How to Write an ATS-Friendly CV

What an ATS does with your CV

When you upload a file, the system extracts the text and tries to sort it into fields: your name, contact details, job titles, employers, dates, education and skills. Recruiters can then search those fields, for example for a certain skill or job title, and filter candidates by the answers to screening questions.

Problems appear when the software cannot extract the text in the right order. Text inside images, text boxes, headers and footers, and complicated multi-column layouts are the usual causes. The fix is not to write for the machine, but to keep the document simple enough that both the machine and a human can follow it.

Layout and formatting

• Use a single column with clear sections in a logical order. Avoid tables, text boxes, side panels, icons and graphics for anything important.
• Use standard section headings such as Experience, Education, Skills and Projects. Creative headings like "My journey" are harder for software, and for readers, to place.
• Put your contact details in the main body of the page, not in the header or footer, where some systems skip text.
• Choose a plain, common font at a readable size, and use simple bullet points.
• Do not turn your skills into a rating chart or progress bars. Write them as plain text.
• Do not add a photo unless the employer or country convention asks for one.

File type

Follow the instructions on the application page first. If it asks for a Word document, send a Word document. If it allows either, a PDF made from a text document (not a scanned image or a photo of a page) keeps your layout and is usually read well. A scanned PDF is just a picture, and the system may find no text in it at all. A quick test: open your PDF and try to select and copy a sentence. If you can, the text is readable. Name the file clearly, for example "Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf".

Using keywords honestly

Recruiters often search by the terms used in the job description, such as a tool, a qualification or a type of experience. Read the posting carefully and note the skills and requirements it repeats. Then check whether your real experience can be described with those same words. If the posting says "stakeholder engagement" and your CV says "worked with partners", use the posting's wording where it is accurate.

Only include terms that genuinely describe what you have done. Do not paste a block of keywords or hide invisible text in the document. Recruiters notice it, interviewers will ask about every claim, and it can cost you the application. Place keywords where they fit naturally: in your summary, your job bullet points and a short skills section.

Make job titles and dates easy to read

For each role, put the job title, the organization and the dates on a clear line, in a consistent order, with dates written the same way throughout, for example "Mar 2024 – Aug 2025". If your internal title was unusual, you can add a clearer description in brackets, such as "Programme Associate (communications)". Avoid abbreviations that only your previous employer would understand, or explain them once.

If you have gaps or a non-linear path, say so briefly and honestly, for example with a line about studies, caring responsibilities or travel. Clear dates are easier for both software and people than a mystery.

Write bullet points that show results

The best CVs, for software and for people, describe what you did and what changed because of it. Start each bullet with an action verb and add a number or an outcome where you honestly can. "Managed the volunteer schedule" is a duty. "Coordinated 25 volunteers across six events and reduced last-minute cancellations" shows a result. Our guide on writing a CV for internships and scholarships has more examples.

Common mistakes

• A beautiful template with columns, icons and graphics that scrambles when it is read as plain text.
• Saving a scan or a screenshot as the CV.
• Sending the same CV to every employer without checking the job description.
• Keyword stuffing, or listing skills you cannot demonstrate.
• Typos and inconsistent dates.
• A CV that is far too long. For most early-career applicants, one or two pages is enough.

A quick check before you apply

• Copy all the text from your file into a plain text editor. Is it in a sensible order, and is nothing missing?
• Do the headings say what they are?
• Do the job title, employer and dates of each role appear together?
• Do your first bullet points mirror the most important requirements of the posting, in your own honest words?
• Did you follow any format or file instructions given in the posting?