Top 10 ATS Optimised Resume Tips Job Seekers Need In 2026

TL;DR: Getting past an Applicant Tracking System in 2026 comes down to clear structure, targeted keywords, and honest, measurable achievements, not clever design. A single-column layout, language mirrored from the job ad, and details that match your LinkedIn help both the software and the recruiter trust you faster.

Here is the reality behind the silence after you apply: most large Australian employers, from the big banks and miners to government agencies, receive applications through an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), and so do many of the recruitment agencies they use. Plenty of small businesses still read applications in an inbox, and there is no reliable public figure for exactly how many employers use one, so be wary of any precise percentage you see quoted. What is consistent is this: when your resume is easy for software to read, it is also easier for the human on the other side to trust and act on.

This guide covers the 10 tips that make the biggest difference, how these systems actually read your resume, and where an AI resume builder can save you time.

What ATS Optimisation Actually Means

ATS optimisation is structuring and tailoring your resume so the software can parse it cleanly and match it to the job ad. In plain terms, most systems follow the same path:

• Pull the text out of your file.
• Identify sections like Work Experience, Education, and Skills.
• Match your language against the requirements in the ad.
• Score and rank you against everyone else.

Clean layouts, standard headings, and keyword mirroring are no longer nice-to-haves. With some Australian ads drawing hundreds of applicants, they are the baseline for getting read at all. SEEK's own career advice makes the same point: a resume that a recruiter can scan in seconds is a resume that gets shortlisted.

Three Myths Worth Dropping

• "Humans never read resumes." They do, but usually only after the software has filtered the list.
• "ATS is only about keywords." Structure, headings, file format, and honesty all matter too.
• "A designer resume always wins." It might look great to you, but graphics and columns still trip up plenty of parsers.

The happy overlap: optimising for the software also makes your resume clearer for a tired human eye. Clean headings, short bullets, and a focused skills list help a recruiter decide quickly.

How ATS Reads Your Resume In 2026

The software does not see your resume the way you do. It reads the underlying text and tries to organise it into sections. Standard labels are everything here: call your work history "Where I've Been" and many systems simply will not file it as experience.

Columns, tables, text boxes, icons, and images are the usual culprits behind bad parsing. Content in a right-hand column often gets read after the left, or skipped, and text trapped inside a shape can vanish. That is why a single-column layout is still the safest choice, especially through large portals or older government systems.

Modern tools combine two kinds of matching: exact ("project management", "Python", "Salesforce") and semantic ("managed cross-functional projects", "built data pipelines"). A strong resume includes both, clear phrases from the ad plus natural sentences that show you actually did the work.

Newer platforms that use large language models cut both ways. They recognise that "Engineering Lead" and "Technical Manager" are close cousins, but they also weigh the sentence around a skill, so a bare list of keywords earns far less than a bullet that shows you using them.

Tip 1: Choose a Clean Single-Column Layout

The safest 2026 layout is a simple single column, no tables or sidebars. It keeps everything in one reading order, so parsing stays accurate, and it keeps dates, titles, and bullets in a predictable spot for the human too.

A solid order looks like this:

1. Header with name, phone, email, LinkedIn URL, and your city and state (e.g. "Perth, WA").
2. Professional summary.
3. Key skills.
4. Work experience.
5. Education.
6. Certifications or projects.

Readable fonts, plenty of white space, no logos or photos. Leaving the photo off is not just an ATS thing in Australia, it also keeps employers clear of anti-discrimination risk.

See What the Parser Sees: An Annotated Example

Layout advice is easier to trust once you see the failure. Here is the top of a typical two-column template, as the candidate sees it:

SIDEBAR               | MAIN COLUMN
Jordan Lee            | WORK EXPERIENCE
Perth, WA             | Data Analyst, Westcoast Freight
SKILLS                | Mar 2023 - Present
SQL, Power BI, Excel  | - Automated weekly KPI reports,
EDUCATION             |   saving about 6 hours a week
BCom, 2022            | Junior Analyst, Harbour Retail

Copy the text out of that PDF and one common result is that each visual row is read straight across both columns:

Jordan Lee WORK EXPERIENCE
Perth, WA Data Analyst, Westcoast Freight
SKILLS Mar 2023 - Present
SQL, Power BI, Excel - Automated weekly KPI reports,
EDUCATION saving about 6 hours a week
BCom, 2022 Junior Analyst, Harbour Retail

What went wrong:

• The SKILLS heading now sits next to a date, so the skills that follow look like part of a job entry.
• EDUCATION splits a bullet in half, and the achievement loses its meaning.
• Your name is glued to a section heading, which can confuse the field that captures your contact details.

Systems fail in different ways. Some read the sidebar after the main column, and some drop text in shapes or text boxes entirely. You cannot know which system an employer uses, which is why a single column is the safe default. The same content, rebuilt in one column, extracts cleanly:

Jordan Lee
Perth, WA | [email protected] | linkedin.com/in/jordanlee

SKILLS
SQL, Power BI, Excel, Python

WORK EXPERIENCE
Data Analyst, Westcoast Freight | Mar 2023 - Present
- Automated weekly KPI reports in Power BI, saving
  about 6 hours of manual work a week

Junior Analyst, Harbour Retail | Feb 2022 - Mar 2023

EDUCATION
Bachelor of Commerce, 2022

Why this version works:

1. Name and contact details come first, in the body text, not in a page header or footer, which some parsers skip.
2. Each heading is a standard label on its own line, so the system knows where every section starts.
3. Title, employer and dates share one line in the same order for every job, so they stay together.
4. Bullets are plain characters with the result in the same sentence, so nothing is split or lost.

The Five-Minute Plain-Text Test

Run this on the exact file you plan to submit:

1. Open the PDF or DOCX, select all (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A) and copy.
2. Paste into a plain-text editor such as Notepad, or TextEdit in plain-text mode.
3. Check that your name, phone and email appear at the top and nothing is missing.
4. Check that every section heading appears on its own line, in the right order.
5. Check that each job title sits next to its own employer and dates.
6. Look for words running together, missing bullets, or odd symbols where icons used to be.
7. Check that your skills stay together instead of scattering between other sections.

If any check fails, move that content into the main column as plain text and test again. Copy-and-paste is not a perfect copy of every ATS, but it catches the most common reading-order problems in a couple of minutes.

Tip 2: Use Clear, Standard Section Headings

If the system cannot understand your sections, it cannot score your experience. Stick to labels it recognises: Summary, Work Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications, Projects. Skip the cute headings like "My Journey" or "What I Bring". You can still add a specific subsection such as "Clinical Experience" or "Research Experience", just keep the main labels standard.

Tip 3: Put a Targeted Skills Section Near the Top

A focused skills block just under your summary gives the software quick data to match and gives the recruiter a fast read on fit. In high-volume roles, that section often gets skimmed first. Group it:

• Tools and platforms: Salesforce, Figma, AWS, Xero.
• Programming languages: Python, JavaScript, SQL.
• Methods and frameworks: Agile, Scrum, OKRs.
• Domain skills: customer support, budgeting, stakeholder engagement.

Avoid the dumping-ground list of every tool you have ever touched. It dilutes the keywords that matter for this role.

Tip 4: Mirror Keywords From the Job Ad

Keyword mirroring is using the employer's own language where it honestly describes your work. If the ad asks for "project management", do not only write "managing projects", use the exact phrase in your skills and at least one experience bullet. Hunt for:

• Title language: "Senior Product Manager", "Registered Nurse", "Data Analyst".
• Required tools: "Tableau", "HubSpot", "MYOB".
• Methods: "Agile", "Lean", "SEO".
• Industry terms: "clinical governance", "KPI reporting", "supply chain".

Terms the ad repeats matter most. If "Python" appears four times and "Scala" once, Python earns more space on your resume.

Then rewrite naturally:

• Before: "Managed several marketing campaigns."
• After: "Led end-to-end digital campaigns across SEO, email, and paid social, lifting qualified leads by 35%."

That is how you cover the keywords without stuffing, truthful statements that happen to include the right phrases.

Tip 5: Write a Summary That Bridges Your Past to the Role

Your summary sits up top and tells both software and human who you are and why you fit. A good one aligns your background with the target role, works in a few key terms, and lands one or two quantified wins:

Product Manager with 6 years leading B2B SaaS features from discovery to launch. Strong in Agile, stakeholder management, and data-driven decisions. Targeting a Senior PM role in analytics, with a record of lifting feature adoption by 25% and cutting release cycle time by 30%.

Classic "objective statements" are dated. Lead with value, not intent.

Tip 6: Focus on Achievements, Not Duties

Duties say what you were told to do. Achievements show what happened because you did it. Use action + context + measurable result:

• "Rolled out a new inventory process across 3 warehouses, lifting stock accuracy from 93% to 99%."
• "Built onboarding emails in Salesforce, cutting first-month churn by 12%."

Even early-career candidates have numbers: customers served, hours saved, funds raised, grades lifted. If you do not have exact figures, an honest estimate ("about 30%") beats a vague verb.

Tip 7: Tailor Every Application in Ten Minutes

One generic resume rarely cuts it now, but tailoring does not need to eat your afternoon. Before each application, spend ten minutes to:

1. Update your summary with the job title and two or three core keywords from the ad.
2. Reorder your skills so the most relevant sit first.
3. Edit three to five bullets in your recent roles to reflect the ad's main responsibilities.
4. Add any tool or method you genuinely use but forgot to list.

This light-touch tailoring, paired with keyword mirroring and a clean layout, is the most time-efficient way to improve how closely you match each ad.

Tip 8: Use Both Acronyms and Full Terms

Different systems and recruiters search differently, so cover both:

• "SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)"
• "CRM (Customer Relationship Management)"
• "KPI (Key Performance Indicator) reporting"

Keep them honest, never list a method you have not used. It also helps a less technical reader who does not know the acronym.

Tip 9: Keep Your Resume and LinkedIn Consistent

Recruiters routinely check LinkedIn alongside your application, and mismatches raise questions. Make sure titles and dates line up, the same skills appear in both, and the story matches. If your resume says "Senior Analyst" but your profile says "Analyst", expect a raised eyebrow. Add your custom LinkedIn URL to your header:

linkedin.com/in/yourname

Tip 10: Write Tight Bullets With Action Verbs and Outcomes

Bullets are where the software finds keywords and where the human reads your story. Aim for one to two lines each:

1. Start with a strong verb: led, designed, implemented, optimised, analysed, coordinated, launched.
2. Add context: team size, project type, tools.
3. End with a measurable outcome.

"Optimised site content for SEO through keyword research and A/B testing, lifting organic traffic by 40% in six months."

Verbs that pull their weight: closed, negotiated, expanded (sales); streamlined, reduced, automated, standardised (operations); built, refactored, deployed, integrated (engineering); launched, tested, analysed (marketing).

Choosing the Right File Format

Most modern systems handle both .docx and text-based PDFs. That said:

• Follow the ad. If it asks for Word, send .docx.
• PDF is the sensible default otherwise, because it holds your layout together. Never send a scanned or image-only PDF.
• .docx can parse more cleanly on some older government and enterprise portals, so use it when a portal looks dated or rejects your PDF.

Whichever you choose, run the plain-text test on that exact file. Keep fonts standard and avoid text buried inside images or charts.

Common ATS Mistakes To Avoid

Most ATS failures are easy fixes:

• Over-designed templates with heavy graphics or multiple columns.
• Tiny or unusual fonts.
• Inconsistent titles, overlapping dates, or mixed date formats. Pick one format, such as "March 2022 - November 2024", and use it for every role.
• Skill blocks listing things you cannot actually do.
• Missing contact details or an unprofessional email address.

The corrections are just as simple: single column, standard fonts (Arial or Calibri, 10–12pt), consistent dates, honest skills, and a name-based email.

Adapting for Your Career Stage

The principles hold; the emphasis shifts.

Students and recent graduates: lead with projects, key coursework, internships, part-time work, and volunteering, each with an outcome where you can. One to two pages is plenty at this stage.

Career changers: foreground the bridge skills that carry over (communication, data analysis, project coordination), relevant courses or certificates, and any project or freelance work in the new field. State your target field clearly up top.

Experienced professionals: highlight leadership, large-scale impact (revenue, cost, efficiency, risk), and stakeholder management. In Australia a two-to-three page resume is normal here, so use the room rather than cramming.

Quick ATS Readiness Checklist

Once your resume passes this checklist and the plain-text test, a second opinion helps. Run it through our free resume checker to score ATS compatibility alongside content, structure, skills and tone, with specific fixes for each.

What a Resume Checker Report Looks Like (and What It Can't Tell You)

A checker is most useful when you know what its output means. Here is an illustrative example of the kind of report StrongHire's checker returns, for a fictional data analyst resume checked against a specific job ad. It is not a real candidate's result.

What that score can do is show you where the evidence on the page is thin, before a recruiter notices.

What it cannot do:

• It is not the score an employer's ATS gives you. Each employer configures its own system, many do not auto-rank candidates at all, and no outside tool can reproduce every one of them.
• A higher score does not guarantee an interview. Recruiters still weigh fit, location, work rights and the rest of the field.
• It only scores what is actually on the page. It will not invent experience, so a low content score usually means a result or tool is missing, not that you need fancier wording.

During the current validation launch the checker is free to use with a free account and no payment card. Each check uses three of the 10 daily and 40 monthly credits shared across StrongHire's AI features.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I tailor my resume to be more ATS friendly?

A: Read the ad closely and work its key phrases into your skills, experience, and summary. Use standard headings, avoid tables and multi-column layouts, and save as .docx or a text-based PDF.

Q: What are ATS keywords and how do I find them?

A: They are the required skills, tools, and qualifications named in the ad. Find them by spotting repeated terms, then weave them naturally into your summary, skills, and bullets.

Q: What resume format works best with an ATS?

A: Reverse-chronological or hybrid, since they list experience newest-first. Avoid purely functional formats, which hide dates and confuse parsers.

Q: Do graphics or tables affect ATS compatibility?

A: Yes. Graphics, tables, text boxes, and images often get skipped or scrambled. Keep essential information in plain text and bullets.

Q: How can I check if my resume will pass an ATS?

A: Paste the text into a plain-text editor. If the reading order stays correct, a parser can most likely read it. An ATS checker adds a keyword and readability score, but no checker can reproduce every employer's system, so treat the score as guidance rather than a pass mark.

Q: Should I submit my resume as a PDF or Word document in Australia?

A: Follow the job ad if it names a format. Otherwise a text-based PDF is a sensible default because it keeps your layout intact, and .docx is the safer choice for older government and enterprise portals. Never submit a scanned or image-only PDF.

Q: How long should a resume be in Australia?

A: Two to three pages is standard for anyone past their first couple of jobs, and expected for senior roles. The US one-page rule does not apply here. Keep your strongest material on page one.

Q: Should I include a photo or date of birth on an Australian resume?

A: No. Photos, date of birth and marital status are not expected on Australian resumes and can raise anti-discrimination concerns for employers. Your city and state, phone, email and LinkedIn URL are enough.

Conclusion

ATS optimisation is a skill you can pick up in an afternoon. It is mostly clear structure, honest keywords, and proof of impact, not hacking the system. Fix the layout, headings, and keyword gaps, keep every claim truthful, and callbacks tend to climb, steadily rather than overnight.

Start with the five-minute plain-text test above. Then, if you want a second opinion, upload your resume to the free StrongHire resume checker and compare it against the job ad you are targeting. It flags the gaps in ATS compatibility, content, structure, skills and tone, and you keep control of every change. Small updates with each application make the whole search feel more focused, and more hopeful.

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