What Is Resume Formatting?
Resume formatting refers to the visual layout, structure, and design choices in a resume document. ATS-safe formatting uses standard fonts, single-column layouts, clearly labeled sections, and avoids tables, text boxes, images, and headers/footers.
Why It Matters
90% of ATS formatting issues come from creative designs that look great to humans but confuse parsers. Two-column layouts, graphics-based headers, and table-based skill sections are common failure points.
How MultiResume Helps
Our 5 templates (Classic, Minimal, Modern, Executive, Technical) are all ATS-tested with single-column layouts, standard fonts, and clean section headings. The format compliance heuristic scores your resume's structural safety.
Put this into practice
Build an ATS-optimized resume that applies these principles automatically.
Start FreeRelated Terms
ATS Score
An ATS score is a numerical rating that represents how well a resume matches a specific job description based on keyword alignment, formatting compliance, and content completeness. Most ATS systems rank resumes by relevance to help recruiters prioritize candidates.
Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
An Applicant Tracking System is software used by employers to collect, scan, sort, and rank job applications. Common ATS platforms include Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, iCIMS, and Taleo. They parse resume text, extract structured data, and match candidates to job requirements.
Resume Parsing
Resume parsing is the automated extraction of structured data (name, contact info, work history, skills, education) from unstructured resume documents. ATS systems parse resumes to populate candidate profiles and enable keyword searching.