Getly
A resume template is bought to look good, but the first reader is often not a person. Many employers route applications through an applicant tracking system (ATS), software that stores applications and extracts text from each file so recruiters can search and filter it. If the software cannot read your resume, the design never gets a chance. So the useful question when buying a template is not only "does it look right" but "will its text come out of the file in the right order".
We looked at resume templates on Getly, measured 26 September 2026, across the Resume Templates and Resumes & CVs shelves, 18 active listings together. 66.7% of them mention ATS in the title or description. That tells you ATS is the concern buyers bring to this shelf. It does not tell you which template passes, and the file a listing delivers is a better guide than the claim.
What an applicant tracking system does with your file
There are many ATS products and they do not all behave the same way, so be wary of anyone who quotes a single rule or a precise pass rate for "ATS" in general. What they share is the basic job: take the file, pull out the text, and try to sort it into fields such as name, contact details, job titles, dates, employers and skills.
That process is where designs get into trouble:
- Text inside images is invisible. If your name or skills are part of a picture, a parser reads nothing there.
- Reading order can scramble. Two columns, text boxes and tables are laid out visually; the text underneath may come out in a different order, mixing a sidebar of skills into the middle of a job description.
- Headers and footers may be skipped. Some parsers ignore them, so contact details placed only there can go missing.
- Unusual headings confuse sorting. "Where I've been" instead of "Experience" is charming to a person and ambiguous to software.
None of this means a designed resume is always rejected. It means the safest template is one whose text is real text, in a single logical reading order, under ordinary headings.
Word, Google Docs or Canva
Word (.docx). A Word document is structured text, and it is a format employers very often ask for. A single-column Word template with standard headings is the lowest-risk choice. Watch for templates that build the layout from floating text boxes or tables; they look identical on screen and parse differently.
Google Docs. A Google Docs template is edited in the browser and downloaded as .docx or PDF when you apply, so what the employer receives is one of those two files. The same rules apply: single column, real text, standard headings. It is a good choice if you do not have Word, and it keeps the template on any device.
Canva. Canva is a design tool, and its templates are built for visual layout: columns, icons, shapes and text boxes. You usually export a PDF. Many Canva resumes produce a PDF with selectable text, which is a good start, but the visual freedom that makes Canva attractive is also what can break reading order. A Canva template can work well for a human reader or a portfolio; for an online application form, test it before you send it.
Whatever the tool, follow the job posting. If it asks for Word, send Word. If it accepts PDF, a PDF with real text is fine for most purposes.
What the templates on Getly deliver
Here is what the listings say and what they actually deliver, measured 26 September 2026:
| Measure | Share of listings |
|---|---|
| Mention ATS | 66.7% |
| Mention Word or .docx | 38.9% |
| Mention Canva | 33.3% |
| Mention Google Docs | 5.6% |
| Deliver at least one PDF | 66.7% |
| Deliver at least one .docx file | 22.2% |
| Deliver a zip archive | 16.7% |
The gap between the second row and the sixth is the point to notice. More listings talk about Word than deliver a Word file, because many Canva and Google Docs templates arrive as a PDF with instructions or an access link inside. That is a legitimate way to deliver an editable template, but you should know which one you are buying.
One more measured detail. Among the delivered PDFs our file reader could open, about one in five (21%) has no text layer at all: the pages are pictures of text. A PDF like that may be a guide or a preview rather than the template itself, but if it is the file you would send, a parser would read nothing from it.
Prices are modest: the median paid template costs $6.00, and the middle half of the shelf sits between $3.99 and $10.27. The higher prices usually buy a bundle, several templates plus a cover letter, a keyword list or an interview guide.
A test you can run in one minute
You do not need access to an ATS to catch most problems. Before you apply, open your final file and:
- Select all and copy the text, then paste it into a plain text editor.
- Check that everything is there: your name, email, phone, every job title and date. Anything missing was probably an image.
- Read it top to bottom. If a skills column appears in the middle of a job description, the reading order is broken.
- Check the headings. "Experience", "Education", "Skills" should appear as words, on their own lines.
If the pasted text reads like a sensible plain resume, a parser has a fair chance. If it reads like a puzzle, simplify the layout before you send it.
What to look for before buying
- The listing names the file format you will receive: .docx, a Google Docs link, a Canva link or a PDF.
- At least one version is single-column, or the seller says which version is meant for online applications.
- Preview images show real section headings, not decorative labels.
- The seller does not promise a specific pass rate. Nobody can honestly guarantee that a resume passes every system.
Browse the Resume Templates shelf with this list in hand. If you design templates yourself, our guide to selling resume templates covers what buyers need to see in a listing.
