01Inconsistent spacing causing ATS parsing errors
70% rejection rate
Use consistent 12pt spacing between sections
02Mixed font families confusing ATS systems
45% readability reduction
Stick to one professional font family
03Improper bullet point alignment
Scanning time increased by 40%
Use standard • bullet with proper indentation
04Insufficient white space (less than 30%)
Recruiter attention drops by 55%
Add strategic white space between sections
05Unprofessional or decorative font choices
Immediate negative first impression
Switch to Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman
06Inconsistent date formatting throughout resume
Confuses both ATS and human reviewers
Use consistent format: Month YYYY - Month YYYY
07Overly complex formatting with tables/columns
85% ATS parsing failure rate
Use simple, linear formatting structure
08Too much text density (wall of text)
Only 28% of content gets read
Break into bullet points with white space
09Poor information hierarchy
Key achievements get missed
Clear headers, bold key terms, logical flow
10Using headers/footers for important info
ATS completely ignores these sections
Keep all content in main document body
11Graphics or images in resume
Parsed as blank space by ATS
Remove all images, use text descriptions