Stronger verbs, picked by a resume writer
ATS-Friendly Resume Words
Applicant Tracking Systems scan for strong verbs and keywords before a human sees your resume. Weak phrasing gets fil…
Applicant Tracking Systems scan for strong verbs and keywords before a human sees your resume. Weak phrasing gets filtered out, so the words you choose are not just style — they determine whether a human ever reads the document.
- Verbs over nouns — "Led", not "leadership".
- Exact keywords — match the job description terms.
- Metrics — numbers survive the scan and the reader.
- No graphics — plain text parses best.
- Standard spelling — no "Led" vs "lead" ambiguity.
Beyond the verbs, the two biggest ATS mistakes are keyword stuffing and missing keywords. Use the real terms from the posting, naturally, and always in the same spelling the posting uses. ATS matching is literal, so "project management" in the job ad should appear as "project management" on your resume.
Beyond the verbs, the two structural choices matter more than any single word. First, use the exact phrasing of the job description where it is true — if the posting says "project management", write "project management", not "PMO oversight". Second, keep the resume in a plain format with standard headings, because parsing errors hide otherwise strong content.
One common myth: that ATS counts keyword frequency. Modern systems are smarter — they look for coverage of the required terms, not repetition. Write each required term once or twice where it is true, and spend the rest of the space on evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I stuff keywords?
No — use the real terms from the posting, naturally. Stuffing reads badly to humans and does not fool modern systems.
Verb tense?
Past roles in past tense; current role in present tense. Consistency matters more than which you pick.
Do acronyms work?
Yes, but spell them out too: "CRM (Salesforce)" covers both the acronym and the full term.
Best ATS format?
Plain text, standard headings, no tables or graphics, action verbs, and the job title keywords from the posting.
Should I include a skills section?
Yes — a short skills list gives the ATS clean, parseable keyword matches and costs little space.
Does the file type matter?
Yes — PDF and DOCX parse well if they are text-based; avoid scanned images or heavily designed layouts.
How quickly can I apply this advice?
Immediately. The replacements on this page follow one pattern — delete the weak phrase, keep the object, add a specific verb and a number. Rewrite one bullet right now as practice, check it against the examples above, and apply the same move to the rest of your draft.