Resume formatting mistakes
Formatting mistakes are the silent killers of resume submissions. Most candidates don't know their resume looks fine to a human and broken to an ATS. Here are the patterns we see most often and how to fix them.
The biggest formatting mistakes in 2026 are: two-column layouts, contact info inside page headers, decorative fonts, text inside images, mixed font sizes, and PDFs exported with embedded forms. Each one is a parsing or scanning failure. Each has a fix.
Two-column layouts
The single most common ATS-breaking mistake. Word's two-column feature renders cleanly to PDF for humans but parses as zigzag text for most ATS systems — your contact info ends up scrambled with your skills, and your bullets lose their ordering. The fix: single column, full stop. If you want visual interest, use sub-headings and white space, not columns.
Contact info in page headers
If you put your name, email, and phone inside Word's page header (the actual <header> element that repeats on every page), most ATS parsers do not read headers at all and will drop your contact info. The fix: put the contact info in the body of the document on the first line. Same visual result, parses correctly.
Text inside images or icons
If your resume has skill icons, language flags, or any text rendered inside an image, ATS systems can't read any of it. The fix: use Unicode characters or plain text. A 'JavaScript' label with no icon is more parseable than a 'JS' icon with no text label.
Mixed font sizes within sections
Three different sizes for three different bullets. Two different heading sizes for the same level of hierarchy. ATS doesn't fail on this but recruiters' eyes do — the resume reads as careless. The fix: pick one body size and one heading size and stick to them.
PDFs with embedded forms or interactive elements
Some Word and Google Docs templates export 'fillable' PDFs with form fields. ATS parsers read these as empty form fields, not as text. The fix: print to PDF instead of 'Save as PDF,' or run the PDF through a re-export step.
Decorative dividers and borders
Horizontal lines, decorative dividers, and section borders are usually fine — but they trip up some older ATS parsers, especially if they're table cells instead of underline characters. The fix: if you want a divider, use a simple horizontal line via 'Insert horizontal line' or just leave white space. Avoid table-based layouts.
Side by side
Single-column resume with name + contact info on line 1 of the body, one font, one body size, one heading size, no images, no two columns, no page header.
Two-column resume with skills on the left and experience on the right, contact info in the page header, decorative icons next to each skill. Visual win, ATS loss.
Mistakes that get this wrong
- Two-column layouts (the single biggest failure)
- Contact info inside Word page headers
- Text rendered inside skill icons or language flag images
- Three different font sizes in the same section
- Fillable PDF forms instead of static PDFs
Run the Google Drive preview test before sending. Open the PDF in Google Drive, hit preview, and read the text-only view. If it looks like nonsense, ATS will see the same nonsense.
Frequently asked
Should I send Word or PDF?
PDF, almost always. Word docs render differently on different machines. PDF preserves the layout. Use Word only if the JD explicitly asks for it.
Are tables in resumes always bad?
They used to be a reliable way to break ATS. Modern parsers handle them better, but tables are still risky for layout. Avoid them where possible.
Is the Google Drive preview test reliable?
It's a strong proxy. If your PDF previews cleanly in Google Drive, most ATS will parse it correctly. If it doesn't, fix the layout before sending.
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