Fix your resume so ATS can actually read it

Most designed resumes break when an ATS tries to read them. Columns, tables, text boxes, and graphics all cause the system to read your experience out of order or skip it entirely. This prompt takes your current resume and rebuilds it in a clean format that machines can actually parse.

Copy this into ChatGPT, Claude, or whatever you use. Swap the bracketed parts with your info.

My resume uses a two-column layout (or tables, or a designed template) and I think it's getting mangled by ATS systems. I need you to convert it into a clean, ATS-friendly format without losing any content.

**My current resume:**
[Paste your full resume text here. If it pastes garbled, that's fine -- paste it anyway. Also paste the original if you have it in a doc.]

**Instructions:**

1. First, identify everything on my resume -- name, contact info, summary, experience, education, skills, certifications, anything else. List what you found so I can check nothing got lost.

2. Rebuild the resume in a single-column layout following these rules:
   - Name and contact info at the top (one line if possible)
   - Clear section headers: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications
   - Each job: title, company, location, dates on one or two lines
   - Bullet points under each job (keep my original wording)
   - Skills as a simple comma-separated list, not a grid or chart
   - No columns, no tables, no text boxes, no graphics, no skill bars
   - No headers or footers (ATS often can't read these)
   - Use standard fonts only: Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman

3. Keep all of my original content, metrics, and accomplishments. Don't rewrite my bullets -- just restructure the layout. If something pasted garbled and you can figure out what it was supposed to say, fix it.

4. Give me the full reformatted resume at the end, ready to copy into a Word doc or Google Doc.

How to test if your resume is broken

Open your resume as a PDF. Select all text (Ctrl+A on Windows, Cmd+A on Mac). Paste it into a plain text editor. If the text comes out garbled, with columns interleaved or sections in the wrong order, that’s exactly what the ATS sees. Your content might be great, but the machine is reading scrambled eggs.

Tips

• Save the new version as a .docx or Google Doc, not a PDF made from a designed template. The ATS reads the underlying file, not what it looks like on screen.
• If you want it to look decent too, use a simple Word template with one column, clear headers, and basic formatting. Boring resumes get read. Pretty ones get shredded.
• Once your resume is ATS-friendly, use the resume tailoring prompt to customize it for each job you apply to.
• Keep your designed resume for interviews and networking where a human is reading it. Use the clean version for online applications.