ATS Resume Formatting Rules

ATS parsers typically read a document left-to-right, top-to-bottom. A table is often sliced across horizontally instead, scrambling unrelated cells into one run-on line of text. Greenhouse's own parser documentation names tables as a known cause of failed parses.

Source: Greenhouse Support, "Unsuccessful resume parse" (ATS vendor documentation)

Two-column layouts can be read out of order by ATS parsers, interleaving the columns into one scrambled stream. Modern layout-aware parsers handle this much better than older ones: one parsing-engine vendor reports column-aware handling raised cleanly-parsed resumes from 62% to 90% in its own evaluation — real improvement, but roughly 1 in 10 still comes out wrong, and older or in-house parsers can do worse.

Source: Textkernel, "Improving extraction from column resumes" (parsing-engine vendor benchmark)

Content placed inside a text box is commonly skipped entirely by some ATS parsers — if your name, contact info, or skills live inside one, they may not reach the parsed record. Greenhouse's own parser documentation names text boxes as a known cause of failed parses.

Source: Greenhouse Support, "Unsuccessful resume parse" (ATS vendor documentation)

Many ATS parsers ignore header/footer layers entirely. Contact details placed there may never reach the parsed record — move them into the main document body. Greenhouse's own parser documentation names header/footer contact info as a known cause of failed parses.

Source: Greenhouse Support, "Unsuccessful resume parse" (ATS vendor documentation)

No email address or phone number was found in the document's extractable text. If this is a real gap (not a false negative from an unusual layout or a non-US phone format this checker's pattern doesn't recognize), a recruiter or ATS has no way to reach you.

Source: Jobscan, "5 Critical ATS Resume Formatting Mistakes to Avoid" (2026)

ATS systems are typically programmed to look for specific section names. A creative heading like "My Journey" instead of "Work Experience" can leave that section mis-filed or ignored. Greenhouse's own parser documentation names unclear section organization as a known cause of failed parses.

Source: Greenhouse Support, "Unsuccessful resume parse" (ATS vendor documentation)

Charts, icons, and skill-level graphics aren't readable by ATS text parsers. Information conveyed only through an image (e.g. a 4-out-of-5-bar skill rating) is invisible to the system — write it out as text instead. Greenhouse's own parser documentation names graphics and photos as a known cause of failed parses.

Source: Greenhouse Support, "Unsuccessful resume parse" (ATS vendor documentation)

This file has little or no machine-readable text layer — consistent with a scanned or flattened, image-only PDF. Some ATS platforms run OCR on image-only files, but OCR output is markedly less reliable than real text, and many systems extract nothing at all. Export a text-based PDF or .docx instead.

Source: Greenhouse Support, "Unsuccessful resume parse" (ATS vendor documentation)