Start with a simple single-column layout, recognizable headings and consistent spacing. Keep contact information in the main document body, make job titles and dates easy to connect, and follow the employer's file instructions. Check the file you will actually submit, including any fields filled after upload.
What layout should I start with?
For an ordinary text resume, use a structure you can read straight down: contact information, relevant sections, and entries within each section. Standard headings such as Experience, Education and Skills make that structure visible. CareerOneStop's formatting guide recommends a simple layout and conventional headings.
Use ordinary text for important details. Decorative skill bars require interpretation, and a logo cannot explain a qualification. A portfolio can show visual work separately while the resume provides an accessible account of your responsibilities and results.
Illustrative structure:
Name | City, State | Email | Phone | Relevant portfolio URL EXPERIENCE Job title — Employer Month Year – Month Year • Specific action, context and a supported result EDUCATION Degree or training — Institution SKILLS Relevant tools, methods or languages
This is an outline to organize your own information, not a document to submit with placeholders. Change the section order to suit your evidence; the sections guide explains those choices.
How should I use fonts and spacing?
Choose a readable, familiar font and keep body text consistent. A useful starting point is 10–12 point text, then check it at normal reading size. Leave enough space to separate sections and entries. CareerOneStop recommends that font range and margins that preserve white space.
Do not force extra content onto a page by shrinking everything. First remove repeated duties and irrelevant material. Use actual paragraph styles or tab stops where practical rather than repeated spaces, which can shift during export. Keep bullet shapes and date formats consistent.
Which design elements can cause problems?
Greenhouse's parser troubleshooting lists columns, complex tables, image resumes and contact details in headers, footers or text boxes among possible causes of incorrect extraction. That is a reason to simplify important information, not proof that every system rejects every table.
Illustrative repair: replace a sidebar containing your phone, email and skills with plain paragraphs at the top and a normal Skills section. Keep a separate visual portfolio if it is relevant. Check that your dates still sit with the correct employer after the change.
Should I send PDF or Word?
The posting's instruction comes first. If it requests DOCX, submit DOCX. If it accepts PDF, export a document with selectable text rather than scanning a printed page into an image. CareerOneStop recommends PDF when another format is not specified because it helps preserve the intended layout.
Keep an editable original so you can make corrections without rebuilding the resume. Give the submitted file a useful name, such as your name plus the role. Open the final export again: checking the source document alone will not reveal a page break introduced during conversion.
A practical export checklist
- Read every page at normal size, checking clipped lines and unexpected blank pages.
- Select and copy a passage into a plain-text editor to look for missing words or confusing order.
- Check links, contact details, spelling and consistent dates.
- Confirm the file extension and size meet the application instructions.
- Review the extracted fields or preview after uploading, when available.
A copy-and-paste test can uncover problems, but it does not reproduce a particular employer's parser or guarantee a hiring outcome.
Next: decide what belongs in each section
Continue with How do I add resume sections?. Related guides: resume length and how an ATS works.
Check your resume with FilteredIn, then use the export checklist above on the file you plan to submit.