Layouts, columns and ATS – Page 2

Your dates are in a separate column, table cell or text box from the job details. Software reads them as one block, so it may not connect each date range with the right job. Some systems then calculate experience incorrectly or leave date fields empty.

Fix it:

• Put the dates on the same line as the employer, using a right-aligned tab stop, or on their own line directly under the job title.
• Remove the separate date column or table.
• Re-export and check that each job's dates appear next to its title in the pasted text.

Only partly. Professional PDF tools let you adjust the "tags" that tell screen readers the reading order. That improves accessibility, but you cannot rely on a parser using those tags; it may read the underlying text instead, so the problem may remain for an ATS.

The dependable fix is in the source:

• Rearrange the layout in your document or builder so the content flows top to bottom.
• Export a new PDF.
• Run the copy-and-paste test.

If you have no source file, copy the text out and rebuild the resume in a simple template.

It can, indirectly. If the text is extracted completely, your keywords are still present, so a simple search may still find them. But if columns are mixed up, words can be split across lines or attached to the wrong section, and phrases like "financial reporting" may be broken apart. Skills that appear only in a disconnected sidebar also lose the context of the job where you used them, which matters to recruiters reading the parsed profile.

To protect matching:

• Mention key skills in your job bullets as well as in any skills list.
• Keep important phrases on one line in the main column.
• Test that searching the pasted text finds your key terms.

Not usually on its own. Most systems do not reject applications because the text is in a strange order. The risks are quieter: your details may land in the wrong fields, key skills may not be searchable, your experience may be calculated wrongly, and the recruiter may see a confusing profile before opening your file.

Those problems can lower your chances of being found or shortlisted, which is why reading order matters. But if your layout is not perfect, it is not a guaranteed rejection either. Fix what you can, check pre-filled fields in the form, and remember the recruiter can usually open your original file.

Each system reads files in its own way. One parser may follow the order text is stored in the file, another may read by position on the page, and some are better at detecting columns than others. A layout that one handles cleanly can confuse another.

This is why many people choose a single-column layout for online applications: it gives consistent results across systems. If you keep a two-column design, check pre-filled fields carefully on every portal, and consider switching to single-column if errors keep appearing.

It usually means the tool detected features that make reading order harder to predict, such as multiple columns, a sidebar, tables, text boxes or graphics. "Complex" is a warning about risk, not proof that your resume will fail.

What to do:

• Run the copy-and-paste test on your PDF to see whether the text actually comes out in a sensible order.
• If it does, you can keep the layout, especially for direct applications.
• If it does not, or you are applying through many portals, switch to a single-column template.

In ResumeBuilder.ae, for example, two-column layouts are labelled as more complex, while single-column templates such as ATS Classic and ATS Professional are the safest default.

Some are, many are not. Built-in templates are designed to look attractive, and many use tables, text boxes or shapes to place content in columns, headers or sidebars. They work fine for printing, but can be read out of order by software.

Before using one:

• Click around the template to see if text sits in boxes or table cells.
• Use the Selection Pane to see hidden objects.
• Fill it in, export to PDF and run the copy-and-paste test.

If problems appear, choose a simpler template or a resume builder's single-column option.

Treat the label as a claim, not a guarantee. There is no official standard for "ATS-friendly", and some templates with that label still use sidebars, text boxes, icons or skill bars that can cause problems.

Check any template yourself:

• Look at its structure: single column, standard headings, no important text in images.
• Fill it with your content, export a PDF and run the copy-and-paste test.
• Search the pasted text for your name, job titles and key skills.

If the template passes your own test, the label matters much less.

Europass is a free, official EU tool for creating CVs, widely recognised in Europe. Its PDF contains real text, but some Europass designs place labels or dates in a narrow column beside the content, which some systems may read in an unexpected order. How well it parses depends on the design you choose and the system.

Practical advice:

• If an employer or institution asks for a Europass CV, use it.
• Otherwise, a simple single-column CV may parse more predictably in company portals.
• Whichever you use, run the copy-and-paste test on the PDF and check pre-filled fields.

Not necessarily. When a person reads your resume directly, layout risks for software matter less, and a well-made two-column design can work. But your email may be forwarded to HR and uploaded into a system later, so a layout that also reads cleanly in software is still the safer choice.

A good compromise is a clean design that passes the copy-and-paste test, whatever its number of columns. If your designed version fails the test, use the simpler version even for direct emails.

Not if it is working. Interviews show that your content is reaching people and persuading them. You might still check it with the copy-and-paste test, and keep a single-column version ready for large company portals where you cannot speak to anyone.

Consider switching only if:

• Applications through portals get no responses while direct ones do.
• Pre-filled fields in application forms come out badly wrong.
• You are changing fields or regions where software screening is more common.

Changing what works just because of general advice is not necessary.

Focus on the few changes with the biggest effect:

• Move your name and contact details into the main body at the top, as plain text.
• Take text out of any text boxes and paste it into the main flow.
• Put each job's dates on the same line as the employer or directly under the title.
• Replace skill bars or icons with plain words.
• Make sure section headings are typed text, not images.

Then export a new PDF and run the copy-and-paste test. These fixes usually take less than an hour and remove the most common problems without a full redesign.

A simple, high-contrast, single-column layout. When a paper resume is scanned into a system, optical character recognition (OCR) has to turn the image back into text, and it works best with clear fonts, black text on white, normal sizes and an obvious reading order.

Things that make OCR harder:

• Columns and sidebars.
• Coloured backgrounds, shading and pale text.
• Very small or decorative fonts.
• Text over images or lines.

This applies to CVs handed in at job fairs or offices, as well as faxed or photocopied ones.

Yes. Indenting bullets or details under a job title is a normal layout choice and does not usually affect software, as long as the indentation is created with paragraph settings or list indents, not with spaces or tabs at the start of each line.

Keep it simple:

• One level of indentation for bullets is enough.
• Keep the job title, employer and dates at the left margin, so entries are easy to spot.
• Avoid deep nesting, which loses its structure when extracted.

Yes, if it is part of the single-column flow and followed by a dated work history. A short block of key skills or qualifications near the top helps recruiters see your fit quickly, and software reads it as normal text.

Tips:

• Keep it brief: a few grouped lines or four to six bullets.
• Use a clear heading such as "Key Skills" or "Core Skills".
• Do not let it replace your work history; systems and recruiters still expect titles, employers and dates.
• Avoid placing it in a sidebar, box or table.

Take it as a useful warning. Some portals show a preview of how they converted or read your file, and a jumbled preview suggests their system had trouble with your layout. The recruiter may still be able to open your original file, but the parsed profile could be messy.

What to do:

• Check the pre-filled fields and correct them.
• Compare with your copy-and-paste test; if both look jumbled, simplify the layout.
• If only this portal has the problem, try uploading the other accepted format, such as Word instead of PDF, and see whether the preview improves.

They can make reading order less predictable. Some templates use section breaks to switch between one column (for the header) and two columns (for the body). Text in the two-column section flows down the first column, then the second, which software may or may not follow correctly, and edits can push content between columns unexpectedly.

If your template does this:

• Consider removing the column settings so the whole document is one column.
• If you keep two columns for a short list, limit them to that section only.
• Turn on Show/Hide (¶) to see section breaks, and test the exported PDF.

Yes. Screen readers, used by people with visual impairments, read documents in the stored order, just as many parsers do. A resume with columns, text boxes or floating elements can be confusing when read aloud, with sections jumping around or text skipped.

A single-column layout with real headings, built-in bullets and no text in images helps both software and any reader using assistive technology. Some recruiters and hiring managers use these tools, so an accessible resume is also more inclusive.

You can test it with the free screen reader on your computer, such as Narrator on Windows or VoiceOver on Mac.

Many Pages templates are built from text boxes and shapes placed on the page, which can produce an unpredictable reading order in the exported PDF or Word file.

Options:

• Choose a Pages template based on a normal word-processing document (where text flows from page to page), not a page-layout one.
• Or copy your content into a new blank word-processing document and format it with paragraph styles.
• Export to PDF with File, then Export To, then PDF.

Then run the copy-and-paste test. If text comes out in the right order, the file is fine to use.

Design apps let you place every element anywhere on a canvas, and they often store text in the order elements were created or layered, not the order they appear from top to bottom. A heading added last may be read last, even if it sits at the top of the page. Grouped elements, duplicated blocks and text effects can add further confusion.

If you design your resume in such an app:

• Export to PDF and run the copy-and-paste test.
• Check that each section and job comes out in order.
• If not, rebuild the resume in a word processor or resume builder for online applications, and keep the design version for portfolios or networking.

They are usually harmless but add clutter. Leader dots ("Accountant ........ 2020 – 2023") created with a tab leader setting are stored as a tab, which is fine. Dots typed by hand are stored as many full stops, which can appear in extracted text and occasionally confuse date detection.

If you like the look, use a tab stop with a dotted leader rather than typing dots. Otherwise, a plain right-aligned tab without dots looks cleaner on modern resumes and keeps the extracted text tidy.

Yes. If text sits behind a shape, image or coloured block, a person looking at the page cannot see it, but software extracting text can still read it. This happens by accident with templates, for example placeholder text left behind a decorative panel.

The risk is twofold: confusing content in your profile, and a recruiter thinking you tried to hide keywords, which looks dishonest.

Use the Selection Pane in Word, or the layers panel in a design app, to check what is behind each shape. Delete anything you do not want read, and run the copy-and-paste test to confirm only visible content remains.

It is better to delete it in a copy. Word's "Hidden" text formatting only stops text from displaying; the text is still in the file, and some systems may extract it. Hidden content can also reappear if the recruiter's settings show hidden text.

Instead:

• Keep a master resume with all sections.
• Save a copy for each application and delete what you do not need.
• Run Inspect Document before sending, to catch any hidden text left behind.

A resume where the main content, especially work experience and education, runs in one column from top to bottom, so each line is read in order. Small exceptions are common and generally low risk:

• A header with your name on one side and contact details on the other, if typed as normal text.
• Dates aligned to the right on the same line as the employer.
• A short skills list spread across two or three columns within its section.

What does not count is a layout with a sidebar running down the page, or job details split across columns. When in doubt, the copy-and-paste test shows whether your layout behaves like a single column.

Yes. Even when you type your details into forms, the uploaded resume is usually stored and read by recruiters and hiring managers, and the system may use its text for searches. A layout that extracts badly can still hurt you in search, and a confusing pre-fill means more corrections for you.

So keep the file clean and readable, and treat the form as a second chance to make sure the key facts, such as titles, dates and qualifications, are recorded correctly.