18 December 2025
3 mins to read
Today, over 75–90% of Indian companies, including startups, MNCs, and recruitment agencies, use ATS software to filter resumes before a human recruiter ever sees them. Unfortunately, most candidates don’t know how ATS works — and that’s why 9 out of 10 resumes get rejected automatically.
Let’s break down why Indian resumes fail ATS screening and how you can fix each mistake.
An ATS is software that:
Scans resumes for keywords
Filters candidates based on skills, experience, and job relevance
Ranks resumes before recruiters review them
Indian employers use ATS to:
Handle high application volumes (especially for entry-level jobs)
Reduce hiring time
Eliminate irrelevant resumes
If your resume isn’t ATS-friendly, it may never be read by a human.
Many Indian candidates use:
Canva templates
Two-column layouts
Graphics, icons, tables, and text boxes
ATS software cannot read complex designs properly, causing key information to disappear during parsing.
✔ Use a simple, single-column resume
✔ Stick to standard fonts: Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman
✔ Avoid images, icons, charts, and tables
Remember: A resume is not a poster. It’s a data file.
ATS works on keyword matching. If your resume doesn’t include the same skills and terms used in the job description, it gets rejected — even if you’re qualified.
Example:
JD says: “Data Analysis using Python and SQL”
Resume says: “Worked on reports and dashboards”
ATS won’t connect the two.
✔ Copy exact skill terms from the job description
✔ Include them naturally in:
Skills section
Work experience bullets
Project descriptions
Tip: Customize your resume for every job application.
Most Indian resumes still start with:
“Seeking a challenging position in a reputed organization…”
ATS ignores vague statements. Recruiters do too.
✔ Replace objectives with a keyword-rich professional summary
Example:
“Marketing Executive with 2+ years of experience in SEO, Google Ads, and social media campaigns for Indian e-commerce brands.”
This helps both ATS and recruiters.
Many candidates upload resumes as:
Images
Scanned PDFs
Old Word formats
ATS struggles to parse these files.
✔ Use .docx or ATS-friendly PDF
✔ Avoid scanned documents
✔ Name your file professionally: FirstName_LastName_Resume.docx
Indian resumes often include:
Full home address
Date of birth
Marital status
Father’s name
10th & 12th marks for experienced professionals
ATS doesn’t need this — and recruiters don’t want it.
✔ Focus only on job-relevant information
✔ Keep resumes:
1 page (freshers)
1–2 pages (experienced)
ATS looks for standard headings. Creative labels confuse the system.
Wrong examples:
“What I’ve Done So Far”
“My Skill Set”
✔ Use standard headings:
Work Experience
Skills
Education
Projects
Certifications
Generic job duties don’t rank well.
Bad example:
“Responsible for sales operations”
✔ Use numbers and outcomes:
“Increased monthly sales by 25% in 6 months”
“Handled 100+ customer queries daily with 95% satisfaction”
ATS and recruiters both prefer measurable impact.
ATS is literal. Misspelled keywords = missed matches.
✔ Proofread carefully
✔ Use consistent:
Bullet points
Font size
Date format
Before applying, ensure your resume:
✔ Uses a single-column layout
✔ Matches job description keywords
✔ Has standard section headings
✔ Is saved as .docx or clean PDF
✔ Focuses on results, not responsibilities
If your resume isn’t ATS-optimized, your job application fails before it even begins.
In India’s competitive job market, ATS-friendly resumes are no longer optional — they’re essential.
A simple, keyword-optimized resume can easily double or triple your interview calls, even without changing your experience.
Want more hiring and resume insights? Explore expert job-seeking tips on JobinIndia and stay ahead in your career.