How parsing actually fails
Tracking systems read the file and try to map its content into fields: name, employer, dates, titles, skills. Layout choices that confuse this mapping cost you before any person is involved.
The usual culprits are text inside tables, multi-column layouts, information in headers and footers, and text embedded in images or graphics. All of these can be dropped entirely.
Formatting rules
Single column. Standard section headings: Experience, Education, Skills. Dates in a consistent format such as "Mar 2023 – Jun 2025".
A common font at 10 to 12 point. No text boxes, no icons carrying meaning, no logos.
Submit as PDF unless the application specifically asks for a Word file, and check that text can be selected in the PDF you submit.
Keywords without stuffing
Use the exact terms from the job description where they are honestly true of you. If the advertisement says "PostgreSQL", write PostgreSQL rather than only "SQL databases".
Spell out acronyms once with the abbreviation in brackets so both forms match.
Do not add a hidden keyword block or white text. It is detected and it ends the application.
Content that survives the human read
Lead each bullet with the action and end with the result. Include a number wherever one honestly exists.
Two pages maximum for most careers, one for early career. Cut old roles to a single line each.