Quick answer
Start with what you can prove.
- Use a simple one-column layout and familiar section headings.
- Keep essential information out of headers, footers, text boxes and graphics.
- Use job language only when your real evidence supports it.
- Check both the visual file and the text a parser extracts before you submit.
1. Treat parsing and ranking as different problems
An applicant tracking system may store applications, extract document text, support recruiter searches or apply employer-specific rules. Those workflows differ. A single third-party percentage cannot represent every system or hiring decision.
TheJobSort recommendation: check whether the content is extracted correctly, then improve relevance and evidence for the actual role. Do not optimize for a fictional universal score.
2. Use a clean one-column layout
CareerOneStop recommends a simple single-column layout and warns that tables, text boxes, columns, images and graphics can scramble content in some systems. Use consistent spacing, a readable font and normal text for all essential information.
- Keep the name and contact details in the document body.
- Use ordinary text bullets and consistent date formats.
- Avoid icons as the only label for phone, email or location.
- Follow the employer's requested PDF or DOCX format.
3. Use headings a reader can recognize quickly
Headings such as Work Experience, Education and Skills are clear for both people and common parsers. Creative labels may look distinctive but can make important sections harder to identify.
4. Match terminology only when it is true
Workforce Australia recommends studying the advertisement and using relevant words from it. That does not mean copying a skill you do not have. Use the employer's term when it accurately names your verified tool, task or experience.
Never hide keywords in white text or repeat them unnaturally. CareerOneStop explicitly warns that hidden keywords do not trick an ATS.
5. Test the output, not the promise
- Open the final file and inspect every page.
- Copy the text into a plain editor or use a parser preview.
- Confirm names, headings, employers, dates and bullets remain in order.
- Check links and the filename.
- Keep a DOCX alternative when an employer requests it.
Official guidance used for this article
TheJobSort separates official guidance from our own practical recommendations. These sources were checked on 17 August 2026.
- Resume guide: formattingCareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor
- Write a resumeWorkforce Australia
- How to write a CVUK National Careers Service
- How to write a good resumeGovernment of Canada Job Bank
Put it into practice
Build from facts you can defend.
Upload your résumé once. Merv helps you check the details, improve the writing and tailor a version to the job without adding unsupported claims.
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