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Get startedDid a person ever read your last application? Maybe not. Most online applications meet software before they meet a human.
That software is called an applicant tracking system, or ATS. Employers use it to collect, sort and search applications. The words it searches for are called ATS keywords. These 30 ways show students and graduates how to find them, where to put them and how to format a resume the software can read.
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Understand How an ATS Resume Is Read
Before you change a single word, it helps to know what happens after you click "apply". So what does an ATS actually do with your resume? It turns your file into data, stores it and lets a recruiter search it. How common is that? In a 2021 survey by Harvard Business School, 63% of employers in the US, UK and Germany used a recruiting system. More than 90% of those relied on it to make a first cut of applicants.
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Learn what the parser does with your file
The first thing an ATS does is parse your resume. Parsing means the software breaks your document into fields: name, contact details, job titles, employers, dates, education and skills. It then stores those fields in a database. If the parser cannot tell where one section ends and the next begins, details land in the wrong place or vanish. A job title might be stored as a company name. A date might disappear. This is why formatting matters as much as wording. Before you think about keywords, make sure the software can read the page at all. Every formatting tip later in this list exists to protect this one step.
Know that recruiters search by keyword
Once your resume is stored, a recruiter can search the whole pool of applicants, much like a search engine. They type in a skill, a qualification or a job title, and the system shows the resumes that match. DePaul University's career centre explains that most systems look for exact matches with the title, duties and skill wording in the job description. Joseph Fuller of Harvard Business School summed it up in a 2021 Harvard Gazette interview: if the keywords are not there, "you don't get considered." At this stage, your resume is not read from top to bottom. It is searched.
Answer knockout questions honestly
Many online applications start with a few yes-or-no questions before you upload anything. Do you have the right to work in this country? Do you hold a degree? Can you start in June? Employers often set these up as knockout questions. One "wrong" answer can remove an application before anyone opens the resume. Read each question slowly and answer truthfully, because a false answer will surface at interview or during checks. International students should know exactly what their visa allows before answering anything about work rights or sponsorship. If a question is unclear, answer the most accurate way you can and explain in your cover letter.
Treat an ATS score checker as a rough guide
Online tools promise to score your resume against a job ad. An ATS score checker can help you spot obvious gaps, such as a required skill you forgot to mention. Do not chase a perfect number, though. There is no single ATS. Each employer sets up its system in its own way, so no outside tool can copy how one company ranks you. A score also says nothing about how your resume reads to a human. Use the result as a checklist. Did you miss a hard skill, a qualification or the job title itself? Fix those gaps, then stop tweaking and send the application.
Remember a person reads it next
Getting through the software is only the first step. If your resume makes the shortlist, a recruiter reads it, often in seconds. MIT's careers office notes that recruiters do not have time to search a resume for information, so they appreciate familiar formats. A resume stuffed with keywords but short on results will pass the search and fail the read. Write every line for both readers. The keyword gets you found; the result around it gets you the interview. Keep sentences short and put the most relevant experience first. Make sure each bullet says what you did and what changed because of it.
Check which system the employer uses
You can often tell that an employer uses an ATS before you apply. San Francisco State University's resume guide points out that the application link may sit on the software company's web address, with the employer's name in front. Look at the web address when you click "apply". If it leads to an external careers portal, assume software will parse your file first. This helps you decide how much care to put into formatting. A small business that asks you to email the owner may read your resume straight away. If you are hunting for your first proper job, you will meet both kinds of employer.
Now you know how the software reads. Next comes the part that matters most: finding the words it searches for.
How to Find ATS Keywords in a Job Ad
The good news is that you do not need to guess. Every job ad tells you which ATS keywords matter, if you know where to look. So how do you find the right keywords for one specific job? You read the ad the way a recruiter would, then mark the words that repeat and the skills listed as required. Harvard's career services tell students to work in keywords taken from the job description, rather than relying on a generic list.
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Start with the job title
The job title is often the first thing a recruiter types into the search bar. If the ad says "Junior Data Analyst" and your resume says "Data Intern", the match is weaker than it needs to be. Use the exact target title in the summary at the top of your resume, for example "Business graduate applying for Junior Data Analyst roles". Do not change the official titles of jobs you have held, because that is dishonest and easy to check. Add a short clarifier instead: "Marketing Assistant (social media and analytics)". That keeps the record accurate while still putting the searched-for words on the page.
Highlight the required skills first
Most job ads split their wish list into "required" and "preferred" or "nice to have". Start with the required list. San Francisco State University's careers team warns that many companies screen out resumes that leave out a critical skill. The same goes for resumes that do not show the required education. Copy each required skill into a document, then mark the ones you can honestly claim. Those go on your resume first, in your skills section and in at least one experience bullet. Preferred skills come second. If you meet fewer than half of the required skills, ask yourself if the role is right for you.
Copy the exact wording
Software is literal. If the ad asks for "customer relationship management" and you wrote "looking after client accounts", a search may not connect the two. Use the employer's wording wherever it truthfully describes what you did. The same applies to tools: write "Microsoft Excel" rather than "spreadsheets" and "Python" rather than "coding". Watch word forms too. A recruiter searching for "project management" may not find "managed projects", so include the noun form the ad uses at least once. This is not about copying the ad sentence by sentence. It is about naming your real skills in the language the employer already uses.
Spell out acronyms once
Acronyms cause more missed matches than most students expect. A recruiter might search for "search engine optimisation" while your resume only says "SEO", or the other way round. Santa Clara University's career centre recommends including both the long form and the acronym of a keyword. The simplest way is to write the full term the first time, with the short form in brackets: "Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)". After that, the short form is fine. Do the same for degrees, certificates and software, such as "Customer Relationship Management (CRM)". You cover both searches without repeating yourself.
Count the phrases that repeat
Employers repeat what they care about. Read the ad twice and note every phrase that appears more than once, such as "stakeholder communication", "data analysis" or "attention to detail". Those repeated phrases are strong keywords. A quick way to spot them is to print the ad and highlight it in three colours: hard skills, soft skills and qualifications. The terms with the most highlights are the ones to work into your resume. Soft skills count too, but back each one with an example instead of listing it on its own. "Strong communicator" is a claim; "presented weekly results to a team of 12" is proof.
Compare three similar job ads
One ad can be unusual. Three ads for the same kind of role show you the pattern. Before you write a master resume, collect three or four postings for the job you want, in the country where you want to work. List the skills and phrases they share. Those common terms are the core keywords for that role, and they belong on every version of your resume. Terms that appear in only one ad are better added when you apply for that specific job. Comparing ads also helps you spot fake job ads, because a posting that asks for nothing and promises a lot rarely looks like the others.
With a list of keywords in hand, the next question is where they should go.
Where to Put ATS Keywords on Your Resume
Finding the keywords is half the job. Placing them is the other half. So where should keywords actually go on a student resume? Spread them across the sections a recruiter searches and reads, and tie each one to real evidence. MIT's resume guidance puts it in one line: employers may use keyword scanning, so use the terms common to your industry and to the role. What does that look like on a real page? The six tips below.
Write a targeted summary at the top
A summary of two or three lines sits right under your name. It is the first text both the software and the recruiter meet. Use it to name the target role and your two or three strongest matching skills. Here is an example: "Economics graduate with internship experience in financial reporting, Excel modelling and stakeholder communication, applying for graduate analyst roles." That one sentence carries the job title and three keywords. Keep it specific, because "hard-working and motivated graduate" gives a search nothing to find. Update the summary for each application. It is the fastest place to tailor a resume without rewriting the whole thing.
Build a skills section that mirrors the ad
A dedicated skills section gives the parser a clean list to store. Group it into short lines, such as "Technical: Python, SQL, Tableau" and "Languages: English (C1), Spanish (native)". Order the skills so the ones the ad asks for come first. Leave out vague traits; the SFSU careers handout advises against general descriptors like "self-motivated" and asks for skills specific to the job. Keep the section honest. If you list a skill, expect a question about it at interview. Ten to fifteen relevant skills are usually plenty for a student or graduate, and a shorter list is easier for a recruiter to scan.
Put keywords inside your experience bullets
A skill listed once in a skills section is a claim. The same skill inside an experience bullet is proof. Recruiters reading after the search want to see where you used it. Turn each key term into a short result. "Analysed weekly sales data in Excel to cut stock waste by 10%" carries "Excel", "data" and a result in one line. Aim to place each of your top five keywords in at least one bullet. Spread them across different roles if you can, so the resume does not read like one word repeated. Start each bullet with what you did, then add the tool, then the outcome.
Add coursework and projects for entry-level roles
Students often have the skills an ad asks for but not the job titles. Coursework and projects fill that gap. Add a "Projects" or "Relevant Coursework" section. Describe each item with the same keywords the ad uses, for example "Built a customer churn model in Python for a final-year data science module." Group projects, case competitions, hackathons and dissertations all count. Give each one a date and, where possible, a result. This puts the keywords in a section the parser recognises and gives the recruiter something concrete to ask about. For graduate roles, this section can be the strongest part of the page.
Name certifications and tools in full
Certificates and software are some of the easiest keywords to search for, and some of the easiest to get wrong. Write the full official name of each certificate, the body that issued it and the year. Do the same for tools: "Adobe Photoshop", not "PS". Add detail where it helps, such as "Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP)". If the ad names a tool you know, use the identical name, including its capital letters. A recruiter searching for a named platform will not find "a CRM tool". Put unfinished certificates in too, marked "expected" with a month and year, so the keyword is there while you finish the course.
List languages with a clear level
For internationals, languages are often the keyword that sets them apart. Many ads ask for "fluent German" or "business-level Spanish", and a recruiter can filter for exactly that. List each language with a level an employer will understand. The Council of Europe's CEFR scale uses six levels, from A1 for beginners to C2 for mastery, and many European employers know it. Write "French (C1)" rather than "good French". If the ad uses words like "fluent" or "native", add that word as well, so a search catches both. Strong language skills deserve a clear line, not a spot at the very bottom.
Good keywords only work if the software can read them, which brings us to formatting.
Format an ATS Friendly Resume That Software Can Read
Even the best keywords are useless if the parser cannot read them. So what makes an ATS friendly resume? Plain design choices that feel boring and work every time. Does that mean your resume has to look dull? Not at all; it just has to be easy to read. The University of Utah's career coaches said in 2025 that students should use standard fonts and avoid columns, tables, text boxes, coloured text and graphics. Here is how that looks in practice.
Use a single-column layout
Two-column templates look modern, but they are risky. A parser reads the page in order, and text from a sidebar can get mixed into the main column. Your job title ends up next to a skill, and your dates drift away from the jobs they belong to. A single column keeps everything in reading order. Put your sections one under another: summary, experience, education, skills. If you want a visual touch, use bold headings and a little extra spacing instead of sidebars. That is why the Utah coaches put columns first on their list of things to avoid. It looks clean to a human and keeps the parser on track.
Stick to standard section headings
Parsers look for familiar labels to decide where each section starts. "Experience", "Education", "Skills" and "Certifications" are safe. The Utah guide warns that creative headings like "My Journey" or "What I Do" may confuse the software. If you want to separate paid and unpaid work, "Work Experience" and "Volunteer Experience" both still read clearly. Keep headings short, styled the same way throughout and on their own line. Santa Clara University's careers team adds that custom headings might not be parsed correctly. Boring labels are a feature here, not a flaw.
Keep contact details out of the header
Word processors make it tempting to put your name and phone number in the page header. Avoid it. San Francisco State University's ATS tips list headers and footers among the features to avoid, because a parser can skip them. Put your details in the main body at the top of the page instead. Include your full name, city and country, phone number with country code, email and LinkedIn URL. If it is true and relevant, internationals can add a short line on their right to work, such as "Eligible to work in the Netherlands, no sponsorship needed". Check your work permit conditions first so the line is accurate.
Choose a plain, common font
Unusual fonts can turn into gibberish when a parser does not recognise them. Pick a standard font such as Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman. MIT's resume advice suggests nothing smaller than 10 points and margins of at least half an inch. Use bold for headings and job titles, and keep italics and underlining to a minimum. Avoid special symbols as bullet points; a simple round bullet or a hyphen is safest. One font across the whole resume keeps things consistent for both readers. If you are unsure, choose the font that looks most like an ordinary letter.
Drop tables, text boxes, icons and photos
Tables and text boxes are common in downloadable templates, and they are a common reason resumes parse badly. Phone and email icons, skill bars and star ratings fare even worse, because the software cannot read an image. Photos add nothing a parser can use, and many US career offices advise leaving them out. Harvard's career guide lists "include a picture" under things not to do. In some European countries a photo is still common, so check local norms. If a template relies on any of these features, rebuild it in a plain document. You lose a little decoration and gain a resume the system can read.
Write dates the same way every time
Dates tell the system how long you held each role, and messy dates can scramble your timeline. Santa Clara University's careers toolkit recommends using either MM/YYYY or "Month Year" and sticking to it. So write "09/2024 to 06/2025" or "September 2024 to June 2025", not a mix of both. Put dates on the same line as the job title, in the same place each time. Avoid seasons like "Summer 2025", which a parser may not read as a date. For a current role, "Present" is clear and widely understood.
Save in the file type the employer asks for
File type is where career offices disagree. San Francisco State University's guide warns that some systems cannot read PDFs and suggests a Word document. The University of Utah recommends a PDF with selectable text. DePaul's ATS handout accepts either .docx or .pdf. All of them agree on the rule that matters most: follow the employer's instructions. If the portal asks for .docx, send .docx. Never upload a scanned page or a PDF exported as a picture, because there is no text to read. Name the file clearly, such as "Maria-Lopez-Resume.pdf", so it never gets mixed up with someone else's.
Formatting fixes take an afternoon. The last group of tips covers habits that can undo all that work.
Common ATS Resume Mistakes to Avoid
Most ATS problems come from a handful of habits, and the fixes are quick once you know them. So which mistakes cost students the most interviews? Usually the ones that save time in the moment, like sending one resume everywhere. And is it worth fixing them if you are already applying? Yes, because each fix takes minutes. Here are the five to drop.
Stop sending one resume to every job
A single resume sent to fifty jobs is fast, but it rarely matches any of them well. DePaul University's careers team advises you to tailor carefully for every position you apply for. That does not mean starting from zero each time. Keep a master resume with everything on it. Then save a copy for each application and adjust the summary, the order of your skills and two or three bullets to match the ad. That takes around 15 to 20 minutes per job. Ten tailored applications are a better use of an evening than fifty generic ones, because each one stands a real chance in a search.
Never hide keywords in white text
Some online advice suggests pasting the whole job ad into your resume in white text, so the software sees it and humans do not. Don't. DePaul's careers handout warns that experienced recruiters often spot overstuffed keywords or invisible white text, and that the trick reflects poorly on you. The same goes for cramming every term from the ad into your skills section. A recruiter who notices the trick will stop trusting everything else on the page. A keyword should only appear where it describes something you can actually do, backed by a line that proves it.
Proofread for spelling mistakes
A typo is more than a bad look in an ATS. If you write "Mircosoft Excel" or "projcet management", a recruiter's search for the correct term will not find it. Run a spell check, then read the resume out loud, as San Francisco State University's careers centre suggests. Your ears catch errors your eyes skip. Check the spelling of the employer's name and the job title against the ad. Pay extra attention to UK and US spelling. If you are applying to a US employer, "analyze" will match their ad better than "analyse", so mirror the spelling the ad uses.
Leave no unexplained gaps
Gaps are normal for students, but some systems are set up to flag them. In the same 2021 Gazette interview, Fuller said half of US companies filter out applicants with a gap of more than six months in their work history. You cannot switch that filter off, but you can make sure your timeline shows what you were doing. Full-time study, a dated project, a language course or volunteering can all be listed with dates. Keep it factual and short. A line like "Full-time master's study, 09/2024 to 07/2025" closes the gap honestly.
Ask for a referral as well
The surest way past a filter is to have a person pass your resume straight to the hiring manager. San Francisco State University's ATS guide points out that friends, alumni and other contacts may help you bypass the system altogether. Still apply online, because most employers need the application in their system. Then message a contact at the company, mention the role and ask if they would be willing to pass your resume on. Alumni from your university are a good place to start. Building your network early makes this much easier when you need it.
Conclusion
ATS keywords are not a trick. They are the employer's own words, placed honestly on a resume that software can read. Find them in the ad, put them where they prove something and keep the format plain. Then both the system and the recruiter can see what you can do.
The purpose of this guide was to help students and recent graduates get past the automated filters and actually hear back, with a human-written resume instead of a generic AI-generated one. To help you on this journey, College Life has partnered with TopStack Resume to make your life easier. Join College Life Club for free and start using this benefit today.
FAQ
What are ATS keywords?
ATS keywords are the skills, qualifications, tools and job titles that an employer's applicant tracking system searches for. Recruiters take them from the job description, so the ad itself is the best place to find them.
How many keywords should an ATS resume include?
There is no magic number. Cover every required skill you really have and use the target job title. Add the most repeated phrases from the ad, each backed by real experience. Stuffing in extra terms does more harm than good.
Is a PDF or a Word document better for an ATS?
Follow the employer's instructions first. If you get a choice, career offices generally accept either a Word file or a text-based PDF. Never upload a scanned image, because the software has no text to read.
Does an ATS reject resumes automatically?
People set the rules. Knockout questions and filters, such as a required degree or work rights, can remove an application before anyone reads it. Otherwise the system mostly ranks and searches applications, and a recruiter decides who moves forward.
Can I use the same keywords for every application?
Only the core terms for your field. Keep a master list of the keywords that appear across most ads for your target role. Then add the specific terms from each new ad before you apply.