Resume Formatting Best Practices for 2026

Good formatting doesn't replace strong content—but it makes your resume easy to read and signals professionalism. Here's how to set up margins, fonts, spacing, and sections so both recruiters and ATS systems can scan it quickly.

Margins and White Space

Use 0.5"–1" margins on all sides. Too little margin looks cramped and anxious; too much wastes valuable space. Leave clear visual gaps between sections so the eye can move naturally from one area to the next.

White space is not wasted space—it's what makes a resume scannable in 6–10 seconds. A single-column layout is best for both human readers and ATS parsers. Two-column formats look sleek but confuse many automated systems and are harder to scan linearly.

Fonts: Simple Beats Creative

Stick to common, readable fonts that render consistently across operating systems and PDF viewers: Arial, Calibri, Garamond, Georgia, or Helvetica. Here's a quick sizing guide:

• Your name: 16–22pt, bold
• Section headings: 11–13pt, bold or all-caps
• Body text and bullets: 10–11pt
• Contact details: 9–10pt is fine

Avoid script, decorative, or condensed fonts. If you're sending a PDF, embed the font in the file so it displays consistently on every device. Most modern word processors do this by default.

Section Order That Gets You Read

Put the most relevant information where eyes go first—the top third of the page. The general hierarchy that works for most candidates:

1. Contact info (name, email, phone, LinkedIn, location)
2. Summary (2–3 lines; skip if it's just restating your experience section)
3. Work Experience (most recent first)
4. Education
5. Skills
6. Certifications / Projects / Publications (if relevant)

Exceptions worth knowing: if you're a new graduate, Education moves above Experience. For highly technical roles, a Skills section near the top helps ATS match faster. Career changers benefit from a strong Summary that reframes their background right away.

Before and After: Section Headings

Bullets: Consistency and Punch

Use bullet points for roles and achievements—not paragraph blocks. Each bullet should start with a strong action verb and, where possible, end with a result or number. Keep bullets to 1–2 lines; anything longer should be split or trimmed.

Tense matters: use past tense for previous roles ("Led," "Built," "Reduced") and present tense for your current role ("Lead," "Build," "Manage"). Apply this consistently throughout—mismatched tense reads as careless.

Date formats should also be consistent: pick one style ("Mar 2024 – Present" or "March 2024 – Present" or "03/2024 – Present") and use it everywhere. Mixing styles looks unpolished.

ATS-Friendly Formatting Checklist

Common Formatting Mistakes to Avoid

Even well-intentioned formatting decisions can undermine your resume:

• Tiny margins to cram more in: If your margins are under 0.5", edit the content instead.
• Inconsistent bullet styles: Mixing dashes, dots, and arrows looks sloppy even when the content is strong.
• Underlining text: On a digital document, underlines look like hyperlinks. Use bold for emphasis instead.
• Color for body text: Subtle color on headings is fine; colored body text reduces readability and can disappear on printed copies.
• Photo included: In the US, Canada, and UK, photos on resumes are non-standard and can create unconscious bias issues. Leave them off unless you're applying in a country where it's expected.

The Bottom Line

Clean margins, a simple font, a logical section order, and consistent bullets make your resume readable by both humans and ATS. Formatting should be invisible—when it's done right, the reader focuses on what you've accomplished, not on how the page is laid out. When in doubt, choose clarity over creativity.