An ATS-friendly resume structure that people can read too

What an ATS does — and doesn't

An applicant tracking system stores applications and helps a recruiter search and review them. Many extract text from your resume into fields. Systems differ by employer and configuration, so no one can honestly tell you how a specific employer's system scores you. What you can control is making your document easy to read accurately.

A structure that reads cleanly

1. Name and contact — as plain text at the top, not in a header image.
2. Short summary — two or three lines aimed at the role.
3. Experience — each role with title, organisation, location and dates on their own line, then evidence-based bullet points.
4. Skills — a plain list using the terms you actually use.
5. Education and certifications — plain text.

Use one column, standard headings ("Experience", "Education", "Skills"), a common font, and real text rather than text inside images or charts.

Things that commonly cause misreads

• Two or three columns, where text order can be lost.
• Tables and text boxes holding key information.
• Icons or graphics replacing words (a phone icon instead of the number).
• Dates written inconsistently.
• Scanned PDFs, which contain an image rather than text.

Check your own file

Copy all text from your PDF into a plain text editor. If the order is scrambled or text is missing, a parser may struggle too. Also save a DOCX version: some application forms ask for it.

Keywords: use the employer's words honestly

Mirror the language of the posting where it truly describes your experience. Adding skills you do not have may get past a filter and then fail the interview.

Section order by situation

• Experienced in the target field: Summary, Experience, Skills, Education.
• Changing fields: Summary that names the target role, Relevant experience (including projects), Other experience, Skills, Education.
• Early career: Education and projects can come before a short experience section.

Whatever the order, keep each heading as a plain word the reader expects.

A short checklist before you apply

1. One column, standard headings, no text in images.
2. Consistent dates (for example "Jan 2022 – Jun 2025") everywhere.
3. Each bullet starts with what you did and includes what changed, where you know it.
4. File names that identify you and the role, such as "Firstname_Lastname_Business_Analyst.pdf".
5. Text copies cleanly out of the PDF, in order.

Next step

ROLIVA's ATS Classic template uses this single-column structure. Both the DOCX and the PDF are checked by extracting their text again before you can download them. Those checks describe ROLIVA's own files; they are not an employer ATS score. A resume is generated only from the evidence you have confirmed in your profile.