Imagine Jane, an experienced marketing professional, applying for her dream job. She carefully crafted her resume with bullet points using fancy symbols and accented characters in her name. But after submitting, she never heard back. Unknown to her, special characters broke the ATS parsing, causing recruiters and hiring managers to never see her true qualifications. This article reveals exactly How to Handle Special Characters That Break ATS (US) — ensuring your resume sails smoothly through automated screening.
Special characters can be tricky for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which many US employers use to filter job applications before a human even glances at them. A single unsupported character can garble your resume’s content, lowering your chances of an interview. With the right strategies, you can avoid these pitfalls and optimize your job application for both ATS and recruiters. Let’s dive in.
Quick Checklist: Handling Special Characters on Your Resume
- Use standard ASCII characters whenever possible.
- Avoid fancy bullet points, symbols, or emojis.
- Replace accented letters with unaccented equivalents (e.g., “é” → “e”).
- Test your resume in popular ATS simulators like HireFlow’s preview tool.
- Save and upload your resume as a .docx or ATS-friendly PDF.
- Manually scan for unsupported characters using Find & Replace.
- Keep formatting simple: standard fonts, no text boxes or graphics.
- Use HireFlow’s templates tailored for ATS compatibility.
Mini Before/After Example: Fixing Special Characters That Break ATS
Before: Problematic Resume Snippet
• Managed social media campaigns with 25% growth 📈
• Fluent in Spanish, French & German (C1/C2 level)
• Received Employee of the Year – 2022 🏆
After: ATS-Friendly Version
- Managed social media campaigns with 25% growth
- Fluent in Spanish, French and German (C1/C2 level)
- Received Employee of the Year 2022
Notice how removing emojis and replacing bullet points with simple dashes improves ATS readability. Also, replacing “&” with “and” avoids parsing errors.
Understanding Why Special Characters Break ATS Parsing
What Is ATS and How Does It Work?
Applicant Tracking Systems scan resumes for keywords, structure, and formatting to rank candidates automatically. They parse text from resumes to identify skills, experience, and education before passing the top matches to recruiters and hiring managers.
Why Special Characters Cause Problems
Many ATS software solutions use older parsing engines that struggle with non-standard characters like emojis, accented letters, or unusual punctuation. These characters can corrupt resume data or cause fields to be skipped, resulting in incomplete candidate profiles.
Common Special Characters That Break ATS
- Emojis (e.g., 📈, 🏆)
- Fancy bullet points (e.g., •, →, ◆)
- Accented letters (e.g., é, ü, ñ)
- Symbols (&, %, $, ©, ™)
- Non-standard quotation marks (“ ” ‘ ’)
- Unusual dashes and hyphens (–, —)
How to Handle Special Characters That Break ATS (US)
Step 1: Simplify Your Resume Formatting
Start by eliminating any decorative bullet points, emojis, or symbols. Use simple hyphens or asterisks for lists. Stick to classic fonts like Arial or Times New Roman to ensure your resume renders correctly across all ATS platforms.
Step 2: Replace Accented Characters
Accented letters in names or foreign words can confuse ATS. Replace them with their unaccented equivalents. For example, change “José” to “Jose” and “naïve” to “naive.” This small change can prevent parsing errors and improve keyword recognition.
Step 3: Convert Symbols to Words
Instead of “&,” write “and.” Replace “%” with “percent.” This helps ATS accurately interpret your content. For example, “Sales increased by 30%” becomes “Sales increased by 30 percent.”
Step 4: Use ATS-Tested Resume Templates
Tools like HireFlow offer templates specifically designed to avoid special character issues. These templates use clean formatting and tested character sets to maximize parsing accuracy and recruiter readability.
Step 5: Save as ATS-Compatible File Types
Save your resume as a .docx or an ATS-friendly PDF. Avoid scanned images or PDFs created from images, as ATS cannot extract text properly. HireFlow’s platform can help you verify file compatibility before submitting.
Copy/Paste Templates to Fix Special Character Issues
Below are examples of problematic lines with special characters and their ATS-friendly replacements. Use these directly in your resume to avoid parsing errors.
- Problem: Managed sales growth by 40% 📈
Fix: Managed sales growth by 40 percent - Problem: Fluent in English, Spanish & French
Fix: Fluent in English, Spanish and French - Problem: Received Employee of the Year – 2023 🏆
Fix: Received Employee of the Year 2023 - Problem: Expert in C++, Java, and Python™
Fix: Expert in C++, Java, and Python - Problem: Résumé includes leadership & communication skills
Fix: Resume includes leadership and communication skills
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Handling Special Characters
Mistake 1: Neglecting to Test Your Resume
Many candidates submit resumes without verifying how ATS reads their content. Use ATS simulators or HireFlow’s preview feature to catch special character issues early.
Mistake 2: Overusing Symbols and Emojis
While emojis might make your resume visually appealing to humans, ATS software cannot interpret them and may discard entire sections.
Mistake 3: Using Non-Standard Fonts
Fonts like Papyrus or Comic Sans can cause characters to render incorrectly in ATS. Always stick to professional, standard fonts.
Mistake 4: Uploading Image-Based PDFs
Resumes saved as scanned images or image-based PDFs cannot be parsed by ATS, leading to automatic rejection.
Tools to Detect and Fix Special Character Issues in Your Resume
HireFlow’s ATS Preview Tool
HireFlow offers a built-in preview that shows how your resume appears to ATS. It highlights unsupported characters so you can fix them before submitting.
Online ATS Simulators
Free simulators like Jobscan or ResyMatch can check your resume’s ATS compatibility and flag special character problems.
Text Editors with Find & Replace
Use Microsoft Word or Google Docs to find special characters and replace them systematically. For example, search for “&” and replace with “and.”
Character Encoding Checkers
Tools like Notepad++ let you view the encoding of your resume files and ensure they use UTF-8 or ASCII, which ATS systems handle better.
Step-by-Step Process to Fix Special Character Errors in Your Resume
- Open your resume in a text editor like Microsoft Word.
- Use Find to locate all special characters such as emojis, accented letters, and symbols.
- Replace emojis with text equivalents or remove them.
- Convert accented characters to their unaccented forms.
- Replace symbols (&, %, ™) with words (“and,” “percent,” etc.).
- Save the document in .docx format or export as an ATS-friendly PDF.
- Upload your resume to an ATS simulator like HireFlow to confirm parsing accuracy.
- Make additional edits based on simulator feedback until no errors remain.
Workflow for Using HireFlow to Avoid ATS Errors from Special Characters
HireFlow simplifies the process of submitting flawless resumes by integrating ATS compatibility checks directly into your job application workflow. Here’s how to use HireFlow effectively:
- Start by uploading your current resume to HireFlow’s platform.
- Run the ATS preview to identify any special characters or formatting issues.
- Use HireFlow’s suggested corrections or apply manual fixes using copy/paste templates.
- Re-upload and re-check until your resume shows no parsing errors.
- Submit your optimized resume through HireFlow to job portals to maximize recruiter visibility.
- Track your application status and receive feedback to continuously improve.
This workflow ensures you don’t waste time submitting resumes that ATS can’t read, increasing your chances of landing interviews.
Final Thoughts on Handling Special Characters in ATS Resumes
Special characters might seem like small details, but they can make or break your job application in the US market. By simplifying formatting, replacing problematic characters, and leveraging tools like HireFlow, you ensure your resume is parsed correctly by ATS and stands out to recruiters and hiring managers. Remember, a clean, clear, and ATS-friendly resume is your first step to landing that interview. Start optimizing today and watch your job applications perform better in automated systems.
For further insights on optimizing resumes for ATS, check out our related guides on Resume Formatting Errors That Break ATS Parsing and Advanced Tips for Building ATS-Compliant Resumes From Scratch.
Frequently asked questions
Avoid emojis, accented letters, fancy bullet points, and symbols like ampersands (&), percent signs (%), and trademark marks (™). These characters can confuse ATS parsing algorithms, causing your resume to be misread or partially ignored. Instead, use simple characters like hyphens or asterisks for bullets and write out symbols as words (e.g., “and” instead of “&”). This ensures the ATS correctly interprets the information and improves your chances of passing initial screening.
While it’s important to represent your name correctly, ATS systems often struggle with accented characters. To maximize ATS compatibility, consider submitting your name without accents (e.g., “Jose” instead of “José”) in the resume and application forms. You can still clarify the pronunciation or correct spelling in your cover letter or LinkedIn profile. This small adjustment helps ensure your resume is parsed correctly and reaches hiring managers without errors.
Use ATS simulators like HireFlow’s preview tool or Jobscan to upload your resume and see how it’s parsed. These tools highlight areas where special characters cause errors or misinterpretation. Additionally, manually scan your document for emojis, unusual symbols, and accented letters using Find & Replace functions in Word or Google Docs. Fixing these flagged issues before submitting your application can save time and increase your chances of reaching recruiters.
Both PDF and Word (.docx) formats can work well if saved correctly. However, some ATS software struggles with image-based or scanned PDFs. The safest option is to save your resume as an ATS-friendly PDF or Word document with selectable text and basic formatting. Avoid PDFs generated from images or complex layouts. HireFlow can help verify your file’s ATS compatibility before submission to avoid parsing errors caused by special characters.
Yes. While recruiters and hiring managers can usually read special characters, excessive use of emojis or unusual symbols may appear unprofessional or distracting. The priority is ATS compatibility, but keeping the resume clean and straightforward also improves human readability. Use simple bullets and avoid decorative characters to maintain a professional appearance for both ATS and recruiters.
HireFlow not only helps you build and optimize resumes but also includes tools that preview how ATS systems parse your document. It flags special characters and formatting problems that could cause ATS errors. With built-in templates and corrections, HireFlow streamlines fixing these issues, ensuring your resume is both ATS-compliant and attractive to recruiters. This guidance improves your chances of passing automated filters and landing interviews.