How to Write an ATS-Friendly CV — A Systematic Keyword Guide

Sent your CV to big employers and heard nothing back? The reason: chances are no human ever saw it. Around 99% of Fortune 500 companies — and most large employers — now filter CVs through an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) before a person gets involved. In this guide we explain what an ATS is, then show you how to write a CV that passes it.

What Is an ATS, and How Does It Work?

An ATS is software that automatically reads, categorises and scores incoming CVs against keywords. The most common are Workday, Greenhouse, Lever and Taleo. The logic is simple:

1. A job is posted and the "must-have" skills are defined
2. Incoming CVs are converted from PDF/Word into text (parsing)
3. Keywords, years of experience and location are matched
4. Each CV is scored (e.g. 0–100)
5. The recruiter only sees the top 10–20 CVs

The upshot: if your CV can't be converted cleanly to text, or the keyword match is low, you don't even make the shortlist. You might be a superb candidate — but if you don't pass the ATS, nobody sees you.

The 10 Rules for a CV That Passes the ATS

1. Use PDF Format

Send Word (.docx) and the formatting breaks from system to system. Some older ATS parsers read Word poorly. A PDF is always safe.

2. No Tables, Columns or Graphics

Infographic templates (coloured circles, progress bars, multi-column layouts) — the ATS can't read them. It scrambles the text or skips it. A single column of plain text is the safest.

3. Use a Standard Font

Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman — these embed cleanly in a PDF. Custom fonts (Google Fonts and the like) sometimes fail to embed, and the ATS reads "???".

4. Keep Section Headings Standard

The ATS looks for standard headings to recognise and parse each section:

• "Professional Summary" (✓) vs "A Few Words" (✗)
• "Work Experience" (✓) vs "My Journey" (✗)
• "Education" (✓) vs "Academic Background" (borderline)
• "Skills" (✓) vs "My Superpowers" (✗)

5. Mirror the Job Description's Keywords Exactly

The most important rule. Open the posting and place every term from the "must-have" list into your CV — word for word.

Job ad: "Strong knowledge of PostgreSQL, Redis, and message queues (RabbitMQ or Kafka)"

On your CV, write: "PostgreSQL, Redis, RabbitMQ" — don't say "MQ systems", write "RabbitMQ" in full. The ATS does literal matching.

6. Write Both the Acronym and the Full Term

Some ATS systems treat "AWS" and "Amazon Web Services" as different terms. Include both:

"AWS (Amazon Web Services) — EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda"

7. Use a Standard Date Format

For ATS date parsers, use "Sep 2022 – Present" or "09/2022 – Present". Don't write "since autumn 2022" — it can't be parsed.

8. Steer Clear of Visual Elements

• Icons (✓, ★, ►) — the ATS reads some, but a few bleed into the text
• Photo — the ATS can't read it, and in the UK/US a photo doesn't belong on a CV anyway
• QR code — unnecessary; write the link instead
• Watermark or background graphic — absolutely not

9. Give the File a Meaningful Name

Not "cv_final_2.pdf". Use Firstname_Lastname_Role_CV.pdf. For example: Sarah_Miller_Data_Analyst_CV.pdf. Some ATS systems extract metadata from the file name.

10. Don't Put Critical Info in the Header or Footer

Some ATS systems don't read the header or footer. Put details like your phone number and email at the very top of the body, not in the header.

ATS-Friendly vs Designer Template — A Clear Comparison

Free ATS Checkers

• Jobscan.co — paste your CV + the job ad, get a match rate. 5 free scans a month.
• Resume Worded — score + improvement suggestions
• Targetjobs.co.uk/ats-checker — UK-focused, but the logic is universal
• CVLayer ATS Analysis — checks both ATS compatibility and content quality (AI-assisted) try it on CVLayer

Keyword Extraction — A 3-Minute Method

1. Copy the job ad and paste it into a notepad
2. Highlight the "requirements" / "what we're looking for" section
3. List the key terms from each line, word for word (e.g. "Python and SQL" → Python, SQL as separate terms)
4. Weave these terms into your CV (naturally — no keyword stuffing)

Pro tip: automate this step with AI. Paste the job ad into CVLayer and it lists the keywords missing from your CV automatically.