https://github.com/ashwingopalsamy/ats-latex-resume
ATS-friendly LaTeX resume template for software engineer. Perfect for professionals in tech, data and engineering fields.
https://github.com/ashwingopalsamy/ats-latex-resume
latex latex-template pdf resume resume-template
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ATS-friendly LaTeX resume template for software engineer. Perfect for professionals in tech, data and engineering fields.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/ashwingopalsamy/ats-latex-resume
- Owner: ashwingopalsamy
- License: mit
- Created: 2024-10-27T07:20:23.000Z (7 months ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2024-10-27T16:04:38.000Z (7 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-02-07T20:32:47.613Z (4 months ago)
- Topics: latex, latex-template, pdf, resume, resume-template
- Language: HTML
- Homepage:
- Size: 259 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
# ATS-Compatible LaTeX Resume Template
This LaTeX resume template is designed specifically to meet the demands of modern Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) while still looking professional and clean for human reviewers. Unlike other templates that might overlook crucial technical details, this template includes specific enhancements that make a real difference in getting your resume through ATS parsing and into the hands of hiring managers.
## Table of Contents
* [What Makes This Template Different?](#what-makes-this-template-different)
+ [1. Optimized for ATS Parsing](#1-optimized-for-ats-parsing)
+ [2. Carefully Chosen LaTeX Packages](#2-carefully-chosen-latex-packages)
+ [3. Designed for Real-World Use](#3-designed-for-real-world-use)
* [How the Chosen Packages Address Common Resume Pitfalls](#how-the-chosen-packages-address-common-resume-pitfalls)
* [Quick Start](#quick-start)
* [Overleaf Instructions](#overleaf-instructions)
* [Customization Tips](#customization-tips)
* [Testing and Validation](#testing-and-validation)
* [Contributing](#contributing)
* [License](#license)
* [About This Template](#about-this-template)
## What Makes This Template Different?
### 1. Optimized for ATS Parsing
While many LaTeX templates focus on aesthetics, this template is engineered to work well with ATS software by:
- **Ensuring Compatibility with UTF-8 Encoding:** Text is readable and searchable, avoiding common issues with ATS systems misreading special characters.
- **Using Standard Fonts and Layouts:** The template employs fonts like `lmodern`, `charter`, `helv` that are both visually appealing and ATS-friendly.
- **Enhancing Text Extraction from PDFs:** Specialized packages ensure the content in the PDF can be extracted accurately, allowing all the important details to be parsed correctly.
### 2. Carefully Chosen LaTeX Packages
The following packages have been selected to address common problems that can prevent resumes from being accurately parsed by ATS:
- **`geometry`** – Customizes the document's margins to make optimal use of space, while adhering to standard formatting that is ATS-friendly.
- **`inputenc`** – Uses UTF-8 encoding to support a wide range of characters. This ensures special characters don't cause parsing errors in ATS systems.
- **`pdfgentounicode`** – Enables Unicode mapping for better text extraction from the PDF. This is crucial for ensuring the ATS reads the content correctly, as some systems struggle with PDF text that lacks proper encoding.
- **`csquotes`** – Improves quotation handling and ensures that encoded characters are represented correctly.
- **`lmodern`** – Provides a standard font that is both ATS-compatible and easy to read for human reviewers. Many ATS systems have trouble with fancy or custom fonts, making standard fonts like `lmodern`, `charter` a safer choice.
- **`hyperref`** – Allows for clickable links in the PDF while hiding distracting link borders. This keeps the resume clean while providing easy access to external resources (like LinkedIn), if recruiters choose to view them.
- **`parskip`** – Adjusts paragraph spacing to improve document layout without affecting ATS parsing.
- **`titlesec`** – Allows for customized section headings that maintain a professional appearance while staying within ATS-readable formats.
- **`enumitem`** – Provides precise control over bullet point formatting, which is important for ATS systems that might struggle with unconventional bullet styles.
- **`glyphtounicode`** – Enhances Unicode mapping to ensure consistent text extraction from the PDF. This is especially useful for ATS systems that extract keywords and phrases for ranking.
### 3. Designed for Real-World Use
This template goes beyond aesthetics to ensure that:
- **Your content is not just beautifully formatted but also indexed correctly by ATS.** Poor encoding can prevent keywords and achievements from being picked up.
- **Standardized formatting avoids pitfalls common with over-designed templates** (e.g., using images or unusual symbols that confuse parsing software).
- **Modular layout supports easy adjustments and customizations** without sacrificing readability or ATS compatibility.
## How the Chosen Packages Address Common Resume Pitfalls
Other LaTeX resume templates might look good at first glance but often fall short when it comes to:
- **Text Extraction:** Without proper Unicode mapping, ATS systems might not read your text correctly. This template ensures robust text extraction with `pdfgentounicode` and `glyphtounicode`.
- **Encoding Issues:** Special characters can break ATS parsing if UTF-8 encoding is not used consistently. This template employs `inputenc` and other encoding-focused packages to prevent such issues.
- **Non-Standard Fonts or Symbols:** Using non-standard fonts can make your resume unreadable by some ATS software. This template uses the standard `lmodern` font to maintain compatibility.
## Quick Start
To set up the resume template:
1. **Clone or Download the Repository:**
```bash
git clone https://github.com/ashwingopalsamy/ats-latex-resume.git
```
2. **Edit the `resume_template.tex` File:**
- Update the contact info, experience, skills and other sections with your personal information.
- Add or rearrange sections based on your background.
3. **Compile the LaTeX File:**
- **Overleaf:** Upload the `.tex` file to Overleaf and compile the project.
- **Local Setup:** Use a LaTeX editor such as TeXShop, TeXworks, or VS Code with a LaTeX extension to compile locally.
4. **Download the PDF and Use It for Your Job Applications.**
## Overleaf Instructions
Follow these steps to use the template with Overleaf:
1. Go to [**Overleaf**](https://www.overleaf.com/).
2. Create a new project and upload the `resume_template.tex` file.
3. Edit the content directly in Overleaf and click “**Recompile**” to see the PDF update.
4. Once satisfied, download the PDF.
## Customization Tips
- **Adding Sections:** Duplicate and edit existing sections as needed.
- **Reordering Content:** Move sections up or down to emphasize different aspects of your background.
- **Adjusting Bullet Points:** The template uses the `\bulletItem{}` command for consistency across the document.
## Testing and Validation
To ensure that this LaTeX resume template meets modern ATS requirements, we conducted the following tests:
1. **PDF Parsing Tests:** The template was tested with several free online ATS parsers and resume checkers (e.g., Jobscan, Resumeworded) to verify that the content is extracted accurately.
2. **Keyword Extraction Checks:** We used keyword density tools to confirm that important terms (e.g., skills, job titles and companies) appear correctly in the parsed text.
3. **Encoding Validation:** The PDF generated from this template was checked for proper Unicode mapping using PDF tools, ensuring that ATS software can read the text without errors.
4. **Character Encoding Tests:** The template uses UTF-8 encoding, which is verified by running the document through tools that detect encoding errors to confirm proper handling of special characters.
The results from these tests show that the template is reliably parsed by ATS software, making it an effective choice for job applications.
## Contributing
Contributions are always welcome! If you have suggestions for improvement or find any issues, feel free to submit an issue or open a pull request.
## License
This template is licensed under the [MIT License](LICENSE), which allows you to use, modify and distribute it freely.
## About This Template
This template design was, is being iterated by a number of LaTeX resume resources available online, to balance aesthetics and ATS compliance.