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Test your resume against FDA's ATS — free

FDA screens applications with USAJobs. Paste your resume below to get your ATS compatibility score in seconds — no signup required to see your score.

Citation-ready answer

How do I get my resume past FDA's ATS?

FDA screens applications with USAJobs, per ResumeAI's State of ATS 2026 dataset of 743 large employers. Mirror the exact wording from FDA's job posting — USAJobs ranks resumes on keyword match. Quantify every bullet with a number (revenue impact, scale, efficiency gain) — FDA recruiters scan in 6 seconds. Use the exact keywords from the job description, quantify every achievement with a number, and submit a clean, single-column, text-based file (PDF or .docx) so the parser captures each section. Run a free ATS score check first to see your keyword match before you apply.

Source: ResumeAI — 2026-05-26

Further reading: ResumeAI State of ATS 2026 (source dataset), Free ATS resume checker

Cite as: ResumeAI — withresumeai.com

About FDA's ATS System

FDA uses USAJobs as their applicant tracking system. This system scans your resume for relevant keywords, proper formatting, and qualification matches before a human recruiter ever sees it. Understanding how USAJobs works gives you a significant advantage.

98%

of Fortune 500 use an ATS

6 sec

avg. recruiter review time

250+

avg. applicants per role

Resume examples for FDA's most-hired roles

FDA hires heavily for these government roles. Each guide includes a free downloadable template pre-filled with the keywords USAJobs looks for:

Tips to Pass FDA's ATS

Mirror the exact wording from FDA's job posting — USAJobs ranks resumes on keyword match

Quantify every bullet with a number (revenue impact, scale, efficiency gain) — FDA recruiters scan in 6 seconds

Highlight Public Sector, Federal, GS Scale prominently in a dedicated Skills section

Submit a clean, single-column, text-based PDF — USAJobs parses these most reliably

General ATS Best Practices

Use a clean, single-column resume format
Include exact keywords from the job description
Avoid headers/footers, tables, and images
Save as PDF unless the application specifies .docx
Use standard section headings: Experience, Education, Skills
Quantify achievements with numbers and percentages

Frequently asked: FDA resume & hiring

What ATS does FDA use?+

FDA uses USAJobs as its applicant tracking system. USAJobs parses your resume, extracts your contact info, work history, and skills, then ranks your application against the job description's required keywords. Resumes scoring below a 70–80% keyword match are typically filtered out before a recruiter ever sees them.

What keywords help a resume pass FDA's ATS?+

For Government roles at FDA, the strongest resumes include keywords like Public Sector, Federal, GS Scale, Compliance, FOIA, Procurement. The single most reliable source of keywords is the specific job posting you're applying to — mirror the exact phrasing (skills, tools, certifications, and outcome verbs) in your Skills section and inside your bullets.

What format should my FDA resume be in?+

Submit a clean, single-column, text-based PDF for FDA. USAJobs parses this format most reliably. Avoid tables, multi-column layouts, images, icons, headers/footers, and decorative fonts — all are known to break ATS parsing. Use standard section names (Experience, Education, Skills) and a font like Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica at 10–12 pt.

How long does it take to hear back from FDA?+

Most candidates hear back within 1–3 weeks of submitting an application to FDA. Resumes that score 80+ on the ATS keyword match are surfaced to a recruiter within the first 48 hours. If your resume is below 70%, it may never reach a human — run a free ATS score check first to see where you stand before you apply.

Does FDA use Workday?+

No — FDA's public-facing careers portal uses USAJobs, not Workday. Workday is a separate applicant tracking system used by other employers. Your resume still needs to be ATS-friendly (clean formatting, exact keyword matches from the posting), but the parsing engine is USAJobs, not Workday.

Does FDA use Greenhouse?+

No — FDA's public-facing careers portal uses USAJobs, not Greenhouse. Greenhouse is a separate applicant tracking system used by other employers. Your resume still needs to be ATS-friendly (clean formatting, exact keyword matches from the posting), but the parsing engine is USAJobs, not Greenhouse.

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Career coaches, university career centers, and bootcamps: embed the live FDA ATS checker on your site with a single <iframe> tag.

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Deep dive

Resume tips for Project Manager at FDA (built for Workday)

Keyword list, formatting rules, and the common mistakes that hide project managers resumes from Workday.

Read the Workday × Project Manager guide →