How to Write an ATS-Friendly CV

What an ATS actually does

An applicant tracking system is software many employers and recruiters use to store and search CVs. It usually reads the text of your CV, organises it by section, and lets a recruiter search or filter applications by keyword.

It is a filing and search tool, not a mysterious gatekeeper. A CV that is clearly written and simply formatted is generally easy for these systems to read correctly, and a human recruiter still ultimately reviews shortlisted applications.

It can help to think of it less as a test to pass and more as a filing cabinet: the aim is simply to make sure your CV is filed correctly and can be found and read properly when someone looks for it.

Formatting that reads correctly

Use a single-column layout, standard section headings such as 'Work Experience' and 'Education', and a readable, common font. Avoid tables, text boxes, columns, headers or footers, which can sometimes be read out of order or missed entirely.

Simple formatting choices, such as standard bullet points and consistent headings, tend to work reliably across the widest range of systems and software.

This same simple formatting also tends to look clean and professional to a human reader, so there is rarely a trade-off between a CV that reads well through software and one that reads well on the page.

• Use standard headings rather than creative ones
• Avoid placing important text inside images or graphics
• Use plain bullet points rather than symbols or icons
• Save as a PDF unless the employer specifically asks for Word

Matching the language of the job advert

Use the same wording as the job advert for skills, job titles and qualifications where it genuinely applies to you, since this is what a keyword search is likely to look for. This does not mean copying the advert; it means describing your real experience using similar, natural terms.

If the advert refers to a 'customer service advisor' and your CV only says 'call handler', consider whether the terms genuinely overlap and adjust your wording accordingly, as long as it remains accurate.

This approach naturally overlaps with tailoring your CV to a specific job advert more generally, since both rely on reading the advert closely and reflecting its language back accurately in your own experience, rather than relying on generic, one-size-fits-all wording.

Do not overdo it

There is no need to repeat a keyword many times or hide extra keywords in white text; both can look unprofessional to a human reader and add nothing useful. Write for a person first, and a clear, well-organised CV will generally also read well through software.

A CV that reads naturally and honestly to a human is almost always the safest and most effective choice, regardless of which system happens to process it first.

Checking your own CV

One simple check is to copy the text of your CV into a plain text document and see if it still makes sense in the right order, without any missing words or jumbled sections. If a simple copy and paste reads correctly, this is a reasonable sign that most systems would read it correctly too.

It is also worth opening your CV on a different device or in different software before sending it, just to confirm the formatting holds up consistently.

This kind of simple check takes only a few minutes but can catch formatting issues that are easy to miss when you are only looking at the CV in its original software, before it ever reaches a real employer.

Job titles and section headings

Use accurate, commonly understood job titles rather than internal or unusual titles your previous employer may have used, since an unfamiliar title can be harder to match against a standard search. If your official title was unusual, you can note the more standard equivalent alongside it.

Similarly, stick to conventional section headings, since these are what most systems and human readers alike expect to see and are quickest to scan.

Abbreviations and spelling out terms

If your industry uses common abbreviations, it can help to spell out the full term at least once alongside the abbreviation, for example 'Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system', so both versions are represented on the page.

This also helps a human reader who may not be familiar with every abbreviation used in your particular sector, in addition to helping any search-based system match your CV correctly.