ATS & keywords
How to write an ATS-friendly resume in Australia
Layout rules, keyword use and two quick checks that show what an applicant tracking system will read.
Many Australian employers receive applications through an applicant tracking system (ATS). The software stores your application, turns your resume into searchable fields and helps recruiters filter and search candidates. A resume that the system reads cleanly is easier for a recruiter to find.
What an ATS does with your resume
When you upload a resume, the system usually tries to split it into fields: contact details, job titles, employers, dates, education and skills. Recruiters can then search and filter, for example by a qualification or a tool named in the job ad.
The University of Sydney's resume guide warns that a software program may scan for key words in the first cull of applications. That is why matching the employer's language matters as much as layout.
Employers in OfferUnderway's job catalogue use a range of systems, including Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, PageUp, Greenhouse, Lever and SmartRecruiters. Each employer configures its own process, so there is no single "ATS score" that applies everywhere.
Formatting rules that keep your resume readable
| Do | Avoid | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One column, left-aligned | Two- or three-column layouts | Columns can be read in the wrong order |
| Standard headings: Experience, Education, Skills | Creative headings such as "My journey" | The system looks for familiar section names |
| Text for every important detail | Skills shown as icons, bars or images | Images contain no readable text |
| Contact details in the body | Contact details only in the header or footer | Some parsers skip headers and footers |
| Consistent dates: "Mar 2024 – Aug 2026" | Mixed formats or years only | Dates are used to calculate experience |
| Common fonts at 10–12 point | Decorative fonts | Unusual characters can be misread |
| Simple bullets | Tables for the whole layout | Table cells can be extracted out of order |
Use the job ad's words, honestly
Recruiters search for the skills and qualifications they need. If the ad says "stakeholder engagement" and you have done it, use that phrase in a bullet that shows the work. Include both an acronym and the full term once, for example "Work Health and Safety (WHS)".
Do not paste keywords you cannot support, and do not hide text in white font. A recruiter reads what the search returns. Our guide to ATS resume keywords has a worksheet for deciding which terms belong.
Run the plain-text test
Before you submit, copy all the text from your resume and paste it into a plain-text editor such as Notepad or TextEdit.
- Does it read top to bottom in the right order?
- Are your name, email and phone number there?
- Are job titles, employers and dates together?
- Did any skills disappear because they were in images?
If the order is scrambled in plain text, simplify the layout.
Check the pre-filled form
Many application forms pre-fill fields from your uploaded resume. Treat this as a free preview of what the system read. If your job titles land in the wrong place or dates are missing, fix the resume layout and re-upload, or correct the fields manually.
A worked example
Hannah Cole is a fictional accounts officer using a two-column template with a skills bar chart. Her plain-text test showed her skills section pasted between two job entries, and the chart pasted as nothing at all.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Two columns with a sidebar | One column |
| "What I bring" heading | "Skills" heading |
| Xero shown as a 4/5 bar | "Xero: daily reconciliations and supplier bills (3 years)" |
| Email in the page header | Email under her name in the body |
The content barely changed. What changed is that a recruiter searching for Xero would now find her.
Questions about ATS-friendly resumes
Do all Australian employers use an ATS?
No. Larger employers and recruitment agencies commonly do; a small business may read applications straight from an inbox. A clean, single-column resume works for both.
Should I submit PDF or Word?
Follow the employer's instruction. If there is none, a text-based PDF exported from a word processor is generally safe; a scanned image of a resume is not. The pre-filled form check above will show whether it was read correctly.
Can an ATS reject me automatically?
Some employers add screening questions, such as work rights or a required licence, that filter applications. Answer those accurately. For the resume itself, recruiters usually search and review rather than relying on a single automatic score.
Is there a template I can use?
OfferUnderway's resume template uses a single-column, ATS-readable layout. You can also check your resume against a specific job with our ATS resume checker.
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