A résumé format that software and people can both read

A résumé is easiest for software and people to read when it is one column of real text, with standard headings, saved as a PDF whose text can be selected. Parsing software takes the words out of the file in an order it works out from the layout. Multi-column designs, tables and text boxes often break that order, so a job title can end up next to the wrong employer, or a contact line can go missing.

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Why layout can scramble the text

A PDF stores pieces of text at fixed positions on the page. When software extracts them, it has to decide what comes first. With a single column that is simple: top to bottom. With two columns, the software may read across a line that belongs to two different sentences, or read the whole left column before the right one. Tables can come out one cell at a time. Text boxes and shapes may be read at the end of the page, or skipped. Headers and footers can land in the middle of your work history.

Text inside an image is the worst case. If a skills section is a picture, or the whole résumé is a scan, the software sees no words at all. Different programs behave differently, so no one can list every failure. The safe rule is to make the file simple enough that any reasonable reader gets the order you intended.

One column and standard headings

Use one column with plain, full-width sections and the headings readers expect:

• Summary
• Experience (or Work experience)
• Education
• Skills

Certifications, languages and projects are also common, and a heading such as "Selected projects" is fine. Avoid clever titles such as "My journey", and avoid icons and skill bars, which carry meaning only to the eye.

Put the newest job first, and within each employer the newest role first. That is the usual reverse-chronological order. Use one date format everywhere, such as "Mar 2021 – Jun 2024", so that a reader can line up the dates at a glance. Put job title, employer and place on consistent lines, so every job reads the same way.

Keep the key facts in the body of the page. Some parsers skip headers and footers, so do not put your name or contact details only in the page header.

Use real text, not a picture. Type the résumé in a word processor or in the builder. A logo that contains your name, or a photo of a printout, gives the software nothing to read.

Selectable text, not a scan

A PDF is either a file of text placed on pages or an image of pages. A scanned résumé, or one exported from a design tool as flat pictures, is an image. It may look right and still have no text for a parser to read.

To test it, open the PDF and try to select a line with the mouse, then copy it. If you can select and paste it, the text is there. Then paste the whole résumé into a plain text box, such as a notepad. Check the order: each job title should sit next to its dates and bullets, and a bullet list should stay a list. If the paste is jumbled or empty, software will probably see the same jumble.

Exporting from a word processor normally keeps the text selectable. The résumé builder saves through the browser's Print, then Save as PDF, which also keeps the text selectable.

File name and length

Name the file in plain letters with no spaces, such as firstname-lastname-resume.pdf. This is practical rather than required, but it keeps the file easy to find in an inbox or a folder.

For most early-career applicants, one page is the usual length. Two pages are common when the experience needs them, for example for a senior role with many projects. This is common practice rather than a fixed rule, and practice varies by country and field. Academic and research CVs are often longer. If you go to two pages, put your name and a contact line on the first page, and keep the second page in the same layout.

When the employer asks for something else

If the job ad or the portal asks for a Word file, a plain text file or a particular kind of PDF, send that. A format request usually means the employer's process expects it, so it outranks any general advice here.

A check to run before you send

1. Build the résumé in one column with standard headings.
2. Save it as a PDF with selectable text.
3. Select all the text in the PDF, copy it, and paste it into a plain text box.
4. Read the paste. Job titles, dates and bullets should follow in order, and accents such as é should survive.
5. Paste the same copied text into the keyword checker as your résumé, to see which of the job ad's words the file really contains.

The last step closes the loop. The checker only sees the words you give it, so pasting the text copied from the PDF shows what the file actually holds.

Edge cases

• Accents and non-English letters. Check that é, ü, ñ and similar letters survive the paste. If they break, use a standard font and save again.
• Tables for skills. A grid of skills with ticks is hard to read in order. Use a plain list.
• Contact icons. Write "email" and "phone" in words, or place a plain symbol beside the word it stands for.
• Photos. Customs differ. In some countries a photo is expected and in others it is avoided. Follow local practice for the job.