PDF or Word resume? What each ATS actually accepts in 2026
Both parse. Here is what Greenhouse, Workday, SmartRecruiters and Ashby say they accept, the size limits that quietly break uploads, and which file to send.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 minHeroApply Blog
Resume & ATS
Writing a resume the applicant tracking system can read and a recruiter wants to.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 min
How long should a resume be with 10+ years of experience?
Two pages, and no applicant tracking system says otherwise. What the vendors actually limit, what belongs on page two, and what to cut.
Jordan Reyes · · 10 min
The federal resume format in 2026: what USAJOBS requires
Federal agencies now cap resumes at two pages. Here is what USAJOBS requires on the page, what OPM checks, and how it differs from a commercial resume.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 min
How to show a promotion on a resume without looking like two jobs
Stack both titles under one company block, each with its own dates. Here is the exact format, why the parser needs it, and the version that breaks.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 min
How to list certifications on a resume so the ATS finds them
Certifications get their own section, spelled out and abbreviated, with the issuer and the dates. Here is where parsers look, and where they never do.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 min
Resume action verbs that beat "responsible for" in 2026
"Responsible for" wastes the first two words of every bullet. Here is where to find verbs employers already use, and how to swap them in.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 min
Resume keywords in 2026: what ATS matching really means
A keyword only counts where the software stores it. Here is what Greenhouse, Workday and Ashby do with the words on your resume, and which ones to change.
Jordan Reyes · · 10 min
One-page or two-page resume? What decides it in 2026
One page if your history fits on one. Two if cutting it would delete a job - because the dates on that job are what an applicant tracking system counts.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 min
Resume for a job with no experience: what to put in it
You have the experience, just not the title. Here is the O*NET crosswalk worked end to end, from Retail Associate to Customer Success, with the numbers.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 min
Resume summary examples by role, and the one rule they share
Three resume summaries written out in full - Registered Nurse, Sales Development Rep, Electrician - and the three-part rule under all of them.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 min
What an ATS-friendly resume actually means in 2026
An ATS-friendly resume is one a parser can read. Here are the fields it pulls out, the formatting choices that break it, and what to change today.
Jordan Reyes · · 6 minThe best of the blog, once a week
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