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ATS GUIDE

Applicant Tracking Systems screen out 75% of resumes before a human ever sees them. Here's how to beat them.

What is an ATS?

An Applicant Tracking System is software that parses, stores, and ranks resumes. Companies use them to filter hundreds of applications down to a shortlist. Popular ones include Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, and Taleo.

How ATS scoring works

ATS systems score resumes based on keyword match (how many job description terms appear), section completeness, formatting safety, and action verb strength. HireSprint's AI optimises all four.

What kills your ATS score

Tables, columns, text boxes, headers/footers, images, unusual fonts, missing section titles, acronyms without full forms, and job description keywords that don't appear in your resume.

What boosts your ATS score

Using exact phrases from the job description, standard section headers (Experience, Education, Skills), clean formatting, strong action verbs at the start of bullets, and quantified achievements.

Target score to aim for

Aim for 80+. Below 60 means your resume is likely being filtered out automatically. HireSprint users average 47 before tailoring and 89 after.