FORMATTING GUIDELINES FOR CREATING
ATS (APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM)-FRIENDLY, HUMAN-FRIENDLY RESUME
When applying for jobs online, many times job seekers are asked to upload a resume.
Resumes are “parsed” by an applicant tracking system to pull out individual items, such as
name, phone number, company, job title, etc. If the resume is not formatted properly, the
resume parser may not be able to pull specific information and that resume may never get into
employers database.
Here are some guidelines to increase resume compatibility with applicant tracking systems
(ATS):
1. Document Type
Recommended
-Microsoft Word (.doc)
-Txt
-Rtf
Save your resume in the most acceptable formats like Microsoft Word, txt or rtf formats.
Not Recommended
-Docx
-PDF
-HTML
-Open Office
Pdf sometimes gives broken text and many resume parsers/management systems fail to
convert the pdf, html, docx and open office files into text. Never ever scan and send your
resume as an Image.
2. Body Format
Recommended
Use generic text type like Arial/Times New Roman. With standard font size (10, 12, or 14)
Do not insert pictures/templates inside the resume body.
Not Recommended
Avoid tables as this will break the continuity of resume when read by the software.
3. Candidate Name
Recommended
Mention your name clearly in continuation with the First, Last and Middle name. You can
use Bold/Italics while writing the name.
Not Recommended
Do not use any special character like (,;0/- etc. with your name.
Do not mention your present designation or any skill set along with your name.
Do not use extra spaces between each letter of your name.
The system will take the generic words/special characters under elimination category while
identifying the name.
