Choose the Right Resume Format
Your resume format is crucial for the ATS. A poor choice can make your resume completely unreadable by the software, even if the content is perfect.
To do
- ✓ Single column from top to bottom
- ✓ A4 vertical format (portrait)
- ✓ Standard margins (0.8-1 inch)
- ✓ Readable font: Arial, Calibri, or fonts embedded in the PDF
- ✓ 10-12pt size for body text
To avoid
- ✗ Multiple columns (mixed text)
- ✗ Tables to structure content
- ✗ Headers/footers with important information
- ✗ Non-embedded fonts in the PDF
- ✗ Text in images
💡 Tip: To check if your resume is ATS-friendly, copy-paste the content of your PDF into a text editor. If the text appears in the correct order and is readable, that's a good sign!
Note on fonts: If you create your resume manually with Word or Google Docs, prefer system fonts (Arial, Calibri). Professional generators like JobAlign use more elegant fonts but properly embedded in the PDF, which ensures their readability by ATS systems.
Structure Essential Sections
An ATS-friendly resume must contain clearly identified sections with standard titles that the ATS easily recognizes.
Recommended structure (in this order)
Header / Contact Information
Name, phone, email, city, LinkedIn (optional)
Title / Professional Summary
2-3 lines summarizing your profile and objective
Work Experience
From most recent to oldest (reverse chronological order)
Education
Degrees, certifications, relevant training
Skills
Technical and soft skills, organized by categories
Optional: Languages, Interests
Only if relevant for the target position
Recommended section titles: Use standard headings like "Work Experience", "Education", "Skills". Avoid original titles like "My Journey" or "What I Can Do" that the ATS might not recognize.
Write the Header and Summary
The header is the first thing the ATS and recruiter see. It must be clear, complete and well formatted.
Marie DUPONT
Full-Stack JavaScript Developer
"Full-Stack Developer with 5 years of experience in React and Node.js. Specialized in creating performant and scalable web applications. Passionate about development best practices and user experience."
✓ Best practices for the summary
- • Include the target job title
- • Mention your years of experience
- • Add 2-3 key skills
- • Stay concise: 2-3 lines maximum
💡 ATS Tip
Use in your summary the main keywords from the job posting. If the ad mentions "Digital Project Manager", use exactly these terms rather than "Digital Projects Manager".
Write Work Experience
This is the most important section of your resume. Each experience must be structured consistently and include quantified results.
Typical experience structure:
Full-Stack Developer
| TechCorp Inc. | New York, NYJanuary 2021 - Present
- • Developed an e-commerce application in React/Node.js serving 50,000 monthly users
- • Optimized site performance, reducing loading time by 40%
- • Mentored a team of 3 junior developers on Agile methodologies
- • Implemented a CI/CD system with GitHub Actions, reducing deployment times by 60%
Magic formula: Action verb + Task/Project + Quantified result + Technologies used
Recommended action verbs by category:
Leadership
Led, Supervised, Coordinated, Mentored, Managed, Directed
Creation
Developed, Designed, Created, Launched, Initiated, Founded
Improvement
Optimized, Improved, Enhanced, Restructured, Modernized
💡 Crucial advice: Adapt your bullet points to each posting. If the position requires experience in "project management", highlight your achievements in this area, even if it wasn't your main responsibility.
Optimize the Skills Section
The skills section is crucial for the ATS because that's where it looks for keywords first. It must be clear, organized and relevant.
Example of a well-structured skills section:
Languages & Frameworks
JavaScript (ES6+), TypeScript, Python, React, Node.js, Express, Next.js
Databases
PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, MySQL
Tools & Methods
Git, Docker, AWS, CI/CD, Agile/Scrum, Jest, Cypress
Soft Skills
Project management, Client communication, Teamwork, Problem-solving
✓ To do
- • List skills in plain text
- • Use the exact terms from the posting
- • Include acronyms AND full versions
- • Organize by logical categories
- • Prioritize requested skills
✗ Absolutely avoid
- • Gauges or progress bars (ignored by the ATS)
- • Ratings out of 5 or percentages
- • Icons or graphics
- • Skills not relevant to the position
- • List too long (max 15-20 skills)
Why no gauges? The ATS cannot interpret an 80% progress bar. Moreover, a recruiter might wonder why you're only at 80% and not 100%. Simply list your skills.
Fatal Errors to Avoid
These errors can cause your resume to be rejected instantly, even if you're the perfect candidate.
1. Multiple columns
The ATS reads left to right, line by line. Two columns create text that is completely mixed and incomprehensible to the software.
2. Invisible tables
Even if you don't see the borders, tables used for layout completely disrupt ATS parsing.
3. Information in header/footer
Many ATS systems completely ignore these areas. Put your contact information in the body of the document.
4. Scanned PDFs or images
If your resume is an image (scan, screenshot), the ATS cannot extract any information. Use a native text PDF.
5. One resume for all applications
Without adaptation to each posting's keywords, your ATS score will be systematically low. Personalize for each application.
✅ Final Checklist Before Sending
Too complicated? JobAlign automatically applies all these rules and generates an ATS-optimized resume in 3 minutes.
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