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ATS guide

Do two-column resumes work with ATS software?

The sources disagree. Workday's documentation says to avoid column formats, and Greenhouse lists a columned layout among the reasons its software may fail to read a resume, but Enhancv argues that modern systems read two columns correctly.[1], [2], [6]

By Justin M., founder of BespokeJobs. Updated .

Sources last reviewed .

Numbered citations point to the sources listed below. Lines marked "Our advice" are BespokeJobs recommendations.

What the software makers document

  • Workday: "Avoid tabular and column formats," along with text boxes and other visual objects.[1]
  • Greenhouse: resumes that have a columned layout appear in its list of reasons a resume may not be parsed.[2]
  • Oracle Taleo: its search documentation explains how recruiters search attachments by keyword and says nothing about columns.[3]

Career advisers lean the same way. Robert Half advises avoiding tables, columns, headers, and footers, and MIT names columns as a formatting choice that can make text come out in the wrong order.[4], [5]

The other view

Enhancv writes that all modern applicant tracking systems read two-column resumes correctly, and that the myth survives because a minority of older, rule-based engines remain in government and enterprise systems.[6]

Even so, Enhancv calls single-column the safer default on Taleo and older SAP SuccessFactors, and tells applicants to run a parse check before sending.[6]

The claim from Enhancv about vendor behavior is not stated in the Workday, Greenhouse, or Taleo pages cited here.

Our advice

Our advice: use a single column for online applications. You rarely know which system an employer uses, and the two vendors that document columns both warn against them.

Our advice: if you want a two-column design, send it only when a person will read it, such as an email to a hiring manager, and keep a single-column version for application forms.

Our advice: copy text from your file into a plain text editor. If the lines come out in the wrong order, software will likely read them that way too.

Common questions

Will an ATS reject a two-column resume?

None of the cited vendor pages describes rejecting a resume for its layout. Greenhouse says a columned layout may stop the software from reading it correctly, so a columned layout is a known risk.[1], [2], [3]

Is a single-column resume always safer?

It is the safer choice when you do not know the system. Workday and Greenhouse warn against columns, and even Enhancv, which says modern systems handle two columns, recommends a single column for Taleo and older SuccessFactors.[1], [2], [6]

Check your resume

Upload your resume to see whether software can read its layout, headings, and contact details. It is free, needs no account, and we do not keep your file.

Check your resume

This page answers one question from the ATS guide. Read the full guide for the rest.

Sources

  1. 1
    Workday: Resume REST API

    Accepts DOCX and text-based PDFs, and says to avoid column formats, text boxes, and personal information in headers and footers.

  2. 2
    Greenhouse: Unsuccessful resume parse

    Lists columns, tables, headers, footers, contact details in text boxes, image uploads, and files over 2.5 MB as parse problems.

  3. 3
    Oracle Taleo Enterprise: Candidate advanced search with keywords

    Recruiter keyword search covers attachments in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt, .rtf, and other supported formats.

  4. 4
    Robert Half: ATS-friendly resume tips to outsmart the screening system

    Avoid tables, columns, headers, and footers; save as .docx; a PDF may also work.

  5. 5
    MIT Career Advising and Professional Development: make your resume ATS friendly

    Word or PDF files are usually safe, follow the file type the system names, and avoid tables and text boxes.

  6. 6
    Enhancv: the state of resume parsing

    Argues modern systems read two columns and PDFs, and recommends a single column for Taleo and older SuccessFactors.

Sources last reviewed .