Resume Template That Passes ATS: Sections, Fonts, and Margins That Survive ATS

The safest resume template that passes ATS is a single-column document with standard section headings, plain text contact details, readable fonts, and ordinary spacing. Build it in Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Avoid text boxes, layout tables, icons, photos, and multi-column skill grids.

An ATS must extract your information before a recruiter reviews it. A decorative design can look polished on screen and still scramble your dates, headings, or contact details in the extracted text. Keep the design quiet. Put the effort into job-specific wording and clear evidence.

Use this section order

A simple order gives the parser a predictable path through your file:

Order	Section	What to include
1	Name and contact	Name, phone, email, city and state, LinkedIn URL if useful
2	Summary	Two or three lines targeted to the role
3	Skills	Relevant tools, methods, and job-specific capabilities
4	Experience	Job title, employer, location, dates, and achievement bullets
5	Education	Degree, school, location, and graduation year if useful
6	Optional extras	Certifications, projects, languages, or volunteer work when relevant

Do not place important information in a header or footer. Some systems may extract those areas separately or omit them. Put your email, phone, and location in the main document body.

A summary is optional for a very short resume, but it helps you state your target role and strongest relevant experience. Keep it factual. Do not fill it with broad claims such as “hardworking professional” unless the statement is supported by the rest of the file.

Wireframe for a safe template

Use this as the page structure in Word or Google Docs:

YOUR NAME
City, State | phone | email | linkedin.com/in/yourname

SUMMARY
Target role, years or type of experience, and two relevant strengths.

SKILLS
Skill or tool | Skill or tool | Skill or tool | Skill or tool

EXPERIENCE
Job Title, Company, City, State                         Month Year to Month Year
- Action and result related to the target job.
- Action, tool, scope, or outcome related to the target job.

Earlier Job Title, Company, City, State                 Month Year to Month Year
- Relevant achievement with a clear result.
- Relevant responsibility or project.

EDUCATION
Degree, School, City, State                             Year

OPTIONAL EXTRAS
Certification, project, language, or volunteer experience.

The code block is a plain-text example, not a design to paste without editing. Replace every placeholder. Use real facts and measurable results when you have them.

For more examples, compare this structure with the ATS Optimized Resume Template, which covers Word and Google Docs versions. You can also review the ATS Compatible Resume Template before choosing a layout.

Font and margin rules

Use one font throughout the body. Calibri, Arial, and Georgia are safe starting points because they are familiar and readable. Keep body text between 10 and 12 points. Your name can be larger, usually around 16 to 22 points, but do not let oversized text push useful content onto another page.

Use standard margins. A setting between 0.5 and 1 inch is practical. One inch gives the page more breathing room. Half-inch margins can help when your experience needs more space, but do not shrink the text to fit every detail.

Apply formatting with paragraph settings, not floating objects. Use bold for job titles or section headings. Use one consistent date style, such as “Jan 2022 to Mar 2024” or “January 2022 to March 2024.” Avoid unusual symbols that may disappear during extraction.

Use standard bullet points. Keep each bullet focused on one contribution. Five well-targeted bullets for a recent role are often more useful than a dense block of text. The right number depends on your experience and the job, but remove old or unrelated detail first.

Ban these layout choices

A resume template can fail when visual placement matters more than text order. Avoid these three layouts:

1. Two-column resume with a side skills panel

A left panel may contain skills, contact details, and certifications while the main panel contains experience. An ATS can read the side panel first, last, or in fragments. Your dates and job titles may become disconnected from the correct employers.

2. Resume built with text boxes

Text boxes let you place content anywhere on the page. They also turn ordinary resume information into separate floating objects. Some parsers may skip them or extract them in an unexpected order. Contact details and skills should be normal paragraphs.

3. Table-based visual resume

Tables are often used to line up dates, employers, and skills. They can work for a human reader but create uncertain extraction order. A multi-column skill grid is especially risky because related terms may be read across rows or separated from their heading.

Also remove headshots, logos, rating bars, decorative icons, and progress charts. A phone icon is not a substitute for the word “Phone.” Write the label or use the number directly.

Customize one template for one job

Tailoring does not require rebuilding the design. Keep the same section order and make changes inside the sections.

First, identify the role's repeated requirements. Look for software names, methods, certifications, domain terms, and responsibilities. Put truthful matches in your Skills section. Then revise the Summary so it names the target function and the strongest matching area.

Next, reorder experience bullets. Put the most relevant evidence near the top of each recent role. Use the job description's wording when it accurately describes work you have done. For example, if your resume says “managed customer tickets” and the job says “owned support queue,” you can use the employer's phrase only if it reflects your actual work.

Do not add a skill because it appears in the posting. Do not claim missing experience. If you have adjacent experience, describe the overlap precisely. A truthful related task is better than a keyword that you cannot explain in an interview.

Keep headings unchanged. Do not rename “Experience” to a creative label such as “Where I Made an Impact.” Standard headings help readers and parsers. Change the content under the heading, not the document's basic structure.

Use the job description keyword extractor as a do-this-now step. Paste the job description and, optionally, your resume PDF. It lists must-haves, tools, and nice-to-haves, and can mark which keywords already appear in your file. Treat it as an editing aid, not permission to add skills you do not have. If you want a draft based on your real profile, paste the same job into YourUnique.cv after reviewing the extracted terms. Its paid product can write from your profile facts and run an ATS read against that job. It does not reproduce an employer's ATS result.

Word and Google Docs setup

In Word, start with a blank document or a restrained single-column template. Set margins before adding content. Use the Styles controls for headings so the same formatting applies throughout. Keep the document body as ordinary text and save an editable copy before exporting.

In Google Docs, use File and Page setup to set margins. Keep the page single-column. Check that links display as readable text, not only as icons. Download a PDF only after the document is complete, then open that PDF and test text selection.

A PDF is not automatically ATS-safe. The important question is whether the text is real, selectable text in a sensible order. A scanned image of a resume can be difficult to extract. Follow the employer's file instructions when they specify a format.

Run a plain-text test

Copy all visible resume text and paste it into a plain-text editor. Read from top to bottom. Your name should appear first. Contact information should be intact. Each heading should be followed by the right content. Job titles, employers, dates, and bullets should stay connected.

If the paste test produces missing words, strange symbols, a scrambled two-column order, or an absent contact section, return to the source document. Remove the table, text box, icon, or decorative element causing the problem. Export again and repeat the test.

You can also upload the PDF to the ATS resume checker with the target job description. It reports a match score, missing keywords, and gaps after scanning the file. Use those results to find possible issues, but do not treat the number as a score from Workday, Greenhouse, or any other employer system.

If you need to rebuild the document from your profile, YourUnique.cv lets you upload a resume, optionally add a LinkedIn URL, keep the current layout or choose a built-in template, and export a PDF after reviewing the result. Check the final file yourself. Automation does not replace the plain-text paste test.

Apply today checklist

• Save the final file in the format requested by the employer. Confirm that the PDF contains selectable text if PDF is accepted.
• Use one column, standard headings, Calibri, Arial, or Georgia, 10 to 12 point body text, and standard margins.
• Remove text boxes, layout tables, icons for contact details, photos, and multi-column skill grids.
• Match truthful skills and phrases from the job description. Do not claim missing experience.
• Give each recent role focused achievement bullets. Check that the five most useful bullets are easy to find.
• Paste the finished resume into a plain-text editor and fix any scrambled order or missing text.
• Run the file through the ATS resume checker with the job description before you apply.