Playbook
ATS resume tips that actually change a score
Use these rules with a free ATS checker — not instead of one. Scan, change one thing, scan again.
1. Steal nouns from the job description
Parsers match strings more than vibes. If the posting says “warehouse management” and your CV says “looked after stock,” the overlap is weaker. Mirror the posting’s nouns only where they are honest.
2. Use standard headings
Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications. Creative labels like “Where I’ve shipped magic” often fail to map into ATS fields.
3. Keep a single column
Two-column templates, text boxes, and icons as section labels confuse many parsers. A clean PDF or DOCX with real text — not screenshots of text — is the safest input for any ATS resume checker.
4. Put dates and titles on their own lines
Job title, employer, location, start–end date. Do not hide the title inside a sentence in the first bullet.
5. Re-scan after every serious edit
Open the ORU CV ATS console, paste the same job description, and drop the updated file. The score is a loop, not a trophy.