How to Increase Your ATS Score: 12 Fixes That Work

You checked your resume and the score was lower than you hoped — maybe 48, maybe 62. The good news: ATS scores respond quickly to the right changes. Most people gain 15–30 points in a single editing session, without inventing anything.

The key is doing the fixes in the right order. A missing keyword doesn't matter if the ATS can't read your file at all. This guide gives you 12 fixes, grouped by impact, and explains how each one changes your score in our free ATS checker.

First, get a baseline

Upload your resume to the checker and, if you have one, paste the job description you're targeting. Write down:

• your overall score;
• the five sub-scores (Sections, Keywords, Formatting, Content Quality, Contact Info);
• every high-priority tip.

Re-check after each group of fixes so you can see what's working. Not sure what your number means? Read what is a good ATS score.

Group 1: Make your resume readable (biggest impact)

If the ATS can't extract your text cleanly, nothing else counts. These fixes can add 20+ points on their own.

1. Use real, selectable text

If our checker shows the "image or scan" warning, your score is capped at 20. Rebuild your resume in Word or Google Docs and export a text-based PDF. Never upload a scan or a phone photo.

2. Switch to a single column

Two-column templates often get read across both columns, mixing your skills sidebar into your job history. A multi-column warning costs formatting points and, worse, scrambles your content. See the ATS-friendly resume format.

3. Remove icons, skill bars and graphics

Replace phone and email icons with plain labels, delete skill bars and star ratings, and move any text out of shapes or images. Heavy icon use is flagged as a formatting issue.

4. Use one date format

"Jan 2024 – Mar 2025" everywhere. Mixing formats like "01/2024" and "January 2024" is a small penalty, but it's a 30-second fix.

Group 2: Fix your sections

The Sections score checks for the headings ATS software expects. Missing sections are among the most common reasons for a low score.

5. Add the core sections

Make sure you have Experience, Education and Skills — together they make up most of the Sections score. Freshers without work experience should add Projects and Internships, which partly substitute for Experience.

6. Add a summary and the supporting sections

A 2–3 line Summary at the top, plus Projects, Certifications and Achievements if you have them, complete the picture. Use standard heading names on their own lines. Test them with our guide on how to check if your resume is ATS friendly.

Group 3: Match the keywords

With a job description pasted, Keywords is the biggest part of your score (35%).

7. Add missing keywords you genuinely have

Look at the Missing keywords list in your results. For every skill or tool you actually have, add it to your Skills section using the exact spelling from the job post. Use the Copy all button to grab the list quickly — then delete the ones that don't apply to you.

8. Use keywords inside bullet points

Keywords in context are stronger than a list. Rewrite two or three bullets so they include the job's most important terms: "Built 12 Power BI dashboards using SQL…" rather than "Made dashboards".

For a full walkthrough, read how to tailor your resume to a job description in 10 minutes. For role-specific terms, browse our resume keywords database.

Group 4: Strengthen your content

The Content Quality score rewards resumes that are easy to skim and full of evidence.

9. Add numbers to your bullets

Aim for at least a third of your bullet points to include a meaningful number — %, ₹, users, hours saved, rank. Years don't count. If the checker says "Only 2 of your 14 bullet points have numbers", start there. Our guide on writing bullet points with numbers has 20 before-and-after examples.

10. Start bullets with strong action verbs

Replace "Responsible for", "Worked on" and "Helped" with verbs like Built, Led, Reduced, Launched. See our list of resume action verbs.

11. Hit the right length and remove "I"

400–900 words is the sweet spot. Under about 180 words, the score is capped because there isn't enough to evaluate. Remove first-person pronouns ("I", "my", "me") and over-repeated words.

Group 5: Complete your contact details

12. Add all five contact items

Email, phone (with +91 or your country code), LinkedIn URL written as text, city and state, and a GitHub or portfolio link. Together they make up the Contact score, and recruiters use them to filter and call.

A realistic example

A typical "before" resume — two columns, an objective, skill bars and duty-style bullets — often scores in the 40s. After moving to one column, renaming the headings, adding the job's keywords and rewriting five bullets with numbers, the same experience commonly scores in the 80s or 90s. Our complete guide to ATS resumes includes a full before-and-after makeover with real scores.

Don't chase 100

Once you're above roughly 80 for a specific job, extra points come mostly from stuffing in keywords you don't really have — which hurts you with the human who reads next. Spend that time on referrals, networking and interview preparation instead.

Your 30-minute improvement plan

1. Baseline: run the checker with a job description (2 min).
2. Fix readability: text, single column, icons, dates (10 min).
3. Fix sections: standard headings, summary (5 min).
4. Add genuine missing keywords to skills and bullets (8 min).
5. Add numbers to your top 5 bullets (5 min).
6. Re-check and compare.

Key takeaways

• Fix in order: readability, then sections, then keywords, then content.
• Readability problems can cap your score no matter how good your experience is.
• Paste the job description — keywords are 35% of the score when you do.
• Numbers and action verbs lift content quality quickly.
• Aim for 75–85+, not 100. Re-check after every change.