The ATS-friendly resume format (and why one column wins)

An ATS-friendly resume is one a parser can read cleanly and in the right order. The single biggest factor is layout: a single column beats a two-column design almost every time.

Why single column wins

Many parsers read left-to-right, top-to-bottom. A two-column layout interleaves the columns, so your sidebar skills can end up spliced into the middle of a job description. A single column keeps reading order intact.

The checklist

• Single column, standard headings: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills.
• Plain-text contact block: name, email, phone, city, one link.
• Action-verb bullet points, not paragraphs.
• Consistent date ranges like “Jan 2021 – Present”.
• A common font; no text baked into images.
• Relevant hard skills and keywords from the job description.

Run your resume through ATSBuddy to see which of these you already pass and which to fix — then paste a job description to check how well you match the role.