restitch7 min read

How to Tailor Your Resume for ATS in 2026

Alex Hurley·

If you're applying to jobs online, your resume is almost certainly being screened by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before a human ever sees it. In 2026, 99% of Fortune 500 companies and a growing majority of mid-size companies use ATS to filter applications.

The good news: getting past ATS isn't about gaming the system. It's about presenting your qualifications clearly and matching the language the employer uses.

What is an ATS?

An Applicant Tracking System is software that companies use to manage their hiring process. It collects, sorts, and ranks resumes based on how well they match the job description. If your resume doesn't score well, it may never reach a recruiter.

Common ATS platforms include Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, and iCIMS.

5 rules for ATS-friendly resumes

1. Mirror the job description language

If the posting says "project management," don't write "PM." If it says "JavaScript," don't write "JS." ATS systems match keywords literally. Read the job description carefully and use the same terminology.

2. Use a clean, standard format

  • Stick to standard section headings: Experience, Education, Skills
  • Avoid tables, columns, headers/footers, and text boxes
  • Use a single-column layout
  • Save as PDF (unless the application specifically asks for .docx)

3. Include hard skills explicitly

Don't assume the ATS will infer your skills from context. If you used Python, say "Python." If you managed a budget, include the specific skill "budget management."

4. Quantify your achievements

"Increased revenue by 23% over 6 months" scores better than "helped grow the business." Numbers signal impact and give the ATS concrete data points.

5. Tailor every application

This is the most important rule and the hardest to follow manually. Every job posting is different, and your resume should reflect that. The same resume sent to 50 jobs will underperform a tailored version sent to 10.

How Restitch helps

This is exactly the problem Restitch solves. Instead of manually rewriting your resume for every application, Restitch reads the job description, compares it to your master resume, and generates a tailored version with an ATS match score — all in under 60 seconds.

No more guessing whether your resume will pass the filter.

Building Restitch in public. Follow along at hurleyinc.com/restitch.