How to Write an ATS-Friendly CV That Beats Automated Screening

Last updated: March 2026

An ATS-friendly CV is a resume formatted so that applicant tracking systems can correctly parse your information into structured data fields. 97.8% of Fortune 500 companies use an ATS (Jobscan, 2025), and 75% of all companies use some form of recruiting technology. If your CV cannot be read by these systems, your application effectively does not exist, regardless of your qualifications.

The good news: optimising for ATS is straightforward once you understand how these systems work. The bad news: most of the advice online is based on a debunked myth.

The Myth You Need to Stop Believing

You have almost certainly read that "75% of resumes are automatically rejected by ATS before a human sees them." This claim appears in thousands of career advice articles. It is not supported by evidence.

An Enhancv study of 25 U.S. recruiters, published through HR.com in 2025, found that 92% of recruiters confirm their ATS does NOT auto-reject resumes based on formatting or content. Only 8% have content-based auto-rejection configured. 100% use knockout questions (e.g., "Are you authorised to work in the UK?") for basic eligibility, but these are yes/no filters, not formatting-based rejections.

The original 75% statistic traces back to Preptel, a recruiting company that went out of business in 2013 with no disclosed methodology. It has been repeated so many times that it feels like fact. It is not.

What actually happens: ATS systems parse, sort, and rank your CV. Recruiters then search and filter within the system. If your CV is poorly formatted, the system may misparse your information (putting your name in the wrong field, missing your skills, etc.), which means you will not appear in keyword searches. That is the real problem: not rejection, but invisibility.

How the Major ATS Systems Parse Your CV

Different systems handle CVs differently. Here is how the most common ones work:

The common denominator across all systems: single-column, simply formatted documents with standard section headings parse correctly every time. This is not about gaming the system. It is about not breaking it.

The Formatting Rules That Actually Matter

Contact information in the body, not the header

Placing your name, email, phone number, and LinkedIn URL in a document header or footer causes ATS to fail to identify this information 25% of the time (Jobscan). Always put your contact details in the main body of the document, at the top of page one.

Single-column layout

Tables and multi-column layouts cause content to be merged or read out of order in Workday, Taleo, and SuccessFactors. Even Greenhouse, which handles two-column layouts "reasonably," can misparse them. The safest approach: one column, top to bottom.

Standard section headings

Use these exact headings:

• Experience (not "Where I Have Worked" or "Career Journey")
• Education (not "Academic Background")
• Skills (not "What I Bring" or "Core Competencies")
• Certifications (if applicable)

ATS parsers look for standard section names to categorise your information. Creative headings confuse them.

No graphics, icons, or decorative elements

Star ratings for skills, progress bars, headshot photos, company logos, and decorative borders are all invisible to ATS parsers. The system sees blank space where you see a carefully designed infographic. Use plain text for everything.

PDF vs Word: the real answer

Modern ATS platforms (Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, iCIMS) parse text-based PDFs reliably. The problem is not PDF versus Word. It is text PDF versus image PDF (a scanned document). Image PDFs cannot be parsed by any system.

That said, Word (.docx) remains the safest universal choice, particularly for older systems like Taleo. The practical advice: keep both formats ready and submit whichever the application system requests. If the system does not specify, use PDF.

Keyword Optimisation: The Real ATS Game

If ATS does not auto-reject your CV, what determines whether a recruiter sees it? Keywords.

99.7% of recruiters use keyword filters in their ATS to sort and prioritise applicants (Jobscan). When a recruiter has 140+ applications for a graduate role (the current UK median per ISE), they search for specific terms. If your CV does not contain those terms, it does not appear.

The data is compelling: candidates who include the exact job title on their resume are 10.6 times more likely to get an interview (Jobscan). Yet 54% of candidates do not tailor their resume to the job description.

How to optimise keywords

Step 1: Analyse the job description. Read it three times. Highlight every skill, tool, qualification, and keyword that appears. Pay attention to words that appear more than once.

Step 2: Mirror the language exactly. If the posting says "project management," write "project management." Not "managed projects." Not "PM." ATS keyword matching is often literal, especially in older systems like Taleo.

Step 3: Include both forms. Write "Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)" so the system catches both the full term and the acronym. Same for "Customer Relationship Management (CRM)," "Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)," and similar.

Step 4: Target 65-75% match. A keyword match rate of 65-75% with the job description is the recommended threshold (Career Launch Campus). You do not need to include every term, but you need to cover the core ones.

Step 5: Use the Skills section strategically. Greenhouse and similar systems weight the Skills section heavily. List 8-12 relevant skills that match the posting. This is often the first thing recruiters scan both in the ATS and during their 11-second manual review.

Surviving the 11-Second Human Scan

Even after your CV passes ATS keyword filters, it faces a brutal human bottleneck. An InterviewPal study of 4,289 resume reviews found the average initial scan is 11.2 seconds. The median total review for candidates who pass is 1 minute 34 seconds.

What recruiters look at in those seconds:

1. Current title/education at the top
2. Skills section for quick keyword matching
3. Most recent experience for relevance
4. Overall visual clarity (clean vs cluttered)

77% of hiring managers immediately reject resumes with typos or grammatical errors (Resume Genius, analysing 500,000 resumes). Job seekers with over 99% accurate spelling are 3x more likely to be hired. Proofread twice, then proofread again.

For graduate-specific content and structure guidance, see our graduate CV guide. For the personal statement that sits at the top of your CV, see our personal statement guide.

The Complete ATS-Friendly CV Checklist

Run through this before every application:

Formatting:

• Single-column layout
• Contact info in the body (not header/footer)
• Standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills)
• No graphics, tables, icons, or images
• Clean, readable font (Arial, Calibri, or similar)
• 10-12pt font size
• PDF or DOCX format (text-based, never scanned)

Content:

• Job title from the posting included on your CV
• 8-12 relevant keywords from the job description
• Both acronyms and full terms for technical skills
• Tailored to this specific role (never send the same CV twice)
• Under two pages (one page ideal for graduates)
• Zero typos (proofread three times)

Strategy:

• Knockout questions answered correctly in the application
• Cover letter included if requested (see our cover letter guide)
• LinkedIn profile URL included and up to date

When ATS Is Not Enough: The Direct Approach

Even a perfectly optimised CV competes with 140+ other applications. The most effective job search strategy combines ATS-friendly applications with direct outreach to hiring managers.

For every role you apply to through the portal, consider also emailing someone on the team or the hiring manager directly. Our guide on finding and emailing hiring managers covers how to identify the right person and write an email that gets a response. This two-pronged approach, application plus outreach, significantly increases your chances of being seen.

FAQ

Do ATS systems automatically reject CVs based on formatting?

No. An Enhancv study found that 92% of recruiters confirm their ATS does NOT auto-reject based on formatting. The widely cited "75% rejection rate" is a myth traced to a now-defunct company with no published methodology. ATS systems parse and sort CVs; poor formatting causes misparse (invisibility in searches), not deletion.

Should I use a one-column or two-column CV layout?

One column is always safest. Workday (39% of Fortune 500) and Taleo struggle with multi-column layouts, merging or reordering content. Greenhouse handles two columns "reasonably," but not perfectly. A single-column layout parses correctly across every major ATS. The design trade-off is worth the reliability.

How many keywords should I include from the job description?

Aim for a 65-75% keyword match with the job description. Include the exact job title (candidates who do are 10.6x more likely to get an interview per Jobscan), 8-12 relevant skills, and both acronyms and full terms for technical competencies. Do not keyword-stuff; integrate terms naturally into your experience bullets and skills section.

Is PDF or Word better for ATS?

Both work with modern systems. Text-based PDFs parse correctly on Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, and iCIMS. The only format issue is scanned/image PDFs, which no system can parse. Word (.docx) is the safest universal choice, especially for older systems like Taleo. Keep both formats ready and submit what the application requests.

How long do recruiters spend looking at my CV?

An InterviewPal study of 4,289 reviews found the initial scan averages 11.2 seconds. Candidates who pass get a median total review of 1 minute 34 seconds. Your CV must communicate your strongest qualifications immediately through your headline, skills section, and most recent experience. 77% of hiring managers reject CVs with typos, so proofreading is non-negotiable.