How an ATS-Friendly CV Increases Your Job Opportunities
Published 2 Aug 2025 · Updated 9 Oct 2026
An ATS-friendly CV is one that applicant tracking software can read accurately and a recruiter can find in a search. Use a simple layout, standard headings and honest keywords from the job advert. This guide shows how, with a worked example and a quick test.
What is an applicant tracking system?
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software that employers use to collect and manage applications. It stores your CV, sorts the text into fields and lets recruiters search and shortlist. Americans call the document a résumé. In the UK it is a CV. The advice here fits both.
What makes an ATS-friendly CV
The software has to read your file as text, then a person has to find the evidence quickly. Both depend on clear structure.
- One main column with standard headings
- Contact details in the body of the page, not only in a header
- Job titles, employers and dates kept together in each entry
- Skills written as words, not star ratings or icons
Do ATS reject CVs automatically?
Mostly, no. Enhancv's UK guide says the ATS does not decide who gets the job; recruiters do, and they can still open your original file. Some systems rank applicants by keyword match, though, so a CV that echoes the advert is easier to find. Be wary of any claim that a fixed share of CVs is rejected by robots.
ATS friendly CV format
University of Sheffield careers advice suggests standard fonts, simple headings, and no headers, footers, tables, graphics or logos. Follow the same rules and put dates at the end of each entry.
Layout and fonts
Use Arial, Calibri or a similar plain font at 10-12 point. Keep one column. Avoid text boxes, tables for main content and icons that carry meaning.
Headings
Use names the system expects: Profile, Key skills, Work experience, Education, Training. Creative headings such as 'My journey' may not be sorted into the right field.
File type
Sources disagree. Sheffield suggests Word or plain text and a PDF only if asked; DWP Jobhelp says .docx reads best; Enhancv calls PDF usually safe. So follow the advert. If it does not say, ask the recruiter or use .docx.
ATS CV template
You do not need a fancy template. This order works for most UK applications.
| Section | What to put in it |
|---|---|
| Name and contact | Name, email, phone and town, in the body of the page |
| Profile | Three lines: your role, strongest skills, and the job you want |
| Key skills | A short list using words from the advert |
| Work experience | Newest first: job title, employer, month and year, then 3-5 bullets |
| Education and training | Full qualification names, with the abbreviation in brackets |
| Extras | Licences, memberships or languages, only if relevant |
How to beat ATS
You do not beat it by tricks. You make your CV easy to match to the role, honestly. Here is a worked example for a customer service advert.
| Advert says | Honest CV wording |
|---|---|
| Handle customer complaints | Resolved around 30 customer complaints a week by phone and email |
| CRM experience | Logged cases in Salesforce (CRM) and kept records up to date |
| Meet targets | Met the monthly satisfaction target in 5 of 6 months |
| Team player | Trained two new starters on the returns process |
These figures are invented to show the pattern. Use only facts you can prove. Never paste the advert in white text or list skills you lack. Recruiters see what the system extracts, and such tricks are easy to spot.
Spell out terms
Write the full term and the abbreviation once, for example Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Then either form will match a search.
Mirror the job title
If your real title was 'Sales Advisor' and the advert says 'Retail Sales Assistant', describe your work in the advert's words where they are true. Do not change your actual title.
ATS CV checker
Online checkers can help, but they vary and some sell upgrades. Try this free plain-text test first.
- Save your CV in the format you will send
- Open it, select all the text and paste it into Notepad or a similar editor
- Check the order is sensible and nothing is missing
- Make sure name, email and phone number appear and are readable
- Confirm each job title, employer and date sit together
- Proofread keywords, because a misspelt term may be missed
Cover letters and ATS
Some systems store cover letters beside CVs, so keep the same clear structure. Open by naming the role, link two or three achievements to the advert, and close briefly. Use the advert's key terms only where they fit naturally.
Online forms and screening questions
Many applications ask you to upload a CV and also answer questions on a form. Questions on right to work, notice period or driving licence can be used to filter applicants. Answer them accurately and consistently with your CV. If a form asks you to type your work history, copy it from your CV so dates and titles match.
Tailoring in ten minutes
- Highlight the skills, tools and qualifications in the advert
- Tick the ones you truly have, and find the evidence for each
- Move the best matches into your profile and top bullets
- Put the exact job title you are applying for near the top, if it honestly fits
- Save a separate copy named for that employer
Common mistakes
- Contact details only in the header or footer
- Images or charts to show skills
- Abbreviations with no full term
- Mixed date formats across roles
- Sending the same CV to every employer
CV resume services
We give feedback and editing on your CV, and you stay in control of what it says. See CV editing, professional CV writing or resume formatting. Our guide to the seven CV components that matter covers content, and a cover letter service can match your letter to the CV.
Related guides
- Seven CV components that get you hired
- Resume writing help
- LinkedIn profile optimisation
- CV editing services
Sources
- University of Sheffield Careers Service, Applicant tracking systems
- DWP Jobhelp, Getting through application filters: applicant tracking systems
- Enhancv, ATS CV guide (UK)
Frequently asked questions
What is an ATS-friendly CV?
A CV whose text software can extract correctly, with clear headings and honest keywords, so recruiters can search and find it.
How do I make my CV pass applicant tracking systems?
Use one column, standard headings, plain fonts and keywords from the advert. Then run the plain-text paste test.
Do UK employers use ATS?
Many larger employers and job sites do. Sheffield's careers page says 'some larger organisations'. We found no reliable UK usage figure.
Should I send a PDF or Word file?
Follow the advert. If it is silent, ask the recruiter. Sources differ, but a text-based file, not a scan, is essential.
How many keywords should I use?
Use those the advert names that truly describe you, in a natural sentence. Stuffing makes the CV worse for the person reading it.
Can I use a template from Word or Canva?
Yes, if it is a simple single column. Avoid ones built from text boxes, tables or graphics.