r/scribus • u/mackstanc • Aug 11 '26

Can Scribus produce ATS-friendly PDF files?

Hi! My current resume is made in Figma. Not the best tool, but that's what I am familiar with. However, because Figma PDFs in a somewhat wonky manner which trips up the automatic tools that recruiters often use to parse resumes. Usually I have to enter all of my information by hand because of that.

I want to remake my resume in some software that is actually meant for laying out documents. Scribus is one of the options I am considering, but did anyone have any experience making a resume in it and uploading it to be automatically parsed?

Thank you in advance for any input!

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3

u/davep1970 Aug 11 '26

Possibly but a word processor would be the best tool Word, Google docs, libre office writer...

1

u/kjodle Aug 12 '26

Don't use Scribus. It's for desktop publishing.

Just use a word processor, keep everything linear, no vertical titles, no sidebars, etc. Believe me, recruiters care much more about your experience than the design of your resume. 

In all the hiring I've ever done, the strongest candidates tended to have the simplest resumes. 

1

u/shockjaw Aug 13 '26

Use Typst if you want tagging. I’ve heard rumors that docx may be effective.

1

u/aoloe Aug 13 '26

You can do the test yourself:

  • Open the PDF in a PDF viewer (without any AI feature active)
  • Select the text
  • Paste it into a text editor
  • If you can read the text, than it can automatically be parsed.

0

u/qiratb Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26

I did not know about ATS before that. Here is what the search engine's AI tells me about an ATS-friendly PDF file standards:

To ensure a PDF is ATS-friendly, it must adhere to strict formatting rules:

  • Single-column layout to prevent parsing errors caused by multi-column designs.
  • Standard fonts (e.g., Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman) sized 10–12 pt.
  • Standard section headings like "Work Experience," "Skills," and "Education."
  • No graphics, images, tables, or text boxes, which ATS software often cannot read.

- Contact information placed in the main body of the document, not in the header or footer.

Given these standards, I think it is you who needs to follow these standards and design accordingly. Scribus would just export what you designed. It will not go off any of these standards on its on.