What is an ATS, and why does it matter for your resume?

An applicant tracking system, or ATS, is software many companies use to receive and rank job applications. It extracts the text from your file and searches it for the words, job titles and qualifications the role asks for.

There is no single universal ATS, and systems differ from one company to another. They share weak spots, though: tables, text boxes and images may be read in the wrong order or skipped, and unusual headings may not be understood.

The first practical step is to make the resume readable by the system: one column, clear headings, selectable text inside the file, and job titles that match what the employer advertises.