10 Resume Formatting Mistakes That Get You Rejected

You're Getting Rejected Before Anyone Even Reads Your Resume.#

You've applied to 100+ jobs on Naukri and LinkedIn. Your skills match the JD. Your projects are relevant. But you're not getting calls.

Here's something nobody tells you: most resume rejections in India happen because of formatting, not content. The ATS can't parse your resume correctly, or the recruiter takes one look at the layout and moves on.

We've reviewed over 1,000 resumes from Indian job seekers in the last 6 months. The same formatting mistakes keep showing up again and again. These aren't content problems. They're layout, structure, and design problems that are completely fixable in 30 minutes.

Here are the 10 formatting mistakes that are getting you rejected, and exactly how to fix each one.

Mistake #1: Using Canva or Graphic Design Templates#

This is the single biggest resume-killer in India right now. Canva has become incredibly popular for resume design, and we understand why. The templates look gorgeous. Two columns, colorful sidebars, skill bars, icons, beautiful typography.

The problem? ATS systems can't read most of them.

What happens when ATS reads a Canva resume:

• Two-column text gets merged into a single garbled stream
• Text inside graphic elements (sidebars, colored boxes) gets skipped entirely
• Your name might be read as your skills section
• Skill bars and progress circles are invisible to ATS (they're just images)
• Icons next to your phone number and email get parsed as random characters

We tested 20 popular Canva resume templates with 3 different ATS systems (Taleo, Workday, iCIMS). 18 out of 20 had critical parsing failures. That means 90% of Canva resumes are unreadable by the software that TCS, Infosys, and Wipro use.

The fix: Create your resume in Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Use a single-column layout. Export as PDF. It won't win a design award, but it'll actually get read.

If you've been using a Canva template, check how ATS sees it with our free ATS score checker. You might be shocked.

Mistake #2: Two-Column or Multi-Column Layouts#

Even outside of Canva, two-column layouts cause serious problems.

ATS reads text from left to right, top to bottom, just like you read a book. When you have two columns, the ATS reads across both columns on the same horizontal line. So "Python" from column 1 and "VIT Vellore" from column 2 get merged into "Python VIT Vellore."

Here's a visual example of what goes wrong:

What you designed:

Column 1              Column 2
---------             ---------
Skills:               Education:
Python                B.Tech CSE
Java                  VIT Vellore
React.js              2022-2026

What ATS reads:

Skills: Education:
Python B.Tech CSE
Java VIT Vellore
React.js 2022-2026

Complete mess. Your skills and education are merged into nonsense.

The fix: Single column only. Always. Put all sections one below the other in a vertical stack. It's not as pretty, but it works.

For a complete ATS-friendly layout guide, check our ATS resume format guide.

Mistake #3: Wrong File Format#

This one is simple but surprisingly common.

Formats that cause problems:

• .pages (Apple Pages format, Windows and ATS can't read it)
• .odt (LibreOffice format, limited ATS support)
• Image files (.jpg, .png) from taking screenshots of your resume
• Scanned PDFs (image-based, no selectable text)
• Password-protected PDFs (ATS can't open them)
• .doc (old Word format from pre-2007, can cause issues)

Safe formats:

• .pdf (exported from Google Docs or Word, not from design tools)
• .docx (modern Word format)

The fix: Export from Google Docs or Word as PDF. Test it by opening the PDF, selecting all text (Ctrl+A), and pasting into Notepad. If the text pastes correctly and in order, your PDF is ATS-safe.

For a deep dive on file formats, read our PDF vs Word guide.

Mistake #4: Important Information in Headers and Footers#

This is a sneaky one. Many resume templates place your name, phone number, and email in the document header. It looks great on screen, with your name appearing at the very top of the page in a clean header bar.

The problem: most ATS systems completely ignore document headers and footers. They only read the main body of the document.

So your name, phone number, and email simply vanish. The recruiter sees a parsed resume with no contact information.

The fix: Put all your contact information in the main body of the document, not in the header. The very first lines of your resume body should be:

Priya Sharma
+91-98765-43210 | [email protected]
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/priyasharma
Bangalore, Karnataka

Mistake #5: Using Tables for Layout#

Some people use invisible tables in Word to create multi-column layouts or align text. The table borders are hidden, so it looks like a clean layout.

ATS often struggles with tables. Some systems read table content cell-by-cell from left to right, which works for simple layouts. But others read the table row-by-row or even dump all table content into a single block.

Common table problems:

• Contact info spread across a table row (name in cell 1, phone in cell 2, email in cell 3) gets jumbled
• Skills organized in a multi-column table get merged or reordered
• Invisible table borders still create parsing boundaries that confuse the software

The fix: Don't use tables for layout. Use simple tab stops or pipe characters (|) to separate information on the same line:

+91-98765-43210 | [email protected] | linkedin.com/in/priyasharma

The only acceptable table on a resume is an actual data table (like a table of publications or courses), and even then, keep it simple.

Mistake #6: Tiny Font Size (Below 10pt)#

When you're trying to squeeze everything onto one page, the temptation is to shrink the font to 9pt or 8pt. Don't.

Why small fonts hurt you:

1. Readability. Many recruiters in India are 35-50 years old and read resumes on office monitors. 8pt text requires squinting or zooming in. They won't bother.

2. Printing. At campus placement drives, your resume often gets printed. 8pt text becomes nearly illegible on paper, especially if the printer quality isn't great.

3. ATS parsing. While ATS doesn't care about font size per se, extremely small text combined with tight spacing can cause line-break parsing errors in some systems.

4. Perception. A cramped, tiny-font resume tells the recruiter you can't prioritize information. If you need 8pt font to fit your content, you have too much content.

The fix: Keep body text at 10-11pt minimum. If your resume doesn't fit on one page at 10pt, cut content. Remove hobbies, the declaration section, your Class X marks, and weak bullet points. Check our one page resume guide for what to keep and what to cut.

For detailed font and size recommendations, read our resume font and size guide.

Mistake #7: Non-Standard Section Headings#

ATS systems are programmed to look for specific section headings: Education, Experience, Skills, Projects, Certifications, Achievements. When it finds these headings, it knows how to categorize the content below them.

When you use creative headings, the ATS gets confused.

Headings that confuse ATS:

When the ATS can't identify a section, it either dumps the content into an "Other" category or skips it entirely. Your skills might not get matched against the JD because the ATS didn't recognize your "What I Know" section as a skills section.

The fix: Use standard, boring section headings. EDUCATION. WORK EXPERIENCE. SKILLS. PROJECTS. CERTIFICATIONS. Save creativity for your cover letter.

Mistake #8: Including a Photograph on Your Resume#

This is an India-specific issue. Many Indian resume templates include a spot for your photo, and many job seekers still add passport-size photographs to their resumes.

Why you should remove it:

1. Space waste. A photo takes up about 10-15% of your resume's first page. That's space you could use for a strong project description or an extra achievement.

2. ATS problems. ATS can't "see" images. The photo is just a blank space. But the text around it often gets misaligned during parsing because the image displaces text in unpredictable ways.

3. Bias risk. Many multinational companies operating in India (Google, Amazon, Deloitte, McKinsey) follow global anti-bias hiring practices. A photo can introduce unconscious bias. These companies specifically prefer resumes without photos.

4. It's outdated. Most modern resume guides, Indian and global, recommend against photos. The only exceptions are certain European countries and specific industries like hospitality and media.

The fix: Remove the photo. Use that space for content that actually helps you get shortlisted. Naukri and LinkedIn already have your photo on your profile page. The resume doesn't need one.

Mistake #9: Inconsistent Formatting Throughout the Resume#

This one is subtle but recruiters notice it immediately. Your resume should look like one cohesive document, not a patchwork of copy-pasted sections.

Common consistency problems:

• Mixed fonts: Times New Roman in one section, Arial in another (usually from copy-pasting from different sources)
• Mixed bullet styles: Round bullets in Skills, dash bullets in Projects, arrow bullets in Experience
• Mixed date formats: "Jan 2024 - Mar 2025" in one entry, "January 2024 to March 2025" in another, "01/2024 - 03/2025" in a third
• Mixed alignment: Some company names left-aligned, others centered
• Mixed spacing: 12pt gap between Education and Skills, 6pt gap between Skills and Projects
• Mixed capitalization: "EDUCATION" as a heading, then "Experience" for the next section

These inconsistencies make your resume look sloppy. Recruiters associate sloppy formatting with sloppy work. Fair or not, it affects your chances.

The fix: Pick one format for everything and apply it consistently:

• One font throughout (Calibri 10.5pt body, 12pt headings)
• One bullet style (round bullets everywhere)
• One date format ("Mon YYYY" everywhere, like "Jan 2024")
• One heading style (ALL CAPS BOLD or Title Case Bold, not both)
• Same spacing between every section

After formatting, scroll through your entire resume and look for any section that "feels different" from the rest. Fix it.

Mistake #10: Adding a "Declaration" Section#

Let's end with the most uniquely Indian resume mistake. Thousands of resumes we review include this at the bottom:

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the information furnished above is true
to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Place: Bangalore
Date: 13/02/2026

Signature: _____________
(Priya Sharma)

This takes up 5-6 lines of valuable resume space and adds zero value.

Why it needs to go:

1. No company needs it. A resume is not a legal affidavit. No recruiter has ever said "Oh, there's no declaration, I can't trust this resume."

2. It wastes space. Those 5-6 lines could be a project bullet, a certification, or an achievement that actually helps your candidacy.

3. It looks outdated. This practice comes from the era of physical biodata forms in the 1990s. In 2026, it signals that you're following ancient advice.

4. It confuses ATS. Some ATS systems flag the "declaration" text as a section heading and categorize the content below it as miscellaneous, potentially messing up the parsing of nearby sections.

The fix: Delete the entire declaration section. Right now. Today. Replace it with literally anything more useful, or just leave the space blank for a cleaner layout.

Bonus: 5 More Formatting Red Flags#

These didn't make the top 10, but they're worth mentioning:

Borders and Lines Everywhere

Horizontal lines between sections, bordered text boxes, and decorative borders look cluttered. A clean resume with proper spacing between sections doesn't need visual separators.

Skill Bars and Rating Charts

Those bars showing "Python: 80%, Java: 60%" are meaningless (who decided you're 80% at Python?) and ATS can't read them since they're usually images.

Text Boxes in Word

Text boxes in Microsoft Word are floating elements. ATS often can't read text inside floating elements. If you've used text boxes for layout, replace them with regular paragraph text.

Colored Backgrounds Behind Text

Some templates put your name or contact info on a colored banner. ATS sometimes can't read text on colored backgrounds, especially dark backgrounds with light text.

Unusual Page Sizes

Your resume should be A4 or Letter size. Some Canva exports use custom page sizes that look weird when printed or viewed by recruiters.

How to Check Your Formatting Right Now#

Here's a 5-minute formatting audit you can do today:

1. Open your resume PDF. Select all text (Ctrl+A). Copy and paste into Notepad.

   • Does it read in the right order? If not, you have a layout problem.
   • Is all your text present? If text is missing, it's probably in images, text boxes, or headers.

2. Check your font. Is it one of the safe fonts? (Calibri, Arial, Garamond, Cambria, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Georgia)

3. Check your font size. Is body text 10pt or larger? Is your name 14pt or larger?

4. Count your columns. Is it single-column? If you see anything side-by-side (except contact info on one line), switch to single-column.

5. Look for the declaration. If it's there, delete it.

6. Run it through ATS. Use our free ATS checker for a complete analysis.

Before and After: Real Resume Formatting Fix#

Before (ATS score: 31/100):

• Canva template with two columns
• Photo in top-left corner
• Skills shown as progress bars
• Creative headings ("My Arsenal" for skills, "The Road So Far" for experience)
• 9pt Montserrat font
• Declaration at the bottom
• Contact info in document header

After (ATS score: 78/100):

• Single-column Google Docs layout
• No photo
• Skills listed as plain text in categories
• Standard headings (Skills, Work Experience, Education)
• 10.5pt Calibri font
• No declaration
• Contact info in document body

Same content, same person, same qualifications. The only thing that changed was the formatting. Score went from 31 to 78.

Fix Your Resume Formatting with JobRise#

Don't want to worry about any of this? JobRise's AI Resume Builder handles all formatting automatically. Every resume it generates is:

• Single-column layout
• ATS-safe font (Calibri, 10.5pt body)
• Standard section headings
• No photos, no declaration, no skill bars
• Properly structured for Taleo, SuccessFactors, Workday, and all major ATS
• Exported as a clean, text-based PDF

Just paste your information and get a perfectly formatted, ATS-friendly resume in minutes.

Already have a resume? Upload it to our free ATS score checker and see which of these 10 mistakes you're making. Most candidates fix their formatting issues and see an immediate 20-30 point jump in their ATS score.

For more on ATS-friendly formatting, read our complete ATS resume format guide and ATS-friendly resume templates for 2026.