How to write a Markdown resume
A step-by-step guide to writing a resume in Markdown that turns into a professional PDF ready to send.
Last updated: 2026-05-15
Key data for a resume in 2026
Before writing, it helps to keep in mind how recruiters and automated systems actually process a resume. These three data points shape format decisions more than any other.
- +90%
- of large companies (Fortune 500) use an ATS to manage and filter applications before human review. [jobscan]
- 7.4 s
- is the average time a recruiter spends on the first visual scan of a resume, according to a widely cited eye-tracking study. [ladders]
- 1 column
- is the structure ATS parsers interpret most consistently versus multi-column layouts or table-based designs. [greenhouse]
1. Basic structure
A Markdown resume uses three heading levels to mark hierarchy: `#` for your name, `##` for each section (Experience, Education…) and `###` for each role or degree. This is exactly the hierarchy CVMarkdown expects to render, and it is also what ATS systems parse best — a single H1 and clearly delimited sections at a single level.
2. Header
The header of a Markdown resume is made of your name with `#`, your role in bold and a contact line in plain text separated by `·` or `|`. LinkedIn and GitHub URLs are auto-detected. Keep the header without icons-as-images and without tables: ATS parsers extract email and phone more reliably when they appear as selectable text.
3. Experience
Each role is written as `### Company` followed in italic by `*Role · Location · Dates*`, and developed with bullets of quantifiable achievements, not responsibilities. Dates are detected automatically and aligned to the right. Phrases like “reduced deploy time from 40 to 8 minutes” are retained better than “worked on CI/CD”: Harvard Business Review research shows quantifiable achievements are recalled more strongly in fast reviews.
4. Skills
Skills in a Markdown resume are listed as key-value pairs: `**Languages:** TypeScript, Go, Python`. CVMarkdown renders them with the key in bold and the rest inline, saving vertical space. Keep skills as plain text separated by commas: ATS systems detect keywords better in inline lists than inside design boxes or decorative iconography.
“Markdown allows you to write using an easy-to-read, easy-to-write plain text format, then convert it to structurally valid HTML.”
Sources
Studies and technical documentation cited throughout this guide.