Writing an ATS-Friendly IT Resume That Still Reads Well to Humans

Your resume has two audiences: an applicant tracking system that reads every word, and a busy human who reads about six seconds’ worth. 🤖👀 Here is how to win over both.

For the robot (ATS)

• Use a simple layout: no tables, text boxes or text inside images
• Use standard headings: Summary, Skills, Experience, Education, Certifications
• Mirror the job ad’s keywords where they genuinely match your experience
• Spell out acronyms once: “Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD)”
• Save as Word or PDF, whichever the ad asks for

For the human

• A three-line summary that says who you are, what you do and what you want
• Achievements, not duties: “Cut deployment time from 2 hours to 15 minutes” beats “responsible for deployments”
• Numbers wherever possible: users, systems, budgets, percentages
• Recent experience first, with older roles summarised
• Two to four pages for most experienced IT professionals in Australia

Common mistakes we see

1. A wall of technologies with no context
2. Photos, date of birth and other personal details that are not needed
3. Gaps with no explanation (a one-line note is fine)
4. Typos in technology names. “Kubernates” happens more than you would think.

Want more? Read reasons your resume might not be working.

👉 Ready to put it to work? Register your CV or apply for a role.