Resume format to pass ATS: what the ATS vendors document

The resume format to pass ATS checks is plain: one column, a PDF with real selectable text, contact details in the body, standard section headings and consistent dates. That gets your resume parsed into the right fields. It doesn't decide whether you're rejected; in Greenhouse and Workable, automatic rejections come from yes/no questions on the application form. fastcv reads job posts from eight of these systems (Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, Workday, SmartRecruiters, Workable, Recruitee and Rippling) through their public job listings, and every resume it makes is one-column Jake's Resume with \pdfgentounicode=1, so ligatures like "fi" extract as text.

Below: what an ATS does with your file, the formatting problems Greenhouse's own support pages list, what really rejects applications, how recruiters search, what doesn't matter, and when this advice doesn't apply.

What an ATS actually does with your resume

An applicant tracking system keeps two things: the file you uploaded, and the text it pulls out of that file and sorts into fields such as name, email, employers, titles and dates. The recruiter sees your original file "exactly as you sent" it, says Greenhouse's own explainer for candidates, and most recruiters review applications in the order they arrive.

When parsing fails, the resume isn't deleted. Greenhouse's page on unsuccessful parses says the file is then "only attached" to the candidate and someone types the details into the fields by hand. That's the real cost of a bad format: empty or wrong fields that a recruiter's search and filters can't see.

A note on what fastcv does here, so it isn't overstated: fastcv fetches job posts from those eight systems' public listings when you paste a job link. It doesn't parse resumes the way an ATS does, and nobody outside a vendor sees its parser. What we can do is read the vendors' documentation and test our own PDFs, which is what this post is built on.

The formatting rules that affect parsing

Greenhouse is unusually candid about what breaks its parser. Its support page lists nine formatting issues, and each maps to one rule:

• Spaces between letters ("S K I L L S"): the parser can't join them into a word. Use letter-spacing in the design, never typed spaces.
• Graphics, photos or word art, and resumes uploaded as an image: no text to extract. Never submit a scan or a screenshot.
• Tables, headers and footers, and name and contact details in a header, footer or text box: put contact details on the first lines of the page body.
• A columned layout: a sidebar gets read into the middle of your experience. Use one column.
• No clear sections, or formats that change from section to section: use one date style everywhere, such as "Jul 2022 – Mar 2024".
• Company names without Inc., Co., Ltd or LLC: write the employer's registered name if it has one (for example "Acme Software Pvt. Ltd."), but don't invent a suffix.
• Incomplete job titles such as "Sr. Account Exec": spell out "Senior Software Engineer".

Two more limits sit on the same page: Greenhouse can't parse a resume larger than 2.5 MB, and placeholder data such as "Company 1" or "First Last" is skipped. fastcv's 13 one-page sample PDFs are each between 140 KB and 152 KB, so the limit only bites when you embed photos or export a scan.

A quick format checklist with real values

Here is how those rules compare with what fastcv's generated template does, line by line from src/lib/latex.ts:

The honest caveat is tables. Jake's Resume puts each role's title and dates on a one-row LaTeX table so the dates sit on the right.

To check it, we ran fastcv's backend engineer sample resume through unpdf, the PDF library fastcv's own importer uses: the one page came out as 1,126 characters in reading order, with "Software Engineer II Apr 2024 – Present" on a single line and no broken ligatures. That's one extractor, not every ATS, so run the copy-paste test in our guide to whether LaTeX resumes are ATS-friendly on your own file.

What actually rejects applications: knockout questions

The automatic "no" in these systems comes from the application form. Greenhouse's auto-reject feature works only on custom questions answered Yes/No, single-select or multi-select, and only on its Plus and Pro tiers. Its candidate explainer gives the example of answering "no" to whether you're legally allowed to work in the country.

Workable's knock-out questions are narrower still: Yes/No only, and one "No" disqualifies you. The candidate still gets the usual confirmation email and, in Workable's words, "does not know that they have been disqualified". That silence is where much of the "the ATS ate my resume" folklore comes from.

So read every question before you answer. Typical knockouts for Indian engineers applying abroad or to product companies (examples, not from a specific employer):

• "Are you authorised to work in the United States without sponsorship?"
• "Can you join within 30 days?" when your notice period is 90.
• "Do you have 3+ years of professional experience with Go?"

Answer truthfully. A "yes" you can't back up is found at the interview, and no resume format changes a "no".

How recruiters find your resume inside the ATS

On a role with hundreds of applicants, recruiters filter the queue, Greenhouse says: often referrals and internal candidates first, or by answers to the custom questions, then search queries for specific criteria. Greenhouse's system suggests related search terms from the job description, so a post mentioning "JavaScript" might prompt searches for "React" or "TypeScript", and those searches find exact matches in your application.

Two things follow. First, the parsed text has to contain your skills as plain words, which is what the format rules protect. Second, use the job's own terms where they're true for you: if the post says "PostgreSQL", write "PostgreSQL", not just "Postgres".

Greenhouse states plainly that you don't need to "stuff" keywords, and its AI "doesn't score or rank applications".

To see which of a post's required skills and keywords your resume shows, paste both into the free resume and job description checker. It runs in your browser and also tells you which skills you only list and never show in a bullet.

What doesn't matter (and the "ATS score" question)

None of the vendor pages above mention fonts, colour or a page limit as parsing problems. Pick a readable font at 10–11pt for the human who reads it next; fastcv offers 10pt or 11pt for that reason. One page is a recruiter preference for students and early-career engineers, not a parser rule.

There is also no universal "ATS score". Greenhouse says its AI doesn't score applications at all, and each ATS search is set up by a recruiter for one job.

A score from a checker, including fastcv's, is that tool's own measure of how well a resume matches one job post. fastcv's says what it weighs (required skills, preferred skills, keywords, years and job title) and skips parts the post doesn't mention.

The "75% of resumes are rejected by ATS" figure doesn't hold up either: it traces to a 2012 sales claim with no published study, as the myth check in our LaTeX post explains.

When this format advice isn't the right choice

• The portal asks for Word. Some employers and government portals only accept .docx. fastcv exports PDF and LaTeX, not Word, so use another tool for that application.
• Your placement cell mandates a template. If your institute requires its own format for campus drives, use it; recruiters then compare everyone on the same layout.
• Naukri and LinkedIn Easy Apply. On these platforms your profile (headline, skills, work history) travels with the application, so keep it as current and specific as the PDF.
• Forms that ask you to retype your history. When an application form has you re-enter work history, those form fields are what gets stored and searched, so check them after any autofill rather than polishing the PDF.
• Design and portfolio roles. A designer needs a portfolio link and often a designed resume; a one-column LaTeX layout undersells that work.

If you're a fresher starting from scratch, the resume format for freshers guide covers section order and what to put first, and Jake's Resume template is the one-column layout used throughout this post.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best resume format to pass ATS?

A one-column, reverse-chronological resume saved as a text-based PDF, with contact details in the body, standard headings like Experience and Education, and one date format throughout. Greenhouse's support pages list columns, tables, headers, footers and images as the main causes of failed parsing.

Does an ATS automatically reject resumes because of formatting?

Not in the vendor documentation we read. In Greenhouse a failed parse leaves your resume attached for a person to read; automatic rejections come from yes/no or multiple-choice application questions that the recruiter sets up.

Should I upload a PDF or a Word file?

A PDF, unless the application asks for Word. Greenhouse accepts .pdf, .doc, .docx, .rtf and .txt up to 100 MB, and a PDF looks the same on every screen.

Can an ATS read a two-column resume?

Often badly: Greenhouse lists a columned layout as a formatting issue that can cause a partial parse. Move sidebar content such as skills into its own section in one column.

How do I check whether my resume is ATS-friendly?

Open the PDF, select all, copy and paste into a plain-text editor. If the words, order and dates come out intact, a parser can read it; then compare it with the job post to see which required skills it shows.

Do I need to tailor my resume for every application?

For roles you care about, yes: recruiters search the parsed text for the job's terms, so the post's wording, used truthfully, helps you show up. fastcv's AI tailoring rewords your existing bullets toward a job post and lists what you can't honestly claim.