ATS-Friendly Resume Guide: Beat the Bots and Land FAANG Interviews

Section-by-Section Breakdown: Optimizing Your Resume for ATS

Even with perfect formatting, the content of each resume section needs to be ATS-friendly.

Here we’ll break down the key sections of a resume – Header, Summary, Work Experience, Skills, and Education – and discuss how to optimize each for applicant tracking systems (and FAANG recruiters).

Header and Contact Information

Your resume header should include your name and contact details at the top. From an ATS perspective, the simpler, the better:

• Name: Use a larger font for your name so it stands out. If you have a preferred name, you can format like “William (Bill) Johnson” so the ATS records both. Do not include credentials or degrees next to your name (e.g., don’t write Jane Doe, MBA at the top) – save that for education or a certifications line to avoid confusion in parsing.

• Phone and Email: Ensure your phone number is one contiguous string (e.g., 555-123-4567 or +1 555 123 4567). For email, use a professional email address and write it in standard format (e.g., jane.doe@gmail.com). Avoid embedding these in a header text box or graphic. They should be typed as normal text. Some ATS have dedicated fields for contact info; if the text is in an actual Word header or an image, it might not get picked up.

• Location: For FAANG roles, if local proximity is relevant, include your city and state (or country if applying abroad). E.g., “San Francisco, CA”. You usually don’t need your full street address. Listing at least a city can sometimes be important for ATS filters (recruiters may filter by those willing to relocate or already local).

• LinkedIn or Portfolio URL: It’s often beneficial to include your LinkedIn profile URL (customized URL is best) and/or GitHub or personal portfolio if relevant. Make sure these URLs are plain text or properly hyperlinked – don’t use a fancy LinkedIn icon alone. Write it out like LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yourname (the ATS will record the URL text).

• No Photos or Images: As mentioned, do not include a profile photo in the header. Aside from potential bias concerns, it’s simply an image that ATS will ignore or could choke on. Similarly, avoid any logos or icons in your header (like a location pin icon or email icon); they add no value for ATS.

• Keep it Compact: A two-line header is usually sufficient (name on one line, contact info on second line). This ensures the ATS and the human reader can quickly see all the essentials at a glance.

By making your header information clear and textual, you ensure the ATS captures who you are and how to reach you. You’d hate to be unfindable because the system couldn’t pick up your email or name properly!

Professional Summary or Objective

The top section of your resume after the header is typically a Professional Summary (for experienced candidates) or an Objective statement (for entry-level). This brief paragraph is prime real estate for ATS and for grabbing the recruiter’s attention in those first seconds.

To optimize your summary/objective:

• Include the Target Job Title and Key Skills: Tailor the summary to the specific role. For example: “Senior Software Engineer with 5+ years of experience in full-stack web development, specializing in Java, Python, and cloud architecture...”. This immediately hits the job title and several required skills. As noted earlier, including the exact job title can significantly boost your match rate, and placing relevant skills or keywords here sets the tone for the rest of the resume.

• Keep It Concise and Specific: 2–4 sentences is plenty. Focus on your top selling points that align with the job requirements. Mention years of experience, domains (e.g., fintech, e-commerce), and standout accomplishments (“led projects that impacted 10M+ users”). Avoid generic buzzwords that don’t say much (like “hard-working team player” – these won’t help ATS or humans).

• Use Keywords from the Job Description: If the posting emphasizes certain expertise (like “machine learning” or “project management” or “C++”), and you have it, put it in your summary. For instance: “...proven track record of delivering machine learning solutions in production”. The ATS will note those terms early, and the recruiter will immediately see you check their key boxes.

• Avoid First Person Pronouns: Write in an implied first person (no “I” or “my”). Instead of “I am a software engineer...”, just start with “Software Engineer with...”. This is a stylistic choice but keeps the tone professional and ATS doesn’t misinterpret stray pronouns.

• Optional - Highlight FAANG-level Achievements: If you have something that particularly speaks to FAANG environments (scale, complexity, prestigious background), you can hint at it here. E.g., “...experience working on globally distributed systems” or “ex-Google engineer” if true. Just be honest and don’t oversell.

A well-crafted summary acts as a quick pitch that not only contains relevant keywords but also helps the recruiter envision your fit. It should entice them to keep reading.

For ATS purposes, it’s another place to naturally insert important keywords and even a headline.

Some candidates title this section “Summary” or “Professional Profile” – that’s fine for ATS. If you’re a new grad or switching careers, an Objective can be used, but make sure it’s focused (“Seeking an engineering role at a leading tech company where I can apply X and Y skills”).

Even in an objective, using one or two role-specific keywords can help.

Work Experience

The Experience section is the core of your resume. Here’s how to make sure the ATS parses it correctly and that it showcases what FAANG hiring managers want:

• Consistent Formatting for Each Job: As mentioned, list jobs in reverse chronological order. For each position, include Job Title, Company Name, Location, and Dates. It’s often good to put the job title first (since that’s more relevant to your qualifications than the company name). For example:

  Software Engineer – XYZ Corp, Seattle, WA (Jun 2018 – Aug 2021)

  Using a dash or comma to separate these elements is fine. Just be consistent. If you worked at a known company, you can bold the company or the title to draw a human’s eye, but that won’t affect ATS. Do ensure each job entry is clearly separated (extra newline or so) so the ATS knows where one job ends and the next begins.

• Use Bullet Points for Responsibilities and Achievements: Under each job, have 2-5 bullet points (or more if the role was very significant) describing your responsibilities and accomplishments. Start bullets with strong action verbs (“Developed,” “Led,” “Implemented,” “Optimized”) and then describe the result or achievement. For ATS, the bullet points are just text, which is fine – but using the bullet format (•) makes it easier for humans to read. Example: “Implemented a new caching layer using Redis, reducing page load times by 35% and improving user retention.” This bullet has keywords (“caching”, “Redis”) that could be ATS-searched, plus a quantified result that impresses humans.

• Incorporate Role-Specific Keywords: Think about what each FAANG role needs. If you’re applying for a Data Scientist role and you did data analysis in a previous job, words like “data analysis,” “machine learning,” “Python,” “TensorFlow” should appear in the bullet points if applicable. ATS will pick up on context, but don’t rely on it inferring skills – spell them out. For instance, instead of saying “built a model to predict user behavior,” say “built a machine learning model in Python to predict user behavior.” Now you’ve included “machine learning” and “Python,” which might be key filters. As another example, if you managed people or projects, include the word “led” or “managed,” because a recruiter might search for leadership experience.

• Quantify and Be Specific: Whenever possible, add numbers or specifics (how many, how much, how often). Not only do metrics catch a recruiter’s attention, they also provide context that can align with keywords. “Improved system throughput by 20%” shows impact. “Managed a team of 5 engineers” shows leadership and includes “team” keyword. If a job posting mentions “experience in high-traffic systems,” having a bullet that says “handled ~1 million daily active users” directly demonstrates that, potentially aligning with implicit ATS criteria for scale.

• Avoid Company-Specific Jargon: Use terms that an outsider/ATS would understand. If your internal project was code-named, also describe it plainly. For example, “Worked on Project Falcon (internal content recommendation engine)...” The ATS might not care, but a human won’t know what “Project Falcon” is – they will care that it’s a recommendation engine.

• Mind the ATS in Formatting: Don’t get fancy within your experience entries. Avoid inserting an image or chart to represent your achievement (like a bar graph of performance – ATS won’t read it). Don’t use nested tables or text boxes to align your bullets. A simple bullet list under each job is perfect. Also, refrain from putting paragraph-long descriptions – bullets are better for ATS parsing and human readability. If you have a particularly important project, you might indent a sub-bullet or two under a job – that usually parses fine, but test if you can. Generally, keep the structure flat and simple.

• Gap Explanations (if needed): ATS typically doesn’t care about gaps; that’s more a human concern. You don’t need to explicitly label gaps on the resume. If you took a year off, you can explain in a cover letter or interview. For ATS, just focus on the experience you do have.

Remember, FAANG hiring managers reviewing this section will be looking for impact (did you make a difference in your role?) and relevance (do your experiences align with what they need?). The ATS just helps them find you by keywords, but once they have your resume, the content needs to deliver. By writing strong, keyword-rich bullets, you satisfy both: you’ve got the keywords to be picked up, and the details to impress the reader.

Skills Section

Having a dedicated Skills section is very important for ATS optimization. This is where you list out the tools, technologies, and other relevant competencies you bring to the table.

Many ATS systems specifically parse the Skills section into a checklist, and recruiters often filter or search by specific skills for technical roles.

Tips for an ATS-friendly skills section:

• Make it a Simple List: Use either bullet points or a separated list (e.g., words separated by commas or pipes). For example: Skills: Python; C++; Java; SQL; AWS; Machine Learning; Data Analysis; Agile Methodology;... and so on. This way, each skill is in plain text. Avoid rating your skills with stars or bars (e.g., “★★★★★” or graphs) – those are visuals that ATS can’t interpret. Simply listing the skill by name is most effective.

• Include Relevant Keywords (and Synonyms): Ensure you include all the critical skills mentioned in the job description that you possess. If a job calls for “Excel” and you have advanced Excel skills, list “Excel” even if you also have “Data Analysis” listed, because the ATS might be specifically checking for the word “Excel.” Similarly, include both “C++” and “C++11”/“C++14” if relevant, or “Git” and “GitHub” if both are mentioned. If there are synonyms or closely related terms (e.g., “Deep Learning” and “Neural Networks”), it could help to have both, assuming they reflect your experience.

• Order and Categorize if Helpful: You might group skills by type for clarity (especially in technical resumes). For instance:

  Skills: Programming – Python, Java, C++; Web – HTML, CSS, Node.js, React; Tools – AWS, Docker, Kubernetes; Database – MySQL, MongoDB; etc.

  Groupings are fine and can actually help ATS by providing context, but make sure each skill is still clearly delineated. The above example will likely be parsed into individual skills. Use a bold or italic for category names if you want (it won’t hurt ATS).

• Don’t Overstuff or Include Irrelevant Skills: Quality over quantity. It might be tempting to dump every skill you’ve ever touched. But focus on those relevant to the FAANG role. Including some older or unrelated tech (like a web developer listing “MS Word” or a software engineer listing a bunch of elementary coursework) won’t boost your ATS score meaningfully and could dilute the focus. Also, too many keywords might look odd to a human reader if it seems like a laundry list. Strike a balance by highlighting core strengths.

• No Secret Keywords: All skills you list should be things you’re comfortable being asked about in an interview. Don’t try to trick the ATS by listing skills you don’t actually have – it’s not only unethical, but you’ll likely be caught in the technical interviews that FAANG is famous for. It’s better to miss out on an ATS match than to get an interview under false pretenses.

• Soft Skills – Minimal in Skills Section: Soft skills like “teamwork, communication, leadership” are important but they typically belong woven into your experience bullets (or a summary), not in a skills checklist. ATS filters for technical roles are usually aimed at hard skills. If a posting explicitly lists a soft skill, you could mention it, but generally prioritize technical skills here.

By creating a well-organized skills section, you make it very easy for the ATS to record all your capabilities and for recruiters to see at a glance if you have the skill set they need.

Many recruiters at FAANG will hit “Ctrl+F” on their side when viewing resumes (even after ATS stage) to quickly find specific skills like “Kubernetes” or “TensorFlow.”

If those keywords are in your skills list (and ideally also contextualized in your experience), you’re in good shape.

Learn how to list technical skills on a software engineer resume.

Education

The Education section is typically straightforward, but there are still ways to optimize it for ATS and FAANG recruiters:

• Format: List your degree(s), field of study, school name, and graduation year (or expected grad date). For example: B.Sc. in Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley – Class of 2020. You can bold the degree or school name if you like (for human readability; the ATS will read it regardless). If you have multiple degrees or a degree and certifications, you might break those into subsections (Education and Certifications) or list certifications under a separate heading.

• Include Key Educational Keywords: If the job requires a certain degree or education level, make sure that’s clearly stated. For instance, if “Bachelor’s degree” is required, use the word “Bachelor” or “B.A./B.S.” etc., which the ATS will pick up. Likewise, if you have a degree highly relevant to the role (e.g., Master’s in Machine Learning), highlight it – both ATS and recruiters will take note.

• GPA and Academic Honors (if applicable): For recent graduates or if required in the application, you can include GPA (e.g., GPA: 3.8/4.0). FAANG companies don’t usually require GPA on resumes, but if yours is strong (generally >3.5) and you’re early in your career, it could be a positive – and ATS may parse that as a data point. Honors like cum laude, Dean’s List, or specific scholarships can be added as well; they might not affect ATS much, but they show academic excellence to human readers.

• Relevant Coursework or Projects (optional): If you are a new grad or switching fields, adding 2-4 relevant courses or academic projects can help include more keywords and show domain knowledge. For example, listing courses like Algorithms, Operating Systems, Database Systems can reinforce that you have foundational knowledge (and those terms may match job description keywords for entry roles). Just don’t go overboard – a short list in parentheses or bullet form is enough.

• Certifications: If you have earned industry certifications (AWS Certified Solutions Architect, PMP, Cisco CCNA, etc.), you can either create a separate Certifications section or include them under education (especially if you only have one or two). Certifications often have abbreviations, so consider writing out the full name at least once if space allows, to catch all keyword variants (e.g., “AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner” in addition to “AWS CCP”). FAANG generally values proven skills over certs, but certain roles might specifically filter for them, so it doesn’t hurt to list them clearly.

• Don’t Hide Education in Odd Places: Make sure your education is its own section or clearly marked. Some people put their degree next to their name at the top – that might be fine for human eyes (“Jane Doe, MBA”), but ATS might miss that or not categorize it properly. It’s safer to list it formally in the education section as well.

Education can also be a filtering criterion in ATS (e.g., some roles might only consider candidates with a Bachelor’s or a Master’s). By properly listing your education, you ensure you’re not inadvertently filtered out. For FAANG, having a strong educational background can be a plus, but they hire from all sorts of backgrounds as long as you can do the job. The key is making sure whatever education you have is clearly presented.

Now that we’ve optimized each section of your resume, let’s look at how FAANG companies specifically use these resumes and what their recruiters are scanning for – as well as some common pitfalls to avoid.

Check out the best resume formats for FAANG.

How FAANG Companies Screen Resumes (and What They Look For)

Getting a resume into a FAANG company’s hands is one thing – getting selected for an interview is another. It helps to understand how these companies handle resume screening and what hiring managers want to see:

• Heavy Reliance on ATS for Initial Screening: As discussed, FAANG companies deal with an enormous number of applications. They use ATS not just to filter resumes, but to search through their talent database. Recruiters might type in a query like “Java AND Kubernetes AND Scala” if they’re looking for a back-end specialist, and the ATS will surface resumes (past applicants, etc.) that meet those terms. If your resume isn’t well-keyworded, you simply won’t appear in these searches. Therefore, tailoring your resume for the specific FAANG job description can’t be overstated – it directly impacts whether you get pulled from the pile.

• Recruiters Spend Seconds, Not Minutes, per Resume: Studies (and FAANG recruiters themselves) have noted that they often spend just 6–7 seconds on an initial scan of a resume. In that glance, they’re looking for big-ticket items: your current and past job titles (are they relevant?), company names (FAANG or well-known competitors/industries catch the eye), key skills/certifications (do you have what the job needs?), and notable achievements (impressive metrics or leadership roles). If those don’t pop out quickly, your resume may get skimmed over. That’s why formatting for clarity (clear headings, consistent layout) is so crucial – it makes those elements easy to spot once the ATS has forwarded your resume.

• What Hiring Managers Want to See: While keywords get you through the ATS, content gets you the interview. Hiring managers at FAANG look for impact and innovation. They love to see quantifiable results (“drove 15% revenue growth”, “improved efficiency by 30%”) and evidence that you can handle large scale or complexity (common in FAANG environments). They also seek indications of leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving. So, if you’ve led a project, mentored others, or solved a tricky problem, highlight those in your experience. Another thing they value is relevance – if you’re applying to a cloud role at Amazon, for instance, experience with AWS or distributed systems will carry weight. If you’re aiming at a machine learning role at Google, seeing related projects or research will excite them.

• FAANG Resume Screening Process: Often, after the ATS phase, a recruiter (sourcer) will do the first human pass, not the hiring manager. The recruiter will decide if you meet the basic criteria and are worth scheduling a phone screen. They might have a checklist from the hiring team (e.g., “must have 5+ years in X, experience with Y”). They may also look for any red flags (like unexplained long gaps, very frequent job hopping, etc., though those are usually secondary to qualifications). If you pass recruiter review, your resume may then be sent to the hiring manager who will do a more in-depth read to decide whether to invite you for an interview.

• Internal Referrals & Bypassing ATS: It’s worth noting that a referral at a FAANG company can sometimes bypass the initial ATS filters – your resume might be directly forwarded to a recruiter. However, even in those cases, your resume will eventually be in their ATS system, and the same content rules apply. Referrals are great, but not everyone has that option. An ATS-optimized resume ensures that even as a cold applicant you have a fighting chance. Many people have landed FAANG interviews purely through applying online with a well-crafted resume – it’s not easy, but it happens more often when that resume is on point.

• Use of Additional Screens: Some FAANG roles might also require answering supplemental questions on the application or include an online assessment test before any human contact. Those aren’t part of the resume, but keep in mind the resume is still the foundation. The info you provide might be cross-verified. For example, if you claim a skill on your resume and there’s an online quiz on it, it should match up.

• Common Preferences: Though not always explicitly stated, many FAANG recruiters appreciate when resumes show clarity of thought and attention to detail. That means no typos, no formatting inconsistencies, and a coherent story of your career. If you worked at lesser-known companies or startups, a one-line company description (in parentheses, in light font) to give context can be helpful for the human reader (e.g., Acme Corp (fintech startup)). It’s not an ATS thing, but it helps a FAANG reviewer understand your background quickly.

To put it succinctly: FAANG screeners want to quickly see that you have the qualifications, skills, and track record to succeed in their high-bar environment. Your resume should make it immediately obvious that you check those boxes – both through the right keywords (so they find you) and the right details (so they call you).

Common Mistakes to Avoid (ATS and FAANG Edition)

Even strong candidates can undermine their chances with some resume missteps. Here are some common mistakes that could hurt your ATS score or turn off FAANG recruiters (and how to avoid them):

• Using Overly Fancy Templates: Elaborate resume templates with multiple columns, graphics, or heavy styling might look pretty to you, but they often confuse ATS parsing. They can also be harder for humans to follow. Avoid templates that resemble infographics, or ones that put text in unusual places. A simple layout ensures nothing gets scrambled.

• Not Tailoring Your Resume for Each Application: It’s a lot of work to customize, but sending the same generic resume to every FAANG job posting is a mistake. If you don’t align your resume with the specific job’s keywords and focus, the ATS may rank you low for that role. And even a human reviewer can tell if a resume is too generic. Tailoring doesn’t mean rewriting from scratch – it means tweaking your summary and perhaps reordering or rewording some bullets to emphasize the most relevant experience.

• Keyword Stuffing or Hiding Keywords: On the flip side, some candidates have heard keywords are king and go overboard. Keyword stuffing is when you unnaturally repeat keywords in a way that doesn’t make sense (e.g., “Java, Java, Java” or listing “Java” under every single job whether or not you used it there). This can actually backfire; recruiters see it as a red flag, and some ATS algorithms may detect excessive repetition as a manipulation attempt. Never hide keywords in white text on your resume (an old trick to game the system) – many ATS will still index hidden text, and if a recruiter spots it in the ATS view, it’s usually an instant rejection for dishonesty.

• Including Images or Graphics of Text: This bears repeating – don’t present important information in a non-text format. For example, sometimes people insert an image of a certification or a logo of a company. ATS will ignore it completely. Even headshots – while common in some countries – are not standard for U.S. resumes (especially not for tech roles) and serve no purpose in ATS. Stick to text only for your content. If you have a design portfolio or something visual to show, provide a link.

• Unclear Section Labeling: If an ATS can’t identify sections, it might mis-classify parts of your resume. For instance, if you have a section called “Relevant Chronicles” for your jobs (trying to be quirky), the ATS might not realize that’s your experience. Use the conventional labels for sections (as discussed earlier) to avoid this pitfall. Similarly, for humans, quirky labels can seem unprofessional or confusing.

• Typos, Grammar Issues, and Formatting Inconsistencies: At FAANG, attention to detail is often part of the job. A resume riddled with typos or inconsistent formatting (like one job has bullets in one style and the next job in another) signals a lack of care. Beyond impression, a typo in a key keyword can actually cause you to be missed (imagine if you accidentally typed “Pyton” – the ATS won’t match that to “Python”). Always proofread multiple times and consider having someone else review your resume for mistakes.

• Very Long Resumes: While ATS systems don’t penalize a longer resume per se (they’ll scan whatever you upload), humans do have limited patience. A common guideline is 1 page for early career, 2 pages for more experienced. If you go beyond 2 pages, make sure every line is providing value. In FAANG recruiting, it’s rare that a resume over 2 pages gets fully read. Being concise is a skill – and it also helps you focus on the most relevant info. If you’ve got decades of experience, you might summarize anything older than 10-15 years. The ATS will still have that data, but the recruiter doesn’t need your entire life story in detail.

• Neglecting to Update Older Entries: Sometimes people update their recent experience with keywords and newer format, but leave older jobs or sections outdated (e.g., an old job still has an objective from years ago attached or uses a different tense/format). This can make the resume feel inconsistent. Ensure every part of your resume is aligned with your current strategy and is ATS-friendly. For example, if you learned about ATS recently, don’t forget to go back and remove an old unnecessary detail like an address or an irrelevant hobby section that isn’t keyword optimized and takes space.

• Excluding a Skills Section or Important Skills: Some very experienced folks think their skills will be evident from their jobs, so they omit a skills section. This can be a mistake for ATS, because you want that quick list of core competencies. Also, if you have experience with something but didn’t mention it explicitly, the ATS won’t give you credit for it. Make sure any critical skill you have is explicitly listed. For instance, if you are a software engineer and you didn’t list “C++” anywhere because you assumed it’s obvious from context, you might get filtered out if the system is specifically filtering for that keyword.

• Poor File Naming or Metadata: This is minor, but when you upload your resume, naming the file as YourName_Resume.pdf is more professional than “ResumeDraft_final.pdf”. While this doesn’t affect ATS parsing, some systems attach the file name in your profile. A recruiter who downloads it will appreciate a clear name. Also, avoid metadata in the file that might show a different author or weird title (you can check PDF properties). It’s just a polish thing.

Avoiding the 3 major mistakes in resume will keep it in the game.

In short: keep it simple, relevant, and error-free. An ATS-friendly resume is also often a recruiter-friendly resume.