Pick a simple, single-column layout for a Geological Sample Tester. Use reverse-chronological order so your recent lab work appears first. Employers and ATS read top-to-bottom, so keep key roles and technical skills near the top.
Keep length to one page if you have less than 10 years of relevant testing experience. If you have long field projects and lab oversight, two pages can work. Be concise and cut any unrelated work.
Use ATS-friendly fonts like Calibri, Arial, Georgia, or Garamond. Set body text to 10–12pt and headers to 14–16pt. Leave enough white space and consistent margins so lab managers can scan your data quickly.
Structure your sections with clear headings: Contact, Summary, Skills, Experience, Education, Certifications, and Lab Projects. List technical skills like sample prep, XRD, AAS, sieving, and chain-of-custody in a short bulleted list. Use consistent dates and job titles so parsing tools work well.
Avoid fancy columns, embedded graphics, and complex tables. Those layouts can break ATS and hide your lab certifications. Also avoid many colors, decorative fonts, or tiny text that forces tight spacing.
Common mistakes include inconsistent spacing, long paragraphs, missing section headings, and résumé PDFs generated from images. Use plain text in headers and avoid special symbols. Proofread for unit consistency and measurement formatting.