The ATS-friendly résumé format, without the myths

The safe layout

• One column, top to bottom. Some systems read two columns out of order.
• Contact details in the main body near the top, not in the page header or footer.
• Standard headings: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills, Projects, Certifications.
• Job title, company, city and dates on one line or two for each role, dates written the same way every time (“Mar 2023 – Present”).
• Plain bullet points. Avoid text boxes, tables for layout, icons for contact details, and skill bars.

Fonts and file type

Any common font is fine: Calibri, Arial, Georgia, Garamond, Inter. Keep body text 10–12 pt.

Send a text-based PDF unless the job portal asks for Word. Test it: if you can select and copy the words in your PDF, a system can read them. A scanned or image-only PDF reads as blank.

Keywords, honestly

Recruiters search the ATS for skills and titles from the job post. Use the post’s exact wording for skills you really have (“PostgreSQL”, not just “databases”), in your skills list and in the bullets where you used them.

Never hide keywords in white or tiny text. Screening tools look for it and treat it as manipulation. CVPulse flags hidden text as an ATS red flag.

Myths you can ignore

• “ATS rejects anything with colour.” Colour and a clean design are fine if the text underneath is ordinary text.
• “There’s one ATS score.” Every company’s system and settings are different; there’s no universal score to hit.
• “Résumés must be one page.” One page under about 3 years of experience; two is normal after that.

Questions