How to Get a 90+ ATS Score on Your Resume (Step by Step)

Hitting a 90+ ATS score is the holy grail of job applications. A score this high virtually guarantees that your resume will bypass the robotic gatekeepers and land directly on a human recruiter's screen. But getting a 90+ requires more than just sprinkling a few buzzwords; it requires structural precision.

Here is the step-by-step framework to push your resume into the elite 90+ bracket without making it sound like it was written by a keyword-stuffed machine.

Step 1: Nail the Exact Job Title

Applicant Tracking Systems heavily weight your previous job titles. If you are applying for a "Senior Product Manager" role, but your resume says "Product Lead," the ATS will deduct points. If you actually did the work of a Senior PM, adjust your title slightly (e.g., "Product Lead / Senior Product Manager") to ensure a direct match.

Step 2: Use Boring, Standard Section Headers

Creative headers kill ATS scores. If you use headers like "My Journey" or "What I Bring to the Table," the ATS cannot parse your experience. Stick to the absolute standards:

• Work Experience / Professional Experience
• Education
• Skills

Step 3: Exact-Match Hard Skills

Read the job description and extract every technical skill, software, and methodology mentioned. If it asks for "Amazon Web Services," write "Amazon Web Services (AWS)." If it asks for "Agile Development," ensure the exact word "Agile" appears in your bullet points, not just a vague reference to sprints.

Step 4: Strip Out Complex Formatting

To score 90+, your text must be perfectly machine-readable. This means:

• No multi-column layouts
• No tables or text boxes
• No progress bars or graphics for skills
• Save and submit as a standard PDF (unless DOCX is explicitly requested)

Check Your Progress

It's hard to know if you've hit 90 without checking. When you use RoastMyCV, we include a free ATS score checker as part of your roast. It will objectively score your resume and point out the exact formatting errors or missing keywords keeping you out of the 90+ tier.

Ready for a 90+ Score?

Don't guess what the robots want.

See your real score right now.Get your free ATS score and roast at roastmycv.inand follow our actionable feedback to push your resume past 90.