ATS-readable resume checklist

One layout, recognizable sections

The University of Minnesota Duluth Career Center recommends avoiding columns, tables, text boxes, graphics and unusual bullet points for ATS submissions.

Use one main text column, an easy-to-read font and conventional bullets. Keep essential details in the document body, not headers or footers.

Use recognizable section names. The university recommends including “Experience” in relevant headings, such as “Work Experience” or “Project Experience.”

Include month and year date ranges for experience. Check that each job title, employer and date range clearly belongs together.

These are formatting recommendations, not proof that every system reads documents identically. A visually simple resume still needs a final check.

Follow the requested file type

The same career center recommends creating the resume in Word or Google Docs. Submit a text-based PDF unless the employer specifies otherwise.

If the posting requests a Word document, provide that format. Follow any file-size limit and naming instructions too.

Do not submit a photograph or scan of your resume when a text document is requested.

As an additional ApplyPilot check, select text from the final file and paste it into a plain-text editor on your device.

Look for missing contact details, mixed-up section order and disconnected dates. This check does not reproduce the employer’s parser or guarantee compatibility.

When the application shows extracted fields, review them personally. Correct missing or misplaced information before continuing.

Use relevant words only when they are true

West Virginia University Career Services recommends comparing the posting with your master resume and selecting experience that demonstrates relevant requirements.

Using the employer’s terminology can make that connection clearer, but only when it describes work you actually performed.

If the posting asks for customer escalations and you handled customer escalations, name that work plainly. Do not add software you never used.

Do not invent a certification, job title, management responsibility or number because it appears in the posting.

Keep a private list of requirements and the evidence you can support. A missing qualification is a gap to recognize, not a prompt to fabricate.

Let AI flag gaps, not fill them with fiction

This is an ApplyPilot review prompt, not an ATS test. Remove identifying or confidential details before sharing excerpts with your chosen AI provider.

Compare [JOB_DESCRIPTION_EXCERPT] with [RESUME_EXCERPT].
Treat the job description as requirements, not evidence about me.
List relevant requirements and quote supporting evidence from my resume.
If evidence is missing, write “not supported.”
Suggest accurate terminology changes only where the meaning stays the same.
Do not add skills, tools, credentials, numbers, dates or responsibilities.
Do not predict an ATS score or screening result.
Leave authorization, sponsorship and self-identification answers to me.

Check the output against your own records. AI can miss contradictions or suggest wording that overstates your experience.

Sources and limits

Sources last checked: October 16, 2026

• University of Minnesota Duluth Career Center: Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Tips. Source for layout, headings, date ranges and file-type recommendations.
• West Virginia University Career Services: How to Tailor Your Resume to Impress Employers. Source for selecting relevant experience and accurate employer terminology.

The local text check, AI prompt and final approval checklist are ApplyPilot recommendations. They are not employer requirements or evidence of universal ATS behavior.