ATS resume checklist

Xoxo here. I have read a lot of resumes, and I can tell you the machines are pickier than I am. Run this checklist before every application. It pairs with the longer guide, How to make an ATS-friendly resume without chasing a perfect score. The formatting rules follow university career-center ATS guidance, including the University of Minnesota Duluth's 7 Tips for ATS Success.

Format that survives parsing

- [ ] One column. No tables, text boxes, columns, headers or footers holding real content.

- [ ] Standard headings: Experience, Education, Skills. Not "My Journey."

- [ ] A common font (Calibri, Arial, Georgia), 10.5 to 12 pt.

- [ ] No images, icons, logos, headshots or charts. Parsers read text.

- [ ] Saved as PDF unless the posting asks for .docx.

- [ ] File named Firstname-Lastname-Resume.pdf.

Words that match the posting

- [ ] The exact job title from the posting appears once, in your target line or summary.

- [ ] The 5 to 8 skills the posting repeats appear in your Skills section with their wording ("stakeholder management", not "working with people").

- [ ] Acronyms appear with the full term at least once: "Applicant Tracking System (ATS)".

- [ ] No keyword stuffing in white text or a hidden block. Parsers can flag it and recruiters bin it.

Proof, not adjectives

- [ ] Every bullet starts with a verb and ends with a result or scope (number, %, team size, deadline).

- [ ] "Responsible for" appears zero times.

- [ ] Dates are consistent: MM/YYYY everywhere, no gaps left unexplained.

Final pass

- [ ] Copied the whole resume into a plain text editor: everything readable, in order, nothing missing.

- [ ] One human has read it. The machine screens; the human decides.

What to do: Print this or keep it in a tab. Two minutes per application, every application.