December 14, 2025 - By Monique Thompson

ATS Friendly Resumes Australia

Applicant Tracking Systems, commonly referred to as ATS, are now a standard part of recruitment across Australia. Large employers, government agencies, health services, universities and corporate organisations rely on ATS platforms to manage high volumes of applications efficiently. For job seekers, this means resumes must be written to perform well both technically and strategically. An ATS friendly resume is not about gaming the system. It is about presenting your experience in a clear, structured and relevant way that can be accurately read, indexed and assessed by recruitment software before it reaches a human reviewer.

What is an Applicant Tracking System

An Applicant Tracking System is software that collects, stores and organises job applications. When a resume is submitted, the ATS scans the document to identify job titles, skills, qualifications, experience and keywords that align with the role requirements. The system may rank or filter applications based on relevance before presenting them to recruiters. If a resume is poorly formatted, missing keywords or structured in a way the system cannot read properly, it may be filtered out automatically. This can occur even when the candidate is highly qualified.

Why ATS matters in the Australian job market

ATS usage is widespread across Australia, particularly in sectors such as government, healthcare, education, finance, mining, engineering, utilities and large corporate environments. Roles advertised through online portals, government recruitment platforms and major employers are almost always screened through ATS before human review. Understanding how ATS works is therefore essential for improving shortlisting outcomes. Candidates who ignore ATS requirements often experience low response rates despite strong experience.

Resume structure that works for ATS

ATS systems are designed to read resumes that follow conventional structures. The safest approach is to use standard, clearly labelled headings and a logical flow.

Common ATS friendly headings include:

Career Profile or Professional Summary
Key Skills
Professional Experience
Education
Certifications and Training

These headings allow the system to correctly categorise your information. Creative headings or unconventional section names can reduce accuracy and visibility.

Your resume should be written in a single column layout with consistent formatting. Avoid tables, text boxes, columns, icons, graphics and embedded images, as these elements can disrupt parsing and cause information to be missed or misread.

Formatting best practice for ATS compatibility

ATS friendly formatting focuses on simplicity and clarity. Use a professional, readable font and maintain consistent spacing throughout the document. Bullet points should be standard and simple. Avoid excessive styling such as shading, colour blocks or decorative elements. Important information should never be placed in headers or footers, as some ATS platforms do not read these areas reliably. This includes contact details, job titles and key skills. Always follow the employer’s instructions regarding file format. Some systems perform better with Word documents, while others accept PDF files. If the job advertisement specifies a preferred format, follow it exactly.

Keyword optimisation: the most critical ATS factor

Keyword alignment is one of the most important elements of ATS optimisation. ATS software scans resumes for keywords that match the job advertisement. These keywords are typically drawn directly from the role description.

Keywords may include:

Job titles and role variations
Technical skills and systems
Qualifications and certifications
Methodologies and frameworks
Industry-specific terminology
Compliance and regulatory language

To optimise keyword alignment, review the job advertisement carefully and identify recurring terms and phrases. Incorporate these naturally throughout your resume, particularly in the career profile, key skills section and professional experience. Avoid keyword stuffing. Overusing keywords unnaturally can reduce readability and credibility when a recruiter reviews the resume. The goal is alignment, not repetition.

Balancing ATS optimisation with recruiter readability

A common misconception is that ATS friendly resumes must be dull or robotic. In reality, the strongest resumes balance technical optimisation with persuasive, human-focused writing. Once your resume passes ATS screening, it must still engage recruiters and hiring managers. This means your content must be clear, achievement-focused and relevant. Strong resumes use outcome-based language, clear examples and concise explanations to demonstrate value. An ATS friendly resume that lacks achievements or context may pass screening but still fail to secure interviews. Both elements are essential.

Writing ATS friendly achievement statements

Achievement statements should be written in plain language using standard sentence structures. Avoid abbreviations unless they are commonly recognised in your industry or clearly explained. Each achievement should clearly demonstrate what you did and what changed as a result. Examples include improving efficiency, reducing risk, strengthening compliance, delivering projects on time, improving service quality or exceeding performance targets. Where possible, include measurable outcomes, but only when they are accurate and relevant. If metrics are not available, qualitative outcomes such as improved accuracy, improved stakeholder satisfaction or improved audit outcomes are still valuable.

Common ATS mistakes that reduce shortlisting

Many resumes fail ATS screening due to avoidable errors, including:

Using complex layouts, tables or graphics
Omitting keywords used in the job advertisement
Using unconventional section headings
Placing critical information in headers or footers
Submitting scanned or image-based resumes
Using outdated or irrelevant job titles
Including excessive unrelated content

These issues can significantly reduce visibility and ranking within ATS platforms.

ATS considerations for government and regulated roles

In Australian government and regulated environments, ATS screening is often combined with manual assessment against role capabilities and selection criteria. This makes clarity, keyword alignment and structure even more important.

Government resumes should clearly reflect role requirements, capability frameworks, compliance experience and relevant terminology. Titles, duties and achievements should align closely with the advertised role and agency context.

How to test whether your resume is ATS friendly

A practical way to assess ATS compatibility is to copy your resume text into a plain text editor. If the content remains readable and structured, it is more likely to be ATS friendly. If formatting breaks down or information is missing, revisions are required.

You should also ensure that your resume clearly reflects the language of the job advertisement. If key requirements are not visible in your resume, ATS alignment is likely weak.

Final checklist for an ATS friendly Australian resume

An ATS optimised resume should include:

Clear, standard section headings
Simple, single column formatting
Relevant keywords aligned to the job advertisement
Achievement-focused content written in plain language
No tables, text boxes or graphics
Consistent formatting and error-free writing
A balance between system compatibility and recruiter engagement

When these elements are in place, your resume is far more likely to progress to recruiter review and interview consideration.

1300 Resume Support

At 1300 Resume, we specialise in professional resume writing, cover letters and selection criteria tailored to the Australian job market. With over 30 years’ experience supporting job seekers across government, private sector, executive, mining, oil and gas and specialist industries, our resumes are written to Australian recruitment standards and optimised for applicant tracking systems and recruiter review. If you would like expert assistance with your resume, cover letter, selection criteria or interview preparation, our experienced resume writers can help position your experience clearly, strategically and competitively to maximise interview outcomes.

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