set.
Listing skills only in a tag cloud or chart
Skill bars and word clouds look visual but ATS can't read them. Always have a plain-text skills list.
Using synonyms instead of the JD's exact words
You may say 'supervised' when the JD says 'managed'. You may say 'revenue growth' when the JD says 'business development'. Modern ATS systems do some synonym matching but it's not reliable.
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