Word or PDF?
Both are fine for most applicant tracking systems, with one condition: the PDF must contain text, not a picture of text. A PDF exported from Word or Google Docs is text. A scan, or an export from some design tools, may be an image, and a parser reads it as blank. To check, open the PDF and try to select a word; if you cannot, it is an image.
A Word file (.docx) is the safest when a posting asks for one, and the easiest to tailor for each job. Avoid older .doc files, Pages files and anything a form does not list as accepted.
Layout rules
- One column. Two columns are read across, line by line, by many parsers, so a sidebar of skills gets mixed into your job history.
- No text boxes or tables for content. Parsers often skip text boxes and read tables out of order.
- Contact details in the body, not the page header or footer, which many parsers skip.
- No pictures, icons or charts. A skill shown as a bar or stars is invisible to a parser. A photo is also not expected on a US resume.
- Standard fonts such as Calibri, Arial, Garamond or Georgia, at 10 to 12 points for body text.
Headings and sections
Use the headings parsers look for: Summary, Experience (or Work Experience), Education, Skills, and if you have them, Certifications and Projects. A creative heading can leave a whole section unread.
Each role
- Put the title, employer, location and dates on their own lines or separated by a clear character (a comma or a vertical bar), not by bold type or spacing alone.
- Give every role a start and end date, month and year. Many systems work out your years of experience from them.
- Write bullets as plain text: what you did and what came of it, with the tools and skills named.
Links, file name and length
- Write links out in full (linkedin.com/in/yourname), not as a word with a hidden address.
- Name the file with your name: Firstname-Lastname-Resume.docx.
- One page for early career, two pages is normal past several years. A parser does not mind length; the person reading after it does.
