--- name: resume-export-standards description: ATS-safe + accessible resume/CV export standards (PDF/DOCX) — real ATS parsing limits, single-column rules, document-metadata accessibility (full PDF/UA-1 tagging is a future goal), country/industry CV norms (US/UK/DE), keyword hygiene. Load for changes under export/, model/, theme/, templates/, locale/, fonts, layout/. ---

# Resume/CV export standards — ATS-safe & accessible

External best-practices for generating resumes that real ATS parse and that meet accessibility law. Load with `author-contract` (pdf-docx-generator) / `token-efficiency` (resume-export-expert). Pairs with the repo's `docs/knowledge/resume-domain.md` (the export contract).

## ATS-safe formatting (verified 2026-06)

Parsers read **linearly, top→bottom, left→right** — design for that.

- **Single-column, reverse-chronological.** Multi-column / side-by-side scrambles reading order into "word salad." https://www.jobscan.co/blog/resume-tables-columns-ats/ - **No tables/text-boxes/grids for layout.** Modern ATS tolerate a _simple_ one-cell table but tab stops are safer; skills as commas/bullets/`|`, never a grid. - **Contact info in the BODY, never headers/footers** — ATS dropped header/footer contact info **~25%** of the time. https://www.jobscan.co/blog/ats-formatting-mistakes/ - **Standard fonts** (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Georgia, Garamond, Cambria, Verdana), 10–12pt; custom display fonts → fallback-render breakage. - **Standard `•`/`-` bullets only** — icon glyphs/dingbats parse as `[NULL]`; replace icons with text labels ("Phone:" not 📞). - **No graphics/charts/logos/photos/skill-bars** (US/UK/CA — see country norms); images are invisible to parsers. - **Standard section headings** ("Work Experience", "Education", "Skills") — creative titles ("My Journey") aren't recognized. - **PDF vs DOCX:** text-selectable PDF now parses ≈ DOCX in modern systems (Workday/Greenhouse/Lever); DOCX safer for older/stricter ATS; default PDF unless the posting asks for Word; **never image-only/scanned PDF.** https://www.resumemate.io/blog/pdf-vs-word-for-resume-2026-which-format-ats-actually-prefers/ - **File name** `FirstName-LastName-Role.pdf` (descriptive, no spaces/special chars). - **Dates** consistent `Mon YYYY – Mon YYYY`; no apostrophes (`Jan '21`), no year-only when months exist. - **Keywords** mirror JD terminology _inside achievement bullets with metrics_ — don't repeat; stuffing drops scores ~30% (parsers detect repetition + understand synonyms). https://blog.theinterviewguys.com/ats-resume-optimization/

## Document accessibility — current posture + PDF/UA-1 as a future goal

**What we ship today:** single-column, **selectable-text** PDFs with **logical top→bottom reading order** (the same structure ATS parse cleanly), and each PDF sets **document Title + author + language** metadata (`#set document(title/author)` + `#set text(lang)` in the Typst engine) plus embedded fonts — a real screen-reader aid. We do **not** yet emit a full PDF/UA-1 **tag tree**. Do not claim tagged/PDF-UA output that does not exist.

**Future goal (not a current guarantee):** full **PDF/UA-1** (ISO 14289 · WCAG 2.2 AA) is an all-or-nothing standard — tag tree, per-template alt text, nested heading structure, veraPDF validation — on a still-maturing Typst feature. Park it behind its own ADR if/when committed.

The external standard, kept as the direction to grow toward:

- **Tagged structure**, **logical reading order**, real heading hierarchy (not visual sizing). https://accessibility.build/guides/pdf-accessibility - Declare document **language** + **Title** metadata (**done today**); **embed fonts** with ToUnicode (**done**); bookmarks for 20+ pages (future). - **Alt text** on meaningful images; decorative → artifact; data tables get header-cell markup (future, with tagging). - **Accessible DOCX** (built-in Heading styles + real lists/tables + alt text) maps to PDF tags on export. https://daisy.org/guidance/info-help/guidance-training/content-creation/accessible-pdf/ - **2026 driver:** EU **European Accessibility Act** applied **2025-06-28**, enforcement ramping through 2026 (EN 301 549 → WCAG 2.1 AA + PDF/UA). https://www.levelaccess.com/compliance-overview/european-accessibility-act-eaa/

## Country / industry CV norms (2026)

| Element | US / UK / CA / AU | Germany / EU | | ------------- | ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------ | | Photo | **Omit** | **Expected** (formal headshot, top-right) | | Date of birth | **Omit** (anti-discrimination) | Often included | | Address | City/country only | Full address standard | | Length | 1–2 pages | 1–2 pages (Lebenslauf), often signed/dated |

- German AGG means a photo/DOB **cannot be legally required**, yet most DE employers still expect a photo. https://www.topcv.io/blog/cv-for-germany-complete-guide-2026 - Creative/design roles tolerate portfolios + visuals; finance/legal/gov/academic and any ATS-screened pipeline demand the plain single-column rules.

## Common ATS-failure mistakes (quick reject list)

1. Multi-column/table layout → scrambled reading order. 2. Contact info in header/footer → ~25% dropped. 3. Icons/photos/skill-bars/charts → invisible/`[NULL]`. 4. Custom display fonts → fallback breakage. 5. Image-only/scanned PDF → zero text. 6. Creative section headings → section unrecognized. 7. Inconsistent/apostrophe/year-only dates → misparsed tenure. 8. Keyword stuffing → ~30% penalty.

> **Take:** ATS-safe and accessible are the **same** single-column, text-first artifact — they reinforce, not conflict (full PDF/UA-1 tagging is the future accessibility goal, not something we emit today). (Vendors don't publish parser specs, so "simple tables parse OK" is the weakest claim — hedge it.)