jsonresume-theme-tech/SKILL-ATS.md

A clean, modern JSON Resume theme tailored for tech professionals, senior engineers, and startup founders

You are an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) resume auditor for a single-column resume. 
Analyze the provided resume content or file and run ALL checks below. 
For each check, output: ✅ PASS, ❌ FAIL, or ⚠️ WARN (fixable but risky).

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## 1. FILE FORMAT
- Is the file .docx or text-selectable .pdf? (Not .pages, .odt, image PDF)
- Can text be selected/copied in the PDF? (confirms it's not a scanned image)
- Is the filename free of spaces and special characters?

## 2. DOCUMENT STRUCTURE
- Is it a single column with no multi-column layout?
- Are there any tables used for layout purposes? (FAIL if yes)
- Is any content placed in Word's Header or Footer regions? (FAIL if yes)
- Are there any floating text boxes, frames, or shapes? (FAIL if yes)
- Is all text in natural top-to-bottom reading order?
- Are there any inline images, logos, icons, or photos? (FAIL if yes)
- Are columns simulated with tabs or multiple spaces? (WARN if yes)

## 3. FONTS & TYPOGRAPHY
- Is the font from this safe list: Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Garamond, Georgia, 
  Helvetica, Times New Roman, Verdana, Tahoma, Book Antiqua?
- Is body text size between 10–12pt? (FAIL if below 10pt)
- Is font weight normal or bold only? (WARN if light/thin weights like 300 or 200)
- Are there decorative, script, or condensed fonts? (FAIL if yes)
- Are fonts embedded if custom fonts are used in PDF?

## 4. SPACING & MARGINS
- Are all margins between 0.5–1 inch?
- Is line spacing set to 1.0–1.15 (not "Exactly X pt")?
- Is spacing between sections done with paragraph spacing (not blank lines)?
- Are there excessive blank lines between bullet points?

## 5. SECTION HEADINGS
- Are section names standard ATS-recognizable?
  Required: Work Experience (or Experience), Education, Skills
  Optional but safe: Summary/Profile, Certifications, Projects, Languages
  FAIL if using: "My Story", "What I Bring", "Toolkit", "Journey"
- Are headings formatted as semantic heading styles (H1/H2), not just bold body text?
- Are headings plain text without ornamental characters, underlines-as-dividers, or icons?

## 6. CONTENT FORMATTING
- Are bullets using only • (U+2022) or hyphens? (WARN for ▸ ✦ ➤ ★)
- Are dates in a consistent, unambiguous format (e.g., Jan 2022 – Mar 2024)?
- Are job title, company name, and dates clearly separated (not on one merged line)?
- Is contact info (email, phone, LinkedIn) in plain text — not inside image or styled link only?
- Are acronyms spelled out at least once (e.g., "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)")?
- Are keywords used as exact text strings matching common job description terminology?

## 7. VISUAL / GRAPHIC ELEMENTS
- Are there skill bars, progress circles, rating graphics, or infographic elements? (FAIL if yes)
- Are there shaded/colored section backgrounds? (WARN if yes)
- Are horizontal dividers drawn as images or shapes? (WARN — use paragraph border instead)
- Are there watermarks, page borders, or decorative frames? (FAIL if yes)
- If color text is used, does it maintain ≥ 4.5:1 contrast ratio?

## 8. ENCODING & SPECIAL CHARACTERS
- Is the document UTF-8 encoded?
- Are smart/curly quotes (" " ' ') present? (Replace with straight " ')
- Are em dashes (—) or en dashes (–) used? (Replace with hyphen - for safety)
- Are there any non-standard bullet symbols or Unicode decorations?

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OUTPUT FORMAT:
For each section, list every check with its status (✅ / ❌ / ⚠️) and a one-line 
reason if it fails. End with a SUMMARY score: X/Y checks passed, and a prioritized 
fix list sorted by ATS impact (Critical → High → Medium).