Are two-column resumes bad for ATS?
The short answer
They carry a cost in our check. A page with two or more columns loses 15 points from the formatting score, in Word and PDF files alike. A second, separate check can take another 15 when the extracted text looks like columns were merged into long lines.
What we measured
Measured
Our format check detects columns two ways, depending on the file. In a Word (.docx) file it reads the page-section settings and looks for a section with two or more columns. In a PDF it reads where each piece of text sits on the page and works out whether the text forms columns. Either finding costs 15 points from a formatting score that starts at 100.
These are the rules of Passthrough's own scan, not a feed from any employer's system.
The second check: columns merged into long lines
Measured
Separately, the check looks at the text it extracted. If more than five lines run longer than 400 characters, it reports a possible multi-column layout and takes 15 points. The idea is that when two columns are read straight across, whole paragraphs from both columns end up glued into single very long lines.
The bar is deliberately high. A single detailed bullet or a short summary paragraph can run long on its own, and we did not want to punish good writing for looking like a column problem. Because the two checks work differently, a resume can trigger both.
Why columns cost points
Our advice
A parser reads text in a sequence. With two columns, the sequence it picks may run across the page instead of down each column, so a job title from the left can be followed by a skill from the right. That scrambles the order your reader would see.
This is our reasoning, and the reason for the deduction. We have not tested any named employer system for this article.
What to do
Our advice
Use one column. If you want a sidebar look, make it a heading and a short list instead. Then run the free scan on your file to see what the check makes of it.
Try it in the penalty simulator, and see why an image-only PDF costs far more.
See what a scan makes of your resume
The scan is free, and you see your full breakdown before you decide anything.
Keep reading
- Do tables break ATS?A plain answer on tables in resumes: when our check takes points off, how many, and why a single column of plain text is the safer choice.
- Why a scanned PDF resume fails ATS checksA resume saved as a picture has no real text for a parser to read. See how our check spots it, what it costs, and how to fix the file.