How to (Ethically and Unethically) Hack an ATS

ATS are imperfect, biased, and can arbitrarily kill your chances of getting seen by a real human. This article presents the ways to game the system that can give you a fair chance.

TL;DR: ATS systems are notoriously imperfect, with real biases that can kill your chances for arbitrary (or unfair) reasons. There are ethical ways to optimize your resume to succeed—and questionable hacks that can work but carry risk. You are all adults.

The Truth About ATS Biases

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) don't always behave rationally. Research shows real biases:

• Keyword Bias: Resumes without exact keyword matches from the job description are consistently deprioritized.

• Formatting Bias: Non-standard formatting (tables, columns, images) frequently confuses ATS parsers, resulting in lower scoring.

• Length Bias: Too short (<300 words) or too long (>900 words) resumes tend to get penalized.

There is also notable age, gender and racial bias. These aren’t new, but it is worth stating that they are in fact baked into the algorithms. (See The Algorithm: How AI decides who gets hired, monitored, promoted, and fired and why we need to fight back now).

Why? Because it’s based on historically biased data and reinforced by present-day biased decision-making. The systems are purposefully opaque, and even if a company realizes that the system is biased, it can’t say so publicly without opening itself up to a lawsuit. So everyone stays quiet, and you and I are left to navigate the flawed system. It’s about now that the “unethical” ways become more appealing.

Knowing these biases, there are practical ways to "hack" the ATS to get your resume noticed.

The first recommendation is to avoid the system entirely. This is always my primary goal: Network to jobs that aren’t advertised. However it’s not always possible. In fact the market is insane, so even the unadvertised stuff is competitive.

So when we can’t avoid it, consider the following steps and pick your risk comfort level.

Ethical Hacks

Here’s the vanilla stuff we should all be doing.

1. Keyword Matching

Use exact keywords and phrases from the job description. ATS are literal—"managed projects" may not match "project management."

How-to: Copy critical keywords exactly as they appear in the posting. Literally copy paste as much of the job description wording as relevant.

It feels weird, but this is the system we’re presented with. There’s no room for nuance.

Copy and paste the exact words and sentences, where relevant.

2. Simple Formatting

ATS prefers:

• Single-column, clear layouts

• Bullet points rather than paragraphs

• Basic fonts (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman)

Avoid: Graphics, fancy headers, footers, and tables.

You probably already know this. But it’s easy to second-guess when you’ve been ghosted or rejected over and over.

3. Job Title Tweaks

If your past role matches the new job closely, use parentheses:

Example:

• Original: Project Specialist

• Optimized: Project Specialist (Project Manager)

This ensures the ATS picks up both roles.

4. Skills Section Optimization

Include a "Core Competencies" or "Skills" section with bullet points matching key terms. Again, don’t overthink it. Copy and paste the relevant words.

5. Removing data that could bias you.

No one should have to do this. However, bias is a real thing, and now it might be autonomous. If you want to take action in this area, consider removing:

• Education years and other dates that could imply age;

• Anything identifying your gender.

• Anything that could imply race or ethnicity

  • location of university

    nationality - if not needed for the job,

  • location of work positions - if not relevant to the job

  • Any others.

There are limits to what you can feasibly do.

My thoughts: I don’t want to erase who I am or my history, but at the same time, this is just an arbitrary system, and if taking an objective approach yields results, I’m at least considering what I can do to get to an interview stage.

Gray-Area Hacks

1. Keyword Overloading

Adding excessive synonyms or slightly varied keywords to boost hits.

Example: "Python, Python3, Python scripting, Data Analysis in Python..."

Risk: Looks spammy to human reviewers. Theres probably a line there where it’s manageable without looking spammy. Use your judgement.

2. Hidden Keywords in White Text

Using white font to hide keywords within your resume.

Risk: High. Many ATS remove formatting, exposing your "secret" words. Just something to be aware of.

Unethical Hacks (Not Recommended)

1. Embedded Job Posting

Placing the entire job description or keywords in small, invisible text at the bottom of your resume.

Risk: If the ATS removes formatting, it looks very obvious. It’s also a quick disqualification and you may get black listed as a result.

2. Metadata Manipulation

Inserting false metadata or custom JSON headers that attempt to trick ATS parsing algorithms.

Risk: Can corrupt parsing process, it also strays into the purposefully deceptive.

Bottom Line

We’re all being graded on a biased, unethical, arbitrary scale. If we have to engage with it, we may as well do everything we can to navigate it.

Optimization is essential—match keywords, use clear formatting, and strategically structure your resume. The rest is your choice. You can spend your energy railing against the system, or you can game it long enough to land the interview and move on. Your choice. Just be smart, strategic, and a little ruthless when you have to be. And if you’re already exhausted by the whole damn thing—me too. You’re not alone.

If this helped, share it with someone else trying to stay sane and strategic in the chaos.