How do I know if a resume template is ATS-friendly before I use it?

Look at its structure: an ATS-friendly template has one clear reading order, standard section headings, real text rather than images, and no important information hidden in tables, text boxes or graphics.

Quick checks you can do yourself:

• Is the main content in a single column, or at least in a simple, predictable layout?
• Are headings ordinary words like Work Experience, Education and Skills?
• In the exported PDF, can you select and copy all the text?
• When you paste that copied text into a plain text editor, does it come out in a sensible order?

If the pasted text jumbles your job titles, dates and employers, the template is likely to confuse software too. Different systems behave differently, so the simplest structure is the lowest-risk choice.