How to Make a Plain Text Resume (TXT)

Some application systems cannot read your PDF. They want raw text pasted into a box — no columns, no icons, no font choices. A plain text resume is your stripped-down version for exactly those moments.

It looks plain by design. That is the point: every character is readable by parsers, email clients, and legacy HR software. Keep a polished PDF for humans and a .txt copy for machines. This guide explains when you need the text version, how to build one from your main resume, and a copyable template you can adapt in minutes.

What is a plain text resume?

A plain text resume (also called an ASCII resume) is a version of your career story saved as unformatted characters in a .txt file. No bold, italics, color, tables, text boxes, or images — only letters, numbers, and keyboard symbols.

Think of it as the skeleton of your formatted resume: same sections and facts, none of the design. Recruiters rarely prefer this look, but many application workflows require it so data imports cleanly.

When should you use a plain text resume?

• Paste-in application fields — Some employer sites ask you to copy your resume into a large text area instead of uploading a file.
• Email body requests — A hiring manager or recruiter may ask for the resume inline to avoid attachments (common in certain corporate mail policies).
• Job board uploads — Older boards and parsers sometimes choke on Word or PDF layout; plain text reduces garbled imports.
• Explicit instructions — If the posting says “plain text only” or “ASCII resume,” follow that literally.

For most modern applications, your default should still be an ATS-friendly PDF. Use the .txt version as a backup format, not a replacement.

How to make a plain text resume

Exporting a Word doc as .txt is not enough. Formatting debris — stray line breaks, missing section breaks, mangled bullets — is what breaks paste-in fields. Work through these steps on a copy of your resume so you keep the designed original intact.

1. Strip all formatting

Open your resume in Word, Google Docs, or your builder export. Duplicate the file, then remove:

• Bold, italic, underline, and highlight
• Bullet lists, tables, and multi-column layouts
• Headers/footers, page numbers, and text boxes
• Photos, logos, icons, and chart graphics

In Microsoft Word, select all text and use Clear All Formatting on the Home tab as a fast first pass — then manually fix anything the tool missed.

2. Switch to a monospaced font (while editing)

While preparing the file, a monospaced font keeps line lengths predictable. Good options at 10–12 pt:

• Courier New
• Consolas
• Lucida Console
• Source Code Pro

The final .txt file will not embed fonts anyway, but editing in monospace helps you spot alignment problems early.

3. Replace bullet characters

Standard bullet glyphs often become question marks or squares in plain text. Swap them for ASCII symbols:

• Hyphen (-) — cleanest for ATS paste fields
• Asterisk (*) — common in email-friendly layouts
• Plus sign (+) — readable alternative

- Cut report generation time 40% by automating weekly KPI pulls in Python
- Partnered with sales ops to standardize pipeline stages across 3 regions
- Trained 6 analysts on dashboard QA, reducing revision cycles by half

4. Left-align everything

Tabs, centered headings, and right-aligned dates break when pasted. Align all text to the left margin. Use a single line break between lines and a blank line between sections.

Aim for roughly 60–65 characters per line when viewed in a standard editor window — wrap manually if a line runs longer, especially in summary paragraphs.

5. Mark sections with ALL CAPS

Without bold or underline, section labels need another signal. Capitalize section titles on their own line:

• SUMMARY
• EXPERIENCE
• EDUCATION
• SKILLS

6. Add blank lines between sections

Plain text has no visual hierarchy except spacing. Put one blank line before each ALL CAPS heading and one blank line after each section block so the file does not read as a single wall of characters.

Optional: a row of asterisks between major sections can help in email layouts:

EXPERIENCE
Operations Analyst | Northwind Logistics | 2021–Present
- Reduced freight audit exceptions 22% within first year
...

****************************
EDUCATION
B.S. Supply Chain Management, State University, 2021

7. Save as .txt

When the content is clean, save or export as Plain Text (.txt). Use a clear filename: FirstName_LastName_Resume.txt. Avoid special characters in the filename itself.

8. Verify in a plain editor

Open the file in Notepad (Windows), TextEdit (Mac, plain text mode), or VS Code. Check for:

• Random symbols where bullets used to be
• Mid-word line breaks from old column layouts
• Duplicate blank lines or missing spacing between sections

Paste the full text into a blank email draft or a test application field to see what a recruiter actually receives.

Tips for a stronger plain text resume

Lead with outcomes

Without design to catch the eye, your bullets do all the work. Use the XYZ bullet pattern or the strong bullet formula — measurable results first, method second.

Mirror job-description keywords

Paste-in fields often feed directly into keyword search. Pull exact phrases from the posting into your summary, experience, and skills blocks. Our tailoring guide walks through matching language without stuffing.

Proofread twice

Typos stand out when nothing else is on the page. Read aloud, run a spell-check pass, and compare line-by-line against your master PDF so dates and titles match.

Test across platforms

Open the .txt on another device or send it to yourself. Email clients and mobile screens wrap text differently — you want to know before a recruiter does.

Plain text resume template

Copy this skeleton into a text editor and replace the placeholders:

YOUR FULL NAME
City, State | Phone | Email | LinkedIn URL (optional)

SUMMARY
Two or three sentences on your role, years of experience, and top proof point.
Include one metric if you have it.

EXPERIENCE
Job Title | Company Name | Start Year–End Year
- Achievement with number or scope
- Achievement with number or scope
- Achievement with number or scope

Job Title | Company Name | Start Year–End Year
- Achievement with number or scope
- Achievement with number or scope

EDUCATION
Degree Name
School Name | Graduation Year

SKILLS
Skill, Skill, Skill, Skill, Skill

Plain text resume example

Below is a filled example for a customer support lead — different layout from a designed PDF, same facts:

JORDAN LEE
Austin, TX | (512) 555-0142 | jordan.lee@email.com

SUMMARY
Customer support lead with 6 years in SaaS, specializing in ticket workflow
design and CSAT recovery. Managed a team of 11 agents and raised first-contact
resolution from 71% to 84% in 12 months.

EXPERIENCE
Support Team Lead | CloudPath Software | 2022–Present
- Reduced average handle time 18% while CSAT rose 9 points
- Built onboarding playbook cut new-hire ramp from 6 weeks to 4
- Partnered with product on bug triage, closing top 5 recurring issues

Senior Support Specialist | CloudPath Software | 2019–2022
- Handled 40+ enterprise tickets weekly; maintained 97% SLA compliance
- Documented 35 help articles that lowered repeat contacts 12%

Support Representative | RetailHub | 2017–2019
- Resolved billing and shipping inquiries for high-volume e-commerce queue

EDUCATION
B.A. Communications, University of Texas at Austin, 2017

SKILLS
Zendesk, Intercom, SQL (basic), escalation management, QA coaching, KPI reporting

FAQs about plain text resumes

Do employers prefer plain text resumes?

Most hiring teams prefer a well-formatted PDF for review. Plain text is a workflow requirement, not a quality preference — use it when the system or instructions demand it.

How do I turn plain text back into a designed resume?

Paste your .txt into the MakeResume builder, pick an ATS-safe template, and map each section to the layout fields. You get a styled PDF without retyping everything.

What are the advantages of a .txt resume file?

Universal compatibility, tiny file size, easy paste into web forms, and no risk of hidden formatting confusing a parser. The tradeoff is visual impact — plain text will not stand out in a stack of designed resumes, which is why you should keep both versions ready.