Do tables break ATS?
The short answer
Sometimes. In a Word resume, our check takes 10 points off the formatting score for a table-based layout, and 20 points if there are three or more tables. Tables are not banned, but a single column of plain text is the safer choice.
What we measured
Measured
Passthrough's format check starts every resume at 100 and subtracts points for the problems it can find. For a Word (.docx) file it reads the file's own structure and counts the tables. One or two tables cost 10 points. Three or more cost 20 points. The larger cost replaces the smaller one, so the two are never added together.
These are the rules of Passthrough's own scan. They are not a feed from any employer's applicant tracking system, and no employer has told us how its system treats your file.
What about PDFs?
Our check can count tables in a Word file because Word stores them as tables. A PDF only records where each piece of text sits on the page, so the check cannot count tables in a PDF. It does read other things from a PDF: columns, images and hidden text.
Why we deduct for tables
Our advice
A parser has to turn a page into a stream of text. A table puts your content in cells, and some parsers read cells in a different order from the one you see, or skip them. If your job titles and dates sit in different cells, a parser that reads them out of order can attach the wrong date to the wrong job.
This is our reasoning, and it is why the deduction exists. We have not tested any named employer system for this article.
What to do
Our advice
Put your experience in one column of plain text, with a heading for each section. If you like a small skills grid, keep it to a single table and also list the same skills in plain lines. Then run the free scan on your actual file and see whether the formatting score moves.
You can also tick "tables" in the penalty simulator to see what it costs next to everything else the check looks for.
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 text boxes break ATS?Text boxes can hide your content from a parser. Here is when our check flags them in a Word resume, what it costs, and what to use instead.
- Are two-column resumes bad for ATS?How our check detects columns in Word and PDF resumes, what they cost, and a second check that catches columns merged into long lines.