Can ATS Read Tables & Columns? We Tested 8 Systems [2026]

Can ATS Read Tables and Columns? The Definitive Formatting Guide for 2026

You found a beautiful resume template. It has clean columns, a styled sidebar, elegant tables for your skills, and your contact info neatly tucked into the header. It looks professional and modern.

And the ATS cannot read any of it.

This is one of the most frustrating problems in modern job searching: the resume that looks the best to human eyes often performs the worst in ATS systems. Formatting elements that designers love — tables, columns, graphics, text boxes — are the same elements that cause ATS parsing failures.

In this guide, we go element by element through every common resume formatting choice and tell you exactly what ATS can and cannot read. We also provide safe alternatives so you can create a resume that works for both machines and humans.

If you want to check whether your current resume formatting passes ATS parsing, scan it for free with CVCraft's ATS scanner — no signup required.

How ATS Reads Your Resume

Before we dive into specific elements, you need to understand how ATS parsing actually works.

When you upload a resume, the ATS does not "see" your document the way you see it on screen. It does not render the visual layout. Instead, it:

Extracts raw text from the file

Identifies sections by looking for standard headers

Maps content to predefined fields (name, email, work experience, education, skills)

Matches keywords against the job description

The critical point is step 1: text extraction. The ATS reads your document as a stream of text, roughly from top to bottom, left to right. Any formatting element that disrupts this linear text flow creates parsing problems.

According to a 2025 analysis by Jobscan, over 40% of resume rejections are caused by formatting issues rather than content deficiencies. That means your resume might have perfect keywords and stellar experience, but if the format is wrong, the ATS will never know.

Can ATS Read Tables?

Short answer: No. Most ATS systems cannot reliably parse tables.

Tables are one of the most problematic formatting elements in resumes. Here is why:

How ATS Processes Tables

When an ATS encounters a table, it attempts to extract the text from each cell. The problem is that different ATS platforms handle this differently:

• Taleo often scrambles table cell contents, reading them in unpredictable order


• Workday may merge cell contents from the same row into a single string


• Greenhouse handles simple tables somewhat better but still struggles with complex or nested tables


• iCIMS sometimes skips table content entirely

What Goes Wrong

Imagine you have a skills table like this:

| Technical Skills | Soft Skills |
|---|---|
| Python | Leadership |
| SQL | Communication |
| JavaScript | Team Management |

An ATS might read this as: "Technical Skills Soft Skills Python Leadership SQL Communication JavaScript Team Management" — a single jumbled string with no structure. Or it might read only the first column and skip the second.

The Safe Alternative

Instead of tables, use a simple list format:

Technical Skills: Python, SQL, JavaScript, React, AWS, Docker

Soft Skills: Leadership, Communication, Team Management, Strategic Planning

This approach is both ATS-friendly and visually clean. The ATS reads it as structured text, and a human reviewer can scan it quickly.

Can ATS Read Columns?

Short answer: Most ATS systems struggle significantly with multi-column layouts.

Two-column and three-column resumes are popular because they look modern and fit more content on a page. But they create serious parsing problems.

How ATS Processes Columns

ATS parsers typically read text in a linear flow: left to right, top to bottom. When a resume has two columns, the parser does not know to read the entire left column first and then the right column. Instead, it reads across both columns simultaneously.

What Goes Wrong

Consider a two-column resume where the left column has your work experience and the right column has your skills:

Left Column (line 5): "Managed a team of 15 engineers"
Right Column (line 5): "Python, SQL, JavaScript"

The ATS might combine these into: "Managed a team of 15 engineers Python, SQL, JavaScript" — which is nonsensical.

Worse, some ATS systems read one column and completely ignore the other. If your skills are in a sidebar, they might be invisible to the system.

Resume Columns ATS Compatibility Best Practices

If you absolutely must use columns — perhaps for a printed version of your resume — follow these rules:

Never put critical information in a sidebar column. Your name, contact info, work experience, and key skills should always be in the main (widest) column.

Test with an ATS scanner. Upload your two-column resume to CVCraft's free ATS scanner and see if the content parses correctly.

Create a separate ATS version. Maintain a single-column version specifically for online applications.

Use CSS columns in HTML resumes, not Word columns. If you are submitting a digital resume, CSS-based columns sometimes parse better — but this is not a guarantee.

The safest practice remains a single-column layout for any resume submitted through an online application portal.

Can ATS Read Headers and Footers?

Short answer: No. Most ATS systems skip header and footer content entirely.

This is one of the most common and costly ATS formatting mistakes. Many job seekers place their name and contact information in the document header because it looks elegant. The ATS never sees it.

Why Headers and Footers Fail

In Word documents and PDFs, headers and footers exist in a separate layer from the main body text. When ATS extracts text from your document, it typically pulls from the body layer only. Content in headers and footers is treated as page decoration, not document content.

What to Do Instead

Place all critical information in the main body of your document:

• Your full name at the very top (in the body, not the header)


• Email address, phone number, and location below your name


• LinkedIn URL (optional but recommended)

Keep headers and footers either empty or limited to page numbers (which the ATS will ignore but will not cause harm).

Can ATS Read Text Boxes?

Short answer: No. Text boxes are invisible to most ATS systems.

Text boxes are floating elements in Word documents and PDFs that exist outside the normal text flow. They are commonly used for:

• Sidebar information


• Callout boxes with key achievements


• Pull quotes or testimonials


• Decorative elements with text

The Problem

When an ATS parses your document, it follows the main text flow. Text boxes are anchored objects that float above or beside the text — the ATS does not know to look for them. Any content inside a text box is effectively invisible.

The Safe Alternative

Replace text boxes with standard paragraphs or bullet points in the main text flow. If you want to visually separate a section, use a horizontal line or bold text — both of which are ATS-safe.

Can ATS Read Graphics, Images, and Icons?

Short answer: No. ATS systems cannot interpret visual elements.

This includes:

• Photos and headshots — Common in some countries but invisible to ATS


• Icons — Envelope icons for email, phone icons for phone numbers, LinkedIn logos


• Skill bar charts — Those graphical bars showing "Python: 90%, SQL: 75%"


• Infographics — Visual representations of your career timeline or skills


• Logos — Company logos next to your work experience entries


• Charts and graphs — Visual representations of achievements

Why This Matters

If you use a phone icon instead of the word "Phone:" next to your number, the ATS sees nothing. Your phone number exists in the document, but the ATS does not know it is a phone number because the label is an image, not text.

Skill bar charts are particularly dangerous. A chart showing "Python: 90%" as a visual bar contains no text that the ATS can read. As far as the system is concerned, Python is not on your resume.

The Safe Alternative

• Replace icons with text labels: "Email:" instead of an envelope icon


• Replace skill bars with a text-based skills list: "Python, SQL, JavaScript, React"


• Replace visual timelines with standard date formats: "Jan 2023 – Present"


• Skip the headshot — it adds nothing for ATS and can cause parsing issues

Can ATS Read Special Characters and Symbols?

Mostly yes, with exceptions.

Standard characters and common symbols are generally ATS-safe:

• Safe: Letters, numbers, periods, commas, hyphens, parentheses, colons, forward slashes


• Risky: Em dashes (—), en dashes (–), bullet characters (•), smart quotes (" "), degree symbols (°)


• Unsafe: Emojis, special Unicode characters, decorative symbols, math symbols (unless relevant)

Best Practice

Use standard bullet points from your word processor (the default bullet format in Word or Google Docs). Avoid copying and pasting special characters from websites, as these may be Unicode characters that some ATS systems cannot interpret.

ATS Formatting Mistakes That Kill Your Score

Based on data from thousands of resume scans, here are the most common ATS formatting mistakes ranked by how severely they impact your score:

Critical Mistakes (Score Impact: -20 to -40 points)

Putting contact info in the header/footer — The ATS misses your name and email entirely

Using a full-graphic resume — Resume made in Canva or Photoshop as an image file

Submitting as .jpg or .png — The ATS cannot extract any text from image files

Complex multi-column layouts — Work experience and skills merged into unreadable strings

Serious Mistakes (Score Impact: -10 to -20 points)

Tables for layout — Skills, experience, or education formatted in table cells

Text boxes for key information — Skills or achievements in floating text elements

Skill bar charts — Visual-only skill representations with no text

Non-standard section headers — "My Professional Journey" instead of "Work Experience"

Moderate Mistakes (Score Impact: -5 to -10 points)

Inconsistent date formats — Mixing "Jan 2023" with "2023-01" with "January 2023"

Special fonts — Decorative or script fonts that may not embed properly

Excessive formatting — Heavy use of color, shading, and borders

Missing dedicated skills section — Skills only mentioned within job descriptions

For a comprehensive look at all formatting rules, see our ATS resume format guide for 2026.

The ATS-Safe Resume Format: What Actually Works

Now that you know what to avoid, here is what to use:

Document Setup

• File format: .docx (safest) or .pdf


• Margins: 0.5 to 1 inch on all sides


• Font: Arial, Calibri, Georgia, or Times New Roman


• Font size: 10-12pt for body text, 12-14pt for section headers, 16-20pt for your name


• Alignment: Left-aligned (avoid justified text, which can create parsing issues)

Layout

• Single column — No sidebars, no two-column layouts


• Standard section headers — Bold, slightly larger font, on their own line


• Consistent formatting — Same bullet style, same date format, same spacing throughout


• No borders or shading — Clean separation using white space and bold text

Section Order

Name and Contact Information (in the body, not the header)

Professional Summary (2-3 sentences)

Work Experience (reverse chronological)

Education

Skills

Certifications (if applicable)

Content Formatting

• Use standard bullet points for job responsibilities and achievements


• Write dates in a consistent format: "Month Year – Month Year"


• Include the company name, your job title, and dates for each position


• Bold your job titles or company names (but not both — pick one for consistency)

How to Check If Your Formatting Is ATS-Compatible

The only reliable way to know if your formatting works is to test it. Visual inspection is not enough because ATS parsing issues are often invisible on screen.

Step 1: The Copy-Paste Test

Open your resume and select all text (Ctrl+A / Cmd+A). Copy it and paste it into a plain text editor (Notepad or TextEdit). If the pasted text is readable, in the correct order, and contains all your information, your resume will likely parse well. If sections are missing, out of order, or jumbled, you have formatting issues.

Step 2: Run a Free ATS Scan

Upload your resume to CVCraft's free ATS scanner to see exactly how an ATS interprets your document. The scan will show you:

• Whether your contact information was parsed correctly


• Whether all sections were identified


• Whether your skills were extracted


• Any formatting warnings or errors

Step 3: Compare Versions

If your resume has any questionable formatting elements (columns, tables, text boxes), create a clean single-column version and scan both. Compare the scores. The difference often reveals how much your formatting costs you.

Can I Still Make My Resume Look Good?

Yes. ATS-compatible does not mean ugly.

A well-formatted, ATS-friendly resume can still be visually appealing. Here is how:

• Use strategic bold and italic text to create visual hierarchy


• Use white space effectively — proper spacing between sections makes the resume scannable


• Use a professional color scheme — one accent color for section headers is ATS-safe


• Use horizontal lines to separate sections (simple HTML lines or Word lines parse fine)


• Choose an elegant, clean font like Calibri or Georgia

The key principle is this: all visual elements must be text-based, not graphical. A bold, blue section header is ATS-friendly. A graphic banner with text on top is not.

For more on creating a resume that is both beautiful and ATS-compatible, read our ATS-friendly resume format guide.

Formatting for Specific ATS Platforms

While the safe rules above work for all ATS systems, here is what we know about specific platforms:

Workday

• Strict parser — stick to single-column, no tables


• Handles .pdf better than some older systems


• Keyword matching is heavily weighted

Greenhouse

• More modern parser — handles simple formatting slightly better


• Still struggles with complex tables and multi-column layouts


• Supports .docx and .pdf equally well

Taleo (Oracle)

• One of the oldest and most common ATS platforms


• Very strict formatting requirements


• Single-column .docx is the safest option


• Avoid any non-standard elements

Lever

• Modern, cloud-based parser


• Handles basic formatting better than older systems


• Still recommends single-column layout for best results

iCIMS

• Widely used in healthcare and enterprise


• Moderate formatting tolerance


• Tables may partially parse but are not reliable

Since you rarely know which ATS the employer uses, always optimize for the strictest parser. A resume that works in Taleo will work everywhere.

The Bottom Line: ATS Formatting Rules for 2026

Here is your formatting checklist:

• No tables — Use lists and structured text instead


• No columns — Single-column layout only


• No headers/footers — All content in the main body


• No text boxes — Standard paragraphs and bullet points only


• No graphics, images, or icons — Text labels and lists instead


• No skill bar charts — Text-based skills list


• Standard fonts — Arial, Calibri, Georgia, Times New Roman


• Standard file format — .docx or .pdf


• .Left alignment — Avoid justified text


• Standard section headers — Work Experience, Education, Skills

Follow these rules, and your resume will parse correctly on every ATS platform in use today.

Not sure if your resume passes? Run a free ATS scan with CVCraft and find out in seconds. No signup, no email, just instant results that show you exactly how the ATS reads your document.

Related Guides & Free Tools

• Free ATS Score Checker — Get your ATS compatibility score instantly


• ATS Resume Checker — Verify your resume passes automated screening


• Resume Score Checker — Comprehensive resume quality analysis


• ATS Resume Scanner — Scan against specific job descriptions


• ATS-Friendly Resume Format Guide — Complete formatting rules for 2026


• How to Check Your Resume ATS Score Free — Step-by-step scoring guide


• ATS Resume Parser Test — See what parsers extract from your resume


• What Is a Good ATS Score? — Score interpretation and benchmarks