I’ll keep this simple: formatting can make or break your resume. Your document’s structure directly affects how it looks to both recruiters and applicant tracking systems (ATS).
Why Formatting Matters
ATS systems have come a long way. Years ago, you could count on them scrambling fancy resumes with tables, text boxes, and multiple columns. Today, they’re better, but not perfect. Complex layouts still risk stripping out information, jumbling the order, or dropping entire sections when your resume gets parsed into plain text.
And, remember, your resume is first read by software, but a human sees it, too. A recruiter skimming dozens (or hundreds) of resumes in a day needs yours to be easy on the eyes. A clean, straightforward layout ensures both machines and people get the full picture.
One Column Wins
The best format? A simple, single-column layout.
Here’s why:
- Recruiters naturally read top to bottom. One column makes scanning easy.
- ATS reads left to right, top to bottom. One column prevents the software from misreading or merging unrelated text.
- Fancy templates may look cool but often hide important details in text boxes, graphics, or multiple columns—things ATS may misinterpret or ignore.
You want the reader’s eyes (and the system’s parsing) to flow smoothly. Think: clarity over creativity.
PDF vs. DOC: Which Should You Use?
Today’s ATS systems typically handle both .docx and .pdf files pretty well. If the job posting specifies a format, follow instructions. If not, .pdf is often safer to preserve your layout exactly as intended, while .docx is still the most universally accepted.
Either way, a clean format keeps you safe. A messy design can fail in either file type.
Photos and EEO Laws
Here’s an important one: do not put a photo on your resume in the U.S.
Why? Because of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws. Employers are not supposed to consider factors like age, race, gender, or appearance in hiring decisions. Adding a photo opens the door to unconscious bias—or worse, it can cause your resume to be rejected automatically by companies trying to stay compliant.
In short: in the U.S., photos don’t help you. They hurt you. (Different story in some other countries, but if you’re applying in the States, leave it off.)
Formatting Checklist
So what should you do? Keep it simple:
- One column
- Consistent font (no mix-and-match styles)
- Clear section headings
- Standard black or text – perhaps with a few color accents – on a white background
- Combo of bullets and short paragraphs for readability
- Save as .pdf or .docx depending on instructions
The Bottom Line
Formatting isn’t about making your resume flashy. It’s about making it functional for ATS software and for the human recruiter who ultimately decides if you move forward.
Clean, simple, readable. That’s what wins.
Want a shortcut? I’ll write your resume, ensuring it looks good to both the robots and their humans. 😉
