Recruiters spend about 7 seconds on a first pass, and before that, ATS software decides whether they see your resume at all. The right format wins both audiences. Here is exactly what to use and why.
The reverse-chronological format — most recent education and experience first — is what every ATS parses best and every Indian recruiter expects. Keep one column: two-column layouts scramble ATS reading order, attaching your skills to the wrong entries or dropping them entirely. Tables, text boxes, icons and photos cause the same problem.
With little work history, lead with what is strongest: contact details, headline, summary, skills, education, projects, then internships/experience, certifications and achievements. Projects effectively are a fresher's experience section — give them the same bullet-point treatment a job would get.
Use standard fonts (Arial, Calibri, Georgia, Helvetica) at 10–11 pt for body text and 14–17 pt for your name. Margins of 1.5–2.5 cm keep white space comfortable. Decorative fonts fail ATS parsing and look unprofessional in print.
Freshers should fit one page — 350 to 650 words. Recruiters read resumes in stacks of hundreds; a tight single page signals judgment. Two pages are acceptable only with multiple internships and substantial projects worth showing.
Export as PDF unless the job posting demands DOCX. PDF preserves your layout everywhere; just ensure it is real text, not a scanned image — if you can select the text with your cursor, an ATS can read it.
Reverse-chronological, single-column, one page, with skills and projects placed above experience. It is the format both ATS software and recruiters process fastest.
They do not reject them outright, but parsing errors are common: content read in the wrong order or dropped. Since you cannot know which ATS a company uses, single-column is the safe choice.
No, unless explicitly requested. Photos confuse ATS parsers and are discouraged in Indian corporate hiring for bias reasons.
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