Here's the part most "best resume templates" lists skip entirely: a large share of resumes today get screened by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before a person ever opens them. A resume can look genuinely great and still get misread or auto-rejected because of layout choices that have nothing to do with the content — multi-column layouts, text inside graphics, or unusual fonts the software can't parse. If you're picking a template, this matters more than which one looks nicest in the preview.
What Actually Trips Up an ATS
- Multi-column layouts. Many parsers read left to right, top to bottom — a two-column resume can get scrambled into a nonsensical order, merging your job title from one column with a company name from the other.
- Text embedded in graphics or icons. If your job titles or skills are baked into a designed image rather than live text, most ATS software simply can't read them at all.
- Tables and text boxes. These often get skipped entirely during parsing, even when they contain your actual work history.
- Headers and footers. Contact info placed in a document header is frequently ignored by parsers — worth keeping your name and contact details in the main body instead.
- Unusual fonts. Decorative or script fonts can render as garbled text once converted to plain text by the parser, even if they look elegant in the PDF.
How to Tell if a Template Is ATS-Safe Before You Commit
A quick way to stress-test any template you're considering: after filling it in, copy all the text out of the exported PDF and paste it into a plain text file. If the result reads in a sensible order — name, then contact info, then experience, roughly matching what's on the page — it's a reasonably safe bet. If it comes out jumbled or missing whole sections, that template's layout is working against you regardless of how polished it looks.
When Design-Forward Templates Still Make Sense
Not every resume needs to optimize purely for ATS parsing. If you're applying directly to a small company, submitting through a referral, or working in a genuinely visual field — design, illustration, architecture — a more distinctive PSD or Canva template can be a legitimate advantage, since a human is likely reviewing it directly rather than a filter. The judgment call is knowing which situation you're in: large company with an online application portal, lean ATS-safe; direct application or creative field, more room to use a template's visual personality.
A Practical Middle Ground
- Keep the overall structure single-column with clear section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) that an ATS will reliably recognize
- Save subtle design touches — a single accent color, a clean divider line, tasteful spacing — rather than heavy graphics or icon-based skill bars
- Export as a standard PDF, not an image-based export, so the text stays selectable and machine-readable
- Keep your name and contact details in the main body of the page rather than only in a header
If You Want More Design-Forward Options
For a broader set of visually distinctive resume layouts, including more creative field-specific options, our roundup of modern resume and CV designs covers that ground, and our Canva and PSD resume template collection is worth browsing if you already know which format you want to work in.
Where to Find Templates
Common Questions
Do all companies use an ATS to screen resumes?
Most mid-size and large companies do, especially anything submitted through an online application portal; smaller companies and direct referrals are more likely to have a human review it first.
Is a PDF safe to submit, or should I use a Word document?
Modern ATS software generally parses PDFs fine as long as the text is selectable (not a scanned image) — if a job posting specifically requests a .doc or .docx file, follow that instruction, since it usually reflects their system's preference.
Will a template with icons for skills or contact info hurt my chances?
It can, if the actual text (your phone number, your skill name) is only present inside the icon graphic rather than as separate readable text nearby — keep a plain-text version of anything critical alongside decorative elements.
Should I use the same resume template for every job application?
The base template can stay the same, but tailoring the content — keywords, emphasized skills — to each specific job posting matters more for ATS matching than the visual design does.
