Resume template · Updated October 2026
ATS-friendly resume template with a worked sample
Short answer
For an ATS-friendly resume, start with Meridian: one column, no colour, standard headings and labelled skill rows above work experience. Every Resumity template is single-column text with no photos, icons or graphics, so the part left to you is wording. The fictional sample is an accounts payable specialist applying to large employers, written with the exact system and process names their postings use.
Download the ATS-friendly sample
Priya is a fictional accounts payable specialist. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
The files are made in your browser by Resumity's own exporters, from this sample. The builder opens it as your own resume: click any line to replace it. Free plan, no watermark.
Why Meridian suits an ATS-friendly resume
Meridian is the editor's default and uses no colour: name and contact line centred at the top, small-capital headings, and skills as labelled rows (Technical, Tools, Soft Skills) printed above work experience. That puts the posting's tool and process names in a plainly labelled block near the top, before the jobs that prove them.
Second choice: FAANGPath. FAANGPath has the same section order and an almost identical look, with full-width rules under headings and a dot after each skill label; it reads more naturally for technical applicants.
What goes in each section, in Meridian's order
Meridian prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Professional Summary. Use the job title from the posting, word for word if it describes your work, and name the systems you run. A search for "accounts payable" plus "SAP" should land on this paragraph, written as ordinary sentences rather than a pasted keyword list.
- Skills. Meridian prints three labelled rows. Keep every item a plain noun phrase someone would type into a search box: "three-way matching", not "invoice wizardry". Give product names the way the ad does (SAP S/4HANA, not just "ERP").
- Work Experience. Title, employer, city and dates on every entry, all in the same MM/YYYY pattern. Each bullet opens with a verb and keeps its figure inside the sentence ("about 1,200 invoices a month") instead of in a separate column of numbers.
- Education. Write the qualification out in full (Associate of Applied Science) rather than only as letters, and give the field. A search on either the long or the short form then has something to match.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Priya Raman
Accounts Payable Specialist
Columbus, OH | priya.raman@example.com | (614) 555-0147 | linkedin.com/in/sample-priya-raman
Accounts payable specialist with six years of full-cycle AP for manufacturing and distribution companies. Processes about 1,200 invoices a month in SAP S/4HANA and NetSuite, runs three-way matching and weekly payment runs, and reconciles vendor statements before month-end close.
Experience
Accounts Payable Specialist, Lakeshore Industrial Supply, Columbus, OH (03/2022 to Present)
- Process about 1,200 vendor invoices a month in SAP S/4HANA, matching each to its purchase order and goods receipt.
- Run the weekly ACH and check payment run for roughly 400 active vendors.
- Reconcile vendor statements monthly and clear duplicate or unapplied credits before close.
- Cut the invoice exception queue from about 90 items to under 30 with a shared inbox and a daily triage call with purchasing.
- Prepare year-end 1099 files and chase missing W-9 forms from vendors.
Accounts Payable Clerk, Redfield Foods Distribution, Dublin, OH (06/2019 to 02/2022)
- Entered and coded more than 600 invoices a month in NetSuite against the general ledger.
- Answered vendor payment questions by phone and email, usually the same day.
- Cleaned vendor master data ahead of the move to Coupa for purchase requisitions.
Education
Associate of Applied Science, Accounting, Scioto River Community College (05/2019)
Skills
Full-cycle accounts payable, Three-way matching, Vendor reconciliation, Month-end accruals, 1099 reporting, SAP S/4HANA, NetSuite, Coupa, Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP), Vendor communication, Accuracy under deadline
How to make the sample yours
Copy the posting's title into your headline
If the ad says "Accounts Payable Specialist II" and that is the work you do, use that title in the headline under your name. Your real employer title stays in the experience entry.
Mirror exact tool names
An ad that asks for Coupa is not matched by "procure-to-pay software". List the product, and the general term too if the posting uses both.
Write acronyms out once
Pair the short and long form the first time: "Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)", "Accounts Payable (AP)". After that the short form alone is fine.
Keep any extra section title plain
If you add an optional list, call it "Volunteer Work" or "Professional Development". The standard headings are printed by the template; the one you name yourself should be just as ordinary.
Compare the finished page with the ad
Read the requirements line by line and tick off where each one appears. Add any you genuinely meet but left out, in a bullet that shows you doing it.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- accounts payable
- full-cycle AP
- three-way match
- invoice processing
- vendor reconciliation
- payment runs
- ACH payments
- month-end close
- accruals
- SAP S/4HANA
- NetSuite
- 1099 reporting
- general ledger coding
Mistakes to avoid
- Moving contact details into a header box or skills into a table when editing the file in another program. Keep everything as ordinary lines of text, the way the template sets it.
- Renaming sections with something clever such as "Where I've Made an Impact". Plain headings are what both software and people look for.
- Hiding extra keywords in white text or listing terms you cannot back up. A recruiter reads whatever the search surfaces, and unsupported claims fall apart in the interview.
- Mixing date styles (Jan 2022, 03/2021, Summer 2019) across entries. Pick one pattern and keep it everywhere.
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 4 of 4 | 8 of 8 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 4 of 4 | 8 of 8 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 4 of 4 | 8 of 8 |
Frequently asked questions
Which section headings should an ATS-friendly resume use?
Familiar ones: Professional Summary, Skills, Work Experience, Education, Certifications. Resumity's templates print those headings for you; the only title you choose is for an optional extra list, so keep that one plain as well.
Do I need to tailor my resume for every application?
For roles you really want, yes. Adjust the headline, the summary and the order of skills to the posting's wording. Jobs and dates stay the same; only the emphasis moves.
Should I write the acronym or the full term?
Both, once. "Accounts Payable (AP)" or "Certified Public Accountant (CPA)" the first time means a search for either version finds you. Use the short form after that.
Will a plain, keyword-focused resume bore a human reader?
Not if the bullets are specific. One clear column with consistent dates and short results is also the easiest thing for a hiring manager to skim. Meridian adds a thin grey rule beside each heading and nothing more.
How many keywords should I include?
There is no target number. Include each requirement you can honestly claim, once in the skills rows and again in a bullet that shows you using it. Repeating a term many times adds nothing.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Meridian PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 4 section headings and all 8 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.
Guides and templates for this resume
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