A clean, single-column template a real applicant tracking system can parse, plus the formatting rules that keep it readable. Copy the structure below, fill in your own experience, then run it through the free ATS checker before you apply.
Plain text on purpose. No tables, no columns, no graphics. This is the shape that parses everywhere. Replace the placeholders with your own real experience.
FIRST LAST City, State . [email protected] . (555) 555-5555 . linkedin.com/in/yourname SUMMARY Two to three lines on who you are, your years of experience, and the one or two things you are known for. Mirror the role you are targeting. EXPERIENCE Job Title, Company 2022 to Present - Strong verb + what you did + the result, with a number where you have one. - Strong verb + what you did + the result. - Strong verb + what you did + the result. Job Title, Company 2019 to 2022 - Strong verb + what you did + the result. - Strong verb + what you did + the result. EDUCATION Degree, Field, School Year SKILLS Group A (for example tools): item, item, item Group B (for example methods): item, item, item CERTIFICATIONS Certification Name, Issuing Body Year
A template is ATS-friendly when it protects the parse. Each rule below maps to something a real parser does with your file.
Most parsers read a page as a single stream. Two-column layouts can scramble the order, dropping your job titles next to the wrong dates. Keep everything in one column.
Use Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications. Parsers recognize these and file your content correctly. Clever headings like "Where I have been" get dumped into a miscellaneous bucket nobody searches.
If the text does not highlight character by character, it is an image and the ATS reads nothing. Avoid exporting from design tools that flatten the page. Open your file and try to select a sentence.
Some parsers ignore the header and footer region. Put your name, email, and phone in the first lines of the document body so they are never missed.
Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Georgia, or Times all parse fine. Use a plain round or square bullet. Skip icons, symbols, and decorative characters that can turn into junk on parse.
Both handle cleanly on every major platform. Avoid image-only PDFs and uncommon formats. If a posting asks for a specific format, send exactly that one.
It is a resume layout a modern applicant tracking system (Workday, Greenhouse, iCIMS, Lever, Ashby) can read without breaking: a single column, standard section headings, real selectable text instead of images, standard fonts, and simple bullets. The goal is not a look. It is making sure the parser can extract your text cleanly so a recruiter can search it.
Often not. Heavily designed templates use multiple columns, text boxes, icons, photos, and graphics that parsers either reorder or ignore. Some Canva and design-tool exports also flatten the page into an image with no text layer, which means the ATS reads nothing. If you want a designed resume, keep a clean single-column version for applications.
One column. Two-column resumes look efficient but parsers read a page as a single stream, so a sidebar of skills or dates can get interleaved with the wrong section. A single column read top to bottom keeps the order intact and is the safest choice for the filter.
A .docx file or a PDF with a real text layer. Both parse cleanly across the major systems. Avoid image-only PDFs (common from design tools and scanners) because they have no text to read. If an application asks for a specific format, send exactly that one and stop second-guessing.
A clean template gets you past the parser. Getting past the keyword filter takes tailoring to the specific posting. Paste a job description and your resume at /try for a tailored version and a keyword-match breakdown. No signup.