How to Write an ATS-Friendly Resume as a Fresher (With Examples)

Learn how to build an ATS friendly resume for freshers: structure, keywords, project bullets with before and after examples, and formatting rules.

By InternHack Team · 2026-09-22 · 11 min read · Resume

If you are a final-year student or a recent graduate applying for your first job or a resume for internship applications, this guide is for you. You will learn what an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) really does, how to structure a one-page resume when you have little experience, and how to rewrite weak project bullets into strong ones, with before and after examples you can copy the pattern from.

What an ATS actually does

An ATS is software that companies use to collect, store and sort job applications. When you upload a resume on a careers page, the system does three basic things.

1. Parsing. It reads your file and tries to split it into fields: name, email, education, employers, skills, dates. If the parser cannot understand the layout, those fields can end up empty or jumbled in the recruiter's view.
2. Storing. Your application goes into a searchable database attached to that job opening.
3. Search and filtering. A recruiter can search the database using keywords, filter by location or graduation year, and sort candidates. Some systems also show a match score against the job description.

That is the real picture. The ATS is mostly a filing cabinet with a search box. What matters for you is that a parser must read your resume correctly, and that a human (or a keyword search) must be able to find the right words in it.

Myths worth dropping

• "The ATS automatically rejects 75% of resumes." This claim circulates widely and has no reliable source. In most companies, people make the rejection decisions, sometimes using knockout questions such as work authorisation, graduation year or minimum CGPA that you answer in the application form itself.
• "You need to hide keywords in white text." Do not do this. Parsers extract the text, recruiters can see it, and it looks dishonest. Copying a job description in white font can get you rejected on the spot.
• "A fancy template with graphics gets noticed." For a fresher, a plain and clean document is safer. Designers can use rich layouts; you are not applying for a design role.
• "There is one universal ATS score." Different companies use different systems (Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, Taleo, and in-house tools at large Indian firms), and each parses a little differently. Any single score is a rough guide, not a verdict.

The goal is simple: make the resume easy for a machine to parse and easy for a person to skim in about 30 seconds.

The one-page structure for freshers

With fewer than two years of experience, one page is the right length. Recruiters review hundreds of resumes for campus and off-campus drives, and a tight page shows you can prioritise.

Use this section order:

Two adjustments are worth making. If you have completed an internship, move Experience above Projects. If you are applying to an off-campus role and your CGPA is below the company's cut-off, keep it visible but do not let it dominate the page; strong projects carry more weight for many tech roles.

The header

Keep it boring and complete. Put your contact information in the body of the document, not inside the page header area (more on that below). Use a professional email address, add a working GitHub link, and make sure your LinkedIn URL is clickable. Do not add a photo, date of birth, marital status or full postal address. None of these help you and some can introduce bias.

Education

List your most recent degree first: degree name, college, expected or actual graduation month and year, and CGPA. Add class 12 and class 10 only if a form or a company asks for them. Write dates in a consistent format such as "Aug 2022 - May 2026". Parsers handle standard date formats much better than creative ones.

Skills

Group skills so a recruiter can scan them in a few seconds:

Languages: Java, Python, JavaScript, SQL
Frameworks: React, Node.js, Express, Spring Boot
Databases: PostgreSQL, MongoDB
Tools: Git, Docker, Postman, Linux
Concepts: Data Structures, OOP, REST APIs, DBMS

Rules for this section: list only what you can discuss in an interview, use the standard names of tools ("JavaScript", not "JS Language"), and skip skill bars, star ratings and percentages. "Python: 80%" tells a recruiter nothing and cannot be parsed meaningfully. Do not list "MS Word" or "Internet" as skills for a software role.

Writing project bullets that get read

For freshers, projects are the main evidence of skill, so most of your effort should go here. A reliable formula for each bullet is:

Action verb + what you built or did + how (tools) + impact or scale.

The impact does not need to be revenue. It can be performance, users, test coverage, time saved, or the size of the dataset. If you do not have a real number, do not invent one. Describe the concrete outcome instead.

Before and after examples

Notice what changed. The weak bullets describe a duty ("responsible for", "worked on", "made"). The strong ones name the technology, state a specific feature, and end on a result. Only use figures like "18%" or "top 10 of 120" if they are true for your project.

Verbs that work

Start every bullet with a strong past-tense verb: built, designed, implemented, developed, optimised, automated, integrated, reduced, deployed, tested, migrated, refactored. Avoid "helped with", "assisted in" and "was part of" unless you cannot honestly claim more; they hide what you personally did.

Keep each project compact

Give each project a title, the tech stack in a short line, links to the live demo and the GitHub repo, and 2-3 bullets. A project with a working deployed link is much more convincing than a description alone. If you want to strengthen your project list further, contributing to open source is a strong signal; you can explore programs on the open source page and read the GSoC selection guide.

Formatting rules: what helps and what hurts

Formatting is where most parsing failures come from. These rules are conservative on purpose.

Do

• Use a single column layout with standard headings: "Education", "Projects", "Experience", "Skills". Parsers look for these words.
• Use a common font such as Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman or Garamond, at 10-12 pt for body text.
• Use simple round bullet points.
• Use real text, not images of text.
• Put links as visible text or normal hyperlinks; also write the URL in plain text at least once, since some parsers drop hyperlink targets.
• Keep margins around 0.5 to 1 inch.

Avoid

• Multiple columns and sidebars. Some parsers read across the page line by line and merge two columns into nonsense. This is one of the most common issues with popular templates.
• Tables for layout. Table cells can be read out of order.- Icons and emoji for phone, email or location. They can turn into unreadable characters. Write "Email:" or just the address.
• Headers and footers for content. Some systems ignore the header and footer areas of a Word or PDF file, so your name and phone number may vanish. Put contact details in the main body.
• Text boxes, shapes, charts and graphics. Text inside a text box is frequently skipped.
• Creative section names like "My Journey" or "Things I Have Built". Use standard labels.

A quick test: copy all text from your PDF and paste it into a plain text editor. If the order is scrambled or characters are missing, a parser will probably struggle too. You can also run your resume through the free ATS scorer on InternHack to catch formatting and keyword problems before you apply.

Tailoring your resume to a job description

You do not need a different resume for every application, but a 10-minute adjustment for each role you really want is worthwhile.

1. Read the job description and mark the required skills. Look at "requirements" and "responsibilities". Pick out the technologies, methods and soft skills that repeat.
2. Compare with your resume honestly. Which of those things have you actually done? Make sure the matching ones appear, using the same wording as the posting. If the job says "REST APIs" and you wrote "web services", change it. If it says "Node.js", write "Node.js", not "NodeJS" or "Node".
3. Reorder, do not fabricate. Move the most relevant project to the top. Reorder your skills so the most relevant come first. Never add a skill you cannot back up in an interview.
4. Use both forms of important terms once. Write "Amazon Web Services (AWS)" or "Continuous Integration (CI)" the first time, because a recruiter may search for either.
5. Match the role title where true. If you are applying for "Backend Developer Intern" and your project is a backend service, say "backend" in the bullet.

Keywords should appear in context, in your bullets and skills, not as a block of unrelated terms. A recruiter reading your resume must still see real work behind the words.

File format and naming

• PDF or DOCX? Follow the instruction on the application page first. If there is no instruction, a PDF exported from Word, Google Docs or LaTeX with selectable text is generally safe and keeps your layout intact. Some older systems parse DOCX slightly better, so if the portal says "Word preferred", use DOCX.
• Never upload a scanned image or a PDF made from a screenshot. The parser sees no text.
• Name the file sensibly: Firstname_Lastname_Resume.pdf. Avoid "resume_final_v7_new.pdf".
• Keep the file small, under 1 MB, and make sure it opens without a password.

A final checklist before you apply

• One page, single column, standard section headings
• Contact details in the body, links working
• Every project bullet starts with a verb and ends with a result or concrete outcome
• Skills grouped and truthful, matching the job description's terms
• No icons, tables, text boxes, photo or skill bars
• Copy-paste test passes in a plain text editor
• Filename is clean, format is PDF unless told otherwise

A good resume opens the door, but you still need to prepare for what comes next. Once you start getting calls, follow the 90-day internship interview plan and use the campus placement preparation guide to organise your preparation. You can also browse current openings on the internships page and external jobs and apply with the resume you have just built.

FAQ

What is an ATS-friendly resume?

It is a resume that a parsing system can read correctly and a recruiter can search easily. In practice this means a single-column layout, standard section headings, real selectable text, common fonts, and wording that matches the role you are applying for. It does not mean stuffing keywords or using special tricks.

Should a fresher resume be one page?

Yes, for almost everyone with under two years of experience. One page forces you to keep only your strongest projects, skills and achievements. A second page rarely adds value at this stage and is often not read.

Is a PDF or Word file better for an ATS?

Most modern systems parse text-based PDFs well, and a PDF preserves your formatting. If the application portal asks for a specific format, follow that. Avoid PDFs that are scanned images because the text cannot be extracted.

How many keywords should I add?

There is no magic number. Include the important technologies and skills from the job description that you genuinely have, once or twice each, in your skills section and in project bullets where you used them. Repeating a word ten times does not help and reads badly to a human.

What should I put on my resume if I have no internship?

Lead with projects, and describe them with the action, what, and impact formula. Add open source contributions, hackathon results, coding platform ratings, certifications you have actually completed, and leadership roles in college clubs. A well-described project with a live link and a GitHub repo can carry a fresher resume.

Can I use a two-column template from Canva?

It is risky for online applications, because many parsers read columns in the wrong order. If you love the design, keep it for sending directly to a person by email or LinkedIn, and use a plain single-column version for portals.