What makes a resume template ATS-friendly

An applicant tracking system turns your PDF into plain text, then splits that text into fields: name, email, job titles, dates, skills. A template is ATS-friendly when that split comes out right. That depends on structure far more than on fonts or colour.

The seven checks

1. Text is real text. Open the PDF and select a line. If it highlights word by word, good.
2. One reading order. Copy the whole page and paste it into a plain text editor. The lines should come out in the order you would read them.
3. Standard headings: Experience, Education, Skills. Each alone on its own line.
4. Contact details in the page body, not only in the header or footer.
5. Dates in one format, next to the job they belong to.
6. No skill bars, rating dots or icons standing in for words.
7. No tables or text boxes used for layout.

Are two-column templates safe?

It depends on how the PDF is built. A sidebar that is one block of text placed beside another can still come out in order. A table with cells across the page usually does not. The paste test above tells you which you have. If you are unsure, use one column.

Do fonts and colour matter?

Very little for parsing. A standard font embedded in the PDF reads fine. Colour on headings changes nothing. Light grey body text does hurt the human reader, so keep contrast high.

How we test Dossier templates

Every template is compiled to PDF with sample resumes, and the PDF is read back by a parser. The test checks that each field comes out whole and in order. The results and the date of the run sit on each template's page. We have not yet run them through commercial ATS products, and we say so on the page.

If you want the safest choice, start with Ledger: one column, standard headings, dates on the right. If you have a long tools list, Column gives it a sidebar that still reads in order.