ATS Resume Guide

Resume Format for ATS: Layout Rules and a Sample

The safest resume format for ATS is a single-column document saved as a text-based file, with plain section headings and your contact details in the body, not in a header, footer or text box. That is a cautious convention, not a universal rule. Only some vendors publish what their parsers fail on, and Greenhouse is the clearest.

This page covers layout only. For the full picture of what an ATS resume is and how to make one, start with the ATS resume guide. Wording and keywords are a separate job, covered in resume keywords.

What the vendors say about layout

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is the software an employer uses to collect and sort applications. Some include a resume parser, which reads your file and tries to fill candidate fields such as name, contact details and work history. iCIMS, for one, says that when you upload a resume, the system may populate some profile fields with the information from that resume.

Vendors differ, and most do not publish layout rules. This table shows what we could read. "Not stated" means the page we read does not say; it does not mean the system handles the layout well.

Vendor File types it lists What it says about layout
Greenhouse .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf, .txt (formats page) Lists columned layouts, complex resumes with tables, headers and footers, contact details in a header, footer or text box, graphics, photos, word art and resumes uploaded as an image as causes of a failed parse
Lever Word (including .docx), PDF, RTF, WordPerfect, HTML, MS Office HTML, Open Office Not stated for columns, tables or headers. Says it cannot parse image files such as JPG or PNG
Workday (HiredScore documentation) DOC, DOCX, PDF, RTF, TXT (for HiredScore resume attachments, page dated 2023-06-23) Not stated. Unknown for Workday's own application flow
Ashby For file upload questions in general, up to 50MB: documents (PDF, DOC, DOCX), images (JPG, JPEG, PNG) and video Not stated. The page is not about resume parsing
Workable .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf, .odt Says documents "including image-based CVs" are parsed and scanned for certain fields, so not every vendor treats an image file as a failure

Two systems we could not read at all: the iCIMS list of accepted formats and SmartRecruiters' help pages were behind a login or an error. What they accept is Unknown here.

Steps: choose a layout, rule by rule

Each rule below is marked. "Source" means a vendor page says it, within the limits of that vendor. "Common practice" means widely repeated advice that we found no vendor data for.

Step 1: Save a text-based file the posting accepts

Source: follow the posting first. If it names a format, use it. If it does not, Greenhouse's candidate FAQ says "Upload a PDF for best results." Greenhouse and Lever both list Word and PDF files as parseable, so a text-based PDF or .docx is the common ground between the two.

A scan or a screenshot is the risky case. Greenhouse lists resumes uploaded as an image, rather than a document as a parse failure, and Lever says it cannot parse information from image files. Lever offers a test: try highlighting text in the document with your cursor, and if you cannot, the document is likely not parseable.

File size matters for Greenhouse. It accepts uploads up to 100 MB (formats page), but says it can't parse resumes larger than 2.5MB. Keep the file small and the limit does not come into play.

Step 2: Use one column

Source: Greenhouse lists resumes that have a columned layout among the causes of a failed parse. The Lever page says nothing about columns, so for Lever this is Unknown.

Our reasoning, which no page we read states: a parser that reads a page from top to bottom may merge a sidebar and a main column into one line of text. A single column removes that risk at no cost to a human reader.

Step 3: Name sections in plain words

Common practice, no vendor data. Use headings such as Summary, Experience, Education and Skills, in that order or whichever suits you, on their own lines. We found no vendor page that lists accepted heading names, so this is an inference: a parser that sorts text into fields has an easier job when the labels match what the fields are called.

Step 4: Keep contact details and key content out of headers, footers and text boxes

Source: Greenhouse lists resumes with the name and contact information in the header, footer, or text box as a cause of a failed parse. Put your name, phone, email and city at the top of the page body. If you started from a designed template, check where it put them.

Step 5: Avoid tables

Source: Greenhouse names complex resumes with tables, headers, and footers. The word "complex" is Greenhouse's, and the page does not define it, so a simple table is not shown to fail. A skills grid or a two-cell date layout is easy to replace with a line of text or a bullet list, so there is little reason to keep one.

Step 6: Skip graphics, photos and icons

Source: Greenhouse lists resumes that include graphics, photos, or word art. The page does not say which graphics it means. Our reading is that headshots, skill bars drawn as shapes and icons used in place of the words "phone" and "email" are easy to avoid. Write the text instead.

Step 7: Use a standard font and real text

Common practice, no vendor data. Pick a common font such as Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman and keep body text readable. Make sure the text is actual text, not outlined or converted to shapes. The highlight test in Step 1 doubles as a check. No vendor page we read names a font that parses better or worse.

Step 8: Write dates in one consistent pattern

Common practice, no vendor data. Use one pattern throughout, for example "March 2022 to June 2024", and keep each job's dates on the same line as its title or employer. Consistent dates help the person reading the resume as much as the parser. We found no vendor statement about date formats.

Step 9: Name the file so a person can find it

Common practice, no vendor data. FirstName-LastName-Resume.pdf is clear in a recruiter's downloads folder. Resume final v7 (2).docx is not. No source we read says file names affect parsing.

A plain-text sample layout

This is an example we wrote, not a template from any vendor. Every word in brackets is a placeholder.

[FIRST LAST]
[City, State] | [phone] | [email] | [profile URL]

SUMMARY
[Two lines: your role, years of experience, one strength.]

EXPERIENCE
[Job Title], [Employer], [City, State]
[Month YYYY] to [Month YYYY]
- [Result or duty, one line, starting with a verb]
- [Result or duty, one line]
- [Result or duty, one line]

[Job Title], [Employer], [City, State]
[Month YYYY] to [Month YYYY]
- [Result or duty, one line]
- [Result or duty, one line]

EDUCATION
[Degree], [School], [Year]

SKILLS
[Skill], [skill], [skill], [skill]

Notes on the sample: everything runs in one column, headings sit on their own lines in plain words, contact details are the first body line, and nothing depends on a table, a text box or an image. How you word the bullets is a tailoring question, not a layout one.

Pitfalls

To see how a system stores and sorts what it extracts, read what an ATS resume is.

Sources

All pages were read on 2026-11-12.

Disclosure

atsresumeguide.com is published by the makers of AIHawk, a job application tool. The About page gives details.

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