Australian ATS Guide 2026 — How to Beat ATS Systems in Australia

Australian employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) at higher rates than NZ employers — particularly in government, large corporates, and the finance and healthcare sectors. Understanding how Australian ATS platforms work is essential for getting your resume seen by a human.

The Big Four AU ATS Platforms

• PageUp: Used by Commonwealth, state and territory government agencies, universities, and large corporates. Very strict on formatting — single column, no tables, plain Word documents preferred.
• JobAdder: Popular with Australian recruitment agencies. Handles standard formats well.
• Workday: Used by multinationals with AU operations. Clean single-column DOCX recommended.
• SmartRecruiters: Growing use in AU tech companies. Handles modern PDF well but single column preferred.

AU ATS Formatting Rules

• Single column layout only
• No tables, no text boxes, no graphics
• Standard section headings (Professional Summary, Work Experience, Education, Skills)
• Calibri or Arial font at 10–12pt
• File format: DOCX preferred by PageUp; PDF acceptable for most others
• File name: FirstName-LastName-Resume.docx

AU ATS Keyword Strategy

Australian ATS systems are particularly rigorous on keyword matching. For AU roles, extract 8–12 keywords from the job description and include them explicitly in your skills section. Use the exact language from the ad — do not paraphrase. PageUp government positions often specify selection criteria explicitly — address each one directly in your application.