What is an ATS score?

It's an estimate of how well your resume matches a job posting's keywords and how cleanly the software can read it. It's a keyword and formatting signal — not a guarantee of a callback.

Does every employer use an ATS?

Most mid-size and large employers do, and many small ones too. Writing for the ATS also makes your resume clearer for the human who reads it next.

How do I find the right keywords?

Pull them from the job posting itself, and from the civilian occupations your MOS maps to. Our per-MOS pages list the keywords recruiters screen for in each field.

How to Beat the ATS as a Veteran

By Christion Calegon, veteran & founder of GetVetsHired · June 2026 · 5 min read

Before a human ever reads your resume, software called an applicant tracking system (ATS) scans it and decides whether it's a match. For veterans, the biggest reason a qualified resume gets filtered isn't a lack of skill — it's language the scanner can't connect to the job.

Use a layout the scanner can read

Stick to a single-column, text-first layout. Tables, columns, text boxes, headers/footers, and graphics often get scrambled or dropped when the ATS parses your file. Save and send as a PDF unless the posting asks for Word.

Match the keywords in the job posting

An ATS ranks you on how well your resume matches the posting's required skills. Mirror the exact terms — if it asks for "inventory management," use "inventory management," not "supply accountability." Translate your military terms into the civilian keywords for the role.

Translate the jargon the scanner can't match

An ATS doesn't know that NCOIC means supervisor or that a 25B is an IT specialist. Untranslated jargon, MOS codes, and rank abbreviations read as noise. Run your resume through a free check to see exactly which terms a civilian system won't recognize.

Run the free ATS check

Spell out acronyms once

Even civilian acronyms should appear spelled-out at least once — "Security Operations Center (SOC)," "Commercial Driver's License (CDL)" — so the ATS matches whichever form the posting uses.

FAQ