should i use microsoft word resume templates

Here are some of the key formatting tips to take away from this: Subscribe and download an ATS compatible version of this template: ATS Formatting Tips This 23% difference is based on formatting alone. Remember the text was the same in both versions. (You can download a version of this template below)ĭon’t get me wrong – this is still a terrible result, but you can see just how significantly the Canva template’s format impacted on the ATS scan result. This was the outcome when the same information was submitted via a PDF created within MS Word.

If the fields populated incorrectly or not at all, then the system was unable to read your resume. If you have ever applied for a role using an online application form and used your uploaded resume to pre-populate the fields, you may have run into similar issues.

I suspect that the extra spacing added in Canva has caused the headings to be translated as individual letters and therefore they are now unrecognisable by the ATS as words. In fact, all the content is in the wrong place. The corresponding content was separated from the headings. You can see some of the issues when you look at the text version of the Canva template created by Jobscan. I used an example Social Media Manager job ad I found on Seek.Īs you can see, it wasn’t good. (It is a great tool – I will link to it again at the end) Jobscan then guides you to improve your ATS ranking. If you are not familiar with Jobscan, it is a free online tool that assesses your resume against a job for ATS optimisation. To help demonstrate I downloaded this resume template from Canva as a PDF.įrom here, I uploaded the Canva resume template as a PDF to Jobscan. The formatting of your resume can impact the ability of the ATS to scan your resume. The ATS will check your resume for keywords and phrases and rank your resume.

Incompatibility with Applicant Tracking System (ATS) ScanningĪpplicant Tracking Systems are used to perform the initial screening of your resume.Īn actual person won’t read your resume unless you can first get past the ATS. There are sections missing all togetherġ.The layout doesn’t lead with the strongest content first.You may end up excluding necessary content Incompatibility with Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Scanning

Should i use microsoft word resume templates