The Only ATS-Friendly Resume Format You Need in 2026
You could have the best experience in the world, but if your resume format breaks ATS parsing, no recruiter will ever see it. Here's the exact format that passes every major ATS system — Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, iCIMS, and more.
The Anatomy of an ATS-Friendly Resume
Required Sections (in order)
- Contact Information — Name, phone, email, LinkedIn, location.
- Professional Summary (optional) — 2-3 sentences max.
- Work Experience — Reverse chronological. Company, title, dates, bullet points.
- Education — Degree, school, year.
- Skills — Simple list or categorized groups.
Font & Typography Rules
- Font: Arial, Calibri, Georgia, or Times New Roman.
- Size: 10-12pt for body, 14-16pt for your name.
- Style: No fancy or decorative fonts. They break OCR scanning.
- Colors: Black text on white background only.
Layout Rules
✅ DO
- Single-column layout
- Standard section headers ("Experience," "Education")
- Simple bullet points
- Consistent date formatting (Jan 2024 – Present)
- Save as PDF
❌ DON'T
- Multi-column layouts or sidebars
- Tables, text boxes, or embedded objects
- Headers/footers with important info
- Graphics, icons, or photos
- Save as JPG, PNG, or DOCX
File Format: Always PDF
PDF is the universal standard. It preserves your exact formatting across all devices and ATS systems. GeturJob exports ATS-optimized PDFs by default — no settings to tweak.
How to Verify Your Resume Is ATS-Friendly
The easiest way: run it through GeturJob's ATS checker. Paste a job description, upload your resume, and see your score instantly. If it's above 80%, you're in great shape. Below that, the tool tells you exactly what to fix.
Get an ATS-Ready Resume Now
AI-formatted, ATS-optimized, ready to submit. Free to start.