ATS Resume for Engineering Freshers: Check Yours Free

The short answer

An applicant tracking system (ATS) converts your resume into plain text, splits it into sections by their headings, and lets the recruiter search and rank candidates by keywords from the job advert. For an engineering fresher applying to automation roles, that means a single-column layout, standard headings (Summary, Technical Skills, Projects, Education), no tables, icons or skill bars, and the exact platform names the advert uses, such as Siemens TIA Portal, S7-1200, Modbus and VFD. Paste your resume into the free ATS Resume Checker to see what it reads.

How ATS screening actually works

An ATS is not a robot that "rejects" you on its own judgement. It does three ordinary things:

1. Parses your file into text. Two-column layouts, text boxes, tables, headers and images can come out scrambled or empty. If your phone number is inside a header graphic, the system may not have it.
2. Structures the text into fields: contact details, education, experience, skills, dates. It finds these by recognising headings, so "My Journey" is less useful than "Experience".
3. Matches and ranks. The recruiter searches for keywords ("PLC", "TIA Portal", "Modbus"), filters by qualification or location, and reads the top of the list. Some systems add knockout questions in the application form (notice period, willingness to relocate).

So the goal is simple: make sure the text the system extracts is complete, correctly sectioned, and contains the words a recruiter for that job will search for. Then make sure the human who reads it next sees evidence, not adjectives.

What an ATS reads from a typical fresher resume

A quick test: open your PDF, select all, copy and paste into a plain text editor. If the order is jumbled or bits are missing, an ATS will have the same problem.

An ATS-safe layout for an engineering fresher

This works for mechanical, electrical (EEE), ECE and instrumentation graduates aiming at PLC, SCADA, instrumentation or maintenance roles. One page is enough for a fresher; two at most.

1. Name and contact: name, phone, email, city, LinkedIn URL. Plain text, at the top, not in a header.
2. Summary (3 lines): target role in the advert's own words, your degree, two or three platforms, one result. Example: "Electrical engineering graduate (2026) seeking a PLC Programmer role. Built and simulated motor-control and tank-level projects in Siemens TIA Portal with S7-1200 and PLCSIM. Comfortable with 4-20 mA scaling, VFD parameters and Modbus." The free Resume Summary tool drafts these three lines.
3. Technical Skills: grouped plain lists. PLC: Siemens TIA Portal (S7-1200, PLCSIM), ladder logic, FBD. HMI/SCADA: WinCC, Ignition. Field: 4-20 mA transmitters, PNP/NPN sensors, VFD set-up. Networks: Modbus RTU/TCP, Profinet basics. Only list what you could be questioned on.
4. Projects: your strongest section as a fresher (more below).
5. Internship or Experience: with month and year for start and end.
6. Education: degree, college, year, and marks if they are good or the advert asks.
7. Certifications: named exactly, for example "EDWartens Certificate of Completion, Siemens TIA Portal (verification code ...)". Never present a course certificate as a Siemens qualification.

Dates matter more than freshers think: an ATS uses them to build a timeline, and our checker flags a resume with no years at all.

Keywords: take them from real adverts

Do not guess. Copy two or three real adverts for the role you want into the free Job Description Analyzer, which pulls out the platforms, standards and duties each one is asking for. Then use the same words in your resume, where they are true.

Typical vocabulary by role in Indian automation adverts:

Two rules. Spell platform names exactly as adverts do: "TIA Portal", not "Tia portal software". Write both the acronym and the full form once: "Variable Frequency Drive (VFD)", so a search for either finds you. And never paste in a keyword you cannot discuss; the interview will find it in two minutes.

The projects section: what makes it work

A fresher with no job history is shortlisted on projects. The formula from our resume tools is verb, system, outcome:

• Weak: "Responsible for PLC programming in final-year project."
• Strong: "Programmed a bottle-filling sequence in Siemens TIA Portal (S7-1200, PLCSIM) with interlocks, fault alarms and a WinCC operator screen; tested 12 fault cases."

Each project needs: the platform by name, what you built, how you tested it, and a number (I/O count, steps, cycle time, faults tested). If you have no project yet, the free courses give you ones you can genuinely claim: the virtual commissioning projects in TIA Portal with Factory I/O, scaling and alarm exercises in Instrumentation for PLC Engineers, and starter circuits in Industrial Motor Control. Say they were simulated. Our portfolio projects post lists which ones interviewers ask about.

Ten ATS rules, in one place

1. One column. No tables, text boxes or sidebars.
2. Contact details as plain text at the top, not in the header.
3. Standard headings: Summary, Technical Skills, Projects, Experience, Education.
4. Platform names spelled as the advert spells them.
5. The advert's job title once, in your summary.
6. Bullets, one achievement each, starting with a verb.
7. A month and year on every role and project.
8. No skill bars, star ratings, icons or photos.
9. Text-based PDF or .docx; test by copying the text out.
10. 350 to 700 words for a fresher; cut filler like "hard-working team player".

Check yours with the free tools

All free, no sign-up, built for automation roles:

• ATS Resume Checker: paste your resume text and pick a target role (Automation Engineer, PLC Programmer, Instrumentation Engineer and others). It scores three things: keywords (named platforms, protocols, standards), structure (recognisable headings, dates, bullets, a LinkedIn URL) and language (action verbs, no filler), and lists what to fix. It also checks whether the target job title appears and whether length falls between 250 and 900 words. The text stays in your browser.
• Resume Score: a score out of 100 split into what a controls hiring manager weighs: platform evidence (30), measured results (25), technical depth (20), written like an engineer (15) and shape and length (10).
• Resume Builder: generates fresher or experienced bullets for PLC, SCADA and controls roles in the verb, system, outcome pattern, leaving blanks for your real numbers so nothing is invented.
• Resume Generator: answer six questions and get a complete draft for a controls role to edit.

A sensible order: draft with the generator or builder, check with the ATS checker, then use Resume Score to see which part of the content is weakest. Run it again after each change. For worked examples of a full resume, see our automation engineer resume template and resume tips for automation engineers.

Mistakes freshers make

1. One resume for every job. Tune the summary and skills to each advert's words.
2. Listing subjects instead of skills. "Control Systems (subject)" says nothing; "PID tuning on a simulated tank level loop" says something.
3. Copying a designer template from a free template site with columns and graphics.
4. Claiming hardware you only simulated. Say "simulated in PLCSIM"; interviewers respect it.
5. Leaving out the projects that matter because they were "only" college or online work.

Learn it free

The strongest thing on a fresher resume is a real project. Build one in TIA Portal with Factory I/O or Instrumentation for PLC Engineers, then describe it in verb, system, outcome form. If you want hands-on hardware and project work for your resume, see the Automation Engineer Program.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What is an ATS-friendly resume format for engineering freshers?
A: A single-column resume with plain-text contact details, standard headings (Summary, Technical Skills, Projects, Experience, Education), bullet points with dates, and no tables, icons or skill bars, saved as a text-based PDF or .docx.

Q: How do I check my ATS score for free?
A: Paste your resume text into the free EDWartens ATS Resume Checker. It scores keywords, structure and language for automation roles and lists what to fix, with no sign-up.

Q: Which keywords should an electrical engineering fresher use?
A: The ones in the advert you are applying to, where they are true. For PLC roles these are usually platform names such as Siemens TIA Portal and S7-1200, plus ladder logic, VFD, 4-20 mA and Modbus.

Q: Should I put a photo on my resume?
A: It is not needed for Indian engineering roles, and images can confuse an ATS. Leave it out unless the employer asks for one.

Q: Can a resume be one page for a fresher?
A: Yes, and one page is usually right. Aim for 350 to 700 words, with projects as the strongest section.