5 Resume Mistakes Getting You Rejected by ATS Bots in 2026
2026-01-03 • RedSun IT Services
Are Robots Reading Your Resume?
If you have applied for a job online recently and heard absolutely nothing back—not even a rejection email—you might have been a victim of the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). In 2026, over 98% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS software to filter candidates. Even small businesses are adopting AI-driven hiring tools to manage the flood of applications.
These software bots scan thousands of resumes in seconds, looking for specific keywords, skills, and formatting patterns. If your resume confuses the bot, you are automatically moved to the "Discard" pile—no matter how qualified you are. The harsh reality is that 75% of resumes are never seen by a human eyes.
Here are the top 5 mistakes candidates make in 2026, and exactly how to fix them using our Free Online Resume Builder.
Mistake #1: Using Creative Graphics and Columns
The Common Trap: You want to stand out. So, you open Canva or Photoshop and design a beautiful, two-column resume with skill bars (Strength: 90%), icons for your hobbies, and a headshot in the corner.
Why it Fails: Most older ATS parsers (which many companies still use) read text linearly: left to right, top to bottom. If you use vertical columns, the bot might read across the page, merging your "Work History" left column with your "Education" right column. Result: Experience: "Project Manager Bachelor of Science." This gibberish confuses the parser, and your application gets flagged as incomplete or low-quality.
The Fix: Stick to a standard, single-column layout. It might look "boring" to you, but it looks "perfect" to a robot. Our standardized templates handle this alignment automatically.
Mistake #2: "Keyword Stuffing" (or Lack Thereof)
The Common Trap: Sending the exact same generic resume to 50 different job postings.
Why it Fails: The ATS is programmed to act like a search engine. The recruiter tells it: "Show me candidates who have 'Python,' 'Project Management,' and 'B2B Sales'." If your resume says "Coding," "Leading Teams," and "Selling to Businesses," you are a human match, but a robot fail. You have a 0% keyword match because you didn't use the specific vocabulary of the job description.
The Fix: Mirror the job description. If they ask for "Client Retention," change your "Customer Service" bullet point to "Client Retention." Use their exact language. However, do not just paste white text keywords in the margins (the "white font hack")—modern AI catches this and will blacklist you for cheating.
Mistake #3: Putting Important Info in Headers/Footers
The Common Trap: To save precious page space, you double-click the header area in Word and type your Name, Phone Number, Email, and LinkedIn URL there so it repeats on every page.
Why it Fails: Many older ATS parsers are programmed to ignore headers and footers entirely to avoid importing page numbers or document titles. If your contact info is only in the header, the recruiter might see your great experience but have 0 ways to contact you. Your email address literally doesn't exist in the parsed profile.
The Fix: Put your name and contact details in the main body of the document, right at the top of the content area.
Mistake #4: Saving as the Wrong File Type
The Common Trap: Sending a JPG, PNG, or an editable Canva link.
Why it Fails: Bots read text (code). They cannot read pixels. Unless the ATS has advanced OCR (Optical Character Recognition)—which is expensive and slow—it sees an image file as a blank page. Similarly, proprietary formats like Pages, Figma, or Photoshop files will simply return an "File Format Not Supported" error.
The Fix: Always apply with a Word (.docx) or PDF file. Pro Tip: While PDF is excellent for preserving formatting, some very old government systems still prefer .docx. If the portal gives you a choice, .docx is technically the safest bet for parsing, while PDF is safest for human readability. Our Resume Builder exports in compliant formats automatically.
Mistake #5: Using Fancy or Custom Fonts
The Common Trap: Using script fonts, downloading a unique typeface from Google Fonts, or using narrow fonts to squeeze more text onto the page.
Why it Fails: If the ATS (or the recruiter's computer) doesn't have that specific font installed file, your resume will treat it as a missing asset. It will revert to a default system font like Times New Roman or Courier. This sudden font switch usually breaks your layout—pushing a one-page resume onto two pages, chopping off sentences, or misaligning bullet points.
The Fix: Stick to "System Safe" fonts that exist on every computer (Windows and Mac).
- Serif: Times New Roman, Georgia, Garamond.
- Sans-Serif: Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Roboto, Verdana.
Summary: Function Over Form
In 2026, a "pretty" resume is significantly less valuable than a "readable" one. Your goal is to get past the gatekeeper bot so a human can actually see your talent. Once you are in the interview, your personality can shine—but you need the document to get you there first.
Need a safe template? Don't guess. Use the Red Sun IT Services Online Resume Builder. Our templates are rigorously tested against popular ATS platforms to ensure 100% parsing accuracy. Stop fighting with Word margins and start getting interviews.
