What graphic elements are generally safe on an ATS resume?

Elements that do not hold information and do not change the reading order are generally safe. Keep design simple and let text carry everything that matters.

Usually safe:

• Bold, italics and slightly larger headings.
• One accent colour for headings or lines.
• Thin lines under headings, made as paragraph borders.
• Standard round bullets.
• Consistent spacing and margins.

Risky:

• Tables, text boxes, columns and sidebars holding content.
• Icons, logos, badges and photos.
• Skill bars, charts and infographics.
• Text inside shapes or images.

Products and employer settings differ, so the safest test is your own: copy the PDF text into a plain editor and check everything is there in order.

A simple rule of thumb: if removing an element would lose information, that information belongs in plain text. If removing it would only change the look, it is decoration, and a little decoration is fine.