You fixed your resume, re-scanned, and the score went down. Frustrating — but usually fixable. These are the most common causes we see across thousands of scans.
Formatting changes break parsing
Adding columns, icons, skill bars, or exporting from Canva often strips readable text from the file ATS sees. Stick to plain formatting when tailoring.
Keyword stuffing backfires
Repeating the same keyword 20 times or adding a dense skills block without context can trigger readability penalties. Aim for natural placement in bullets.
Length swings matter
Cutting too much content can remove section signals ATS expects. Adding two pages of fluff hurts readability scores. Target 400–900 words for most roles.
Fix loop: scan → tailor → re-scan
Make one category of changes at a time — format first, then keywords, then bullets. Compare versions in ATS Resume OS Version Manager to see what helped.