Updated November 8, 2026.
In short: an ATS CV is a CV formatted so that an applicant tracking system (ATS) can read and search it. Use a single column, standard section headings such as "Work experience," "Education" and "Skills," real text instead of images or graphics, contact details in the body of the page, and the job advert's own keywords wherever they are true for you. Save it in the file format the employer asks for, then test it before you apply.
What is an ATS CV?
An applicant tracking system is software employers use to collect, sort and search job applications. Prospects quotes Angie Standish, head of careers and employability at the University of Chester: applicant tracking systems "have been used for many years, usually for large volume recruiters where CVs are screened for keywords from job descriptions and are then sorted into priority shortlisting." Oxford's careers service notes that employers increasingly use them to screen the volume of CVs they receive.
An ATS CV is not a special kind of document. It is a normal CV, laid out so that nothing gets lost when the software turns it into plain text and files it into fields. A CV and a resume go through the same steps; our guide to how an ATS reads your resume walks through them.
How do you format a CV for ATS?
| Do | Avoid | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One column | Two or three columns, text boxes, layout tables | Some parsers read across columns line by line and mix the text |
| Standard headings: Profile, Work experience, Education, Skills | Creative headings such as "My journey" | Recognizable headings help the system map your sections |
| Real text for every skill and qualification | Skill bars, icons, logos, text inside images | Prospects: an ATS can't read images, logos or graphics |
| Name and contact details in the main body | Contact details only in the page header or footer | Some systems skip headers and footers |
| Qualifications and certifications named in full | Abbreviations on their own | Prospects advises naming each qualification |
| The file type the advert asks for | Assuming a PDF always works | Prospects: not all ATS are compatible with PDF |
The rest of a good CV layout still applies: reverse-chronological order, a clear font, two A4 pages at most. See CV format.
How do you use keywords in an ATS CV?
Read the job description and the person specification, and use their words for skills you really have. Prospects advises including relevant keywords from both. In practice:
1.List the terms the advert repeats: skills, tools, qualifications and the job title itself.
2.Use the advert's exact wording where it is true for you. If it says "stakeholder management," a CV that only says "client relations" may not match a recruiter's search.
3.Place them where they belong: in your profile, your skills section and the bullet points where you used them.
4.Don't hide keywords in white text or repeat them without context. A recruiter reads the parsed text, so stuffing shows.
Our ATS keywords guide shows how to pull them from a posting, and the free resume keyword scanner compares your CV with a job description term by term.
ATS CV example (excerpt)
An illustration with invented details:
AMIRA HASSAN
Birmingham · 07700 900654 · amira.hassan@email.com · linkedin.com/in/amirahassan
PROFILE
Payroll administrator with 5 years processing weekly and monthly payroll
for up to 800 employees in Sage 200. Looking for a payroll supervisor role.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Payroll Administrator, regional care provider 2021 – present
- Process monthly payroll for 800 employees in Sage 200
- Reconcile pension contributions and submit RTI returns to HMRC
EDUCATION
[Qualification], [Institution] [YYYY]
SKILLS
Sage 200 · Payroll processing · Pension auto-enrolment · Microsoft ExcelWhat makes it ATS-friendly: plain headings, one column, the job title written the way adverts write it, and tools named exactly ("Sage 200," not "payroll software").
How do you test if your CV is ATS-friendly?
Run two checks before you apply:
1.The copy-paste test. Open your PDF, select all, copy, and paste into a plain-text editor. Every line should come out in order, with each date next to the right job. If text is missing or scrambled, a parser may have the same problem.
2.A checker. Upload your CV as a PDF, DOCX or TXT file, or paste the text, into our free ATS resume checker. It turns the file into plain text the way a parser does, scores it, and lists the top fixes. It reads the text, so it works the same whether you call the document a CV or a resume.
The ATS-friendly resume guide has the full list of format rules with an annotated example; they apply to CVs too.
Does an ATS CV differ in the UK, Europe and the US?
The ATS rules are the same everywhere; the content conventions are not. A UK CV leaves out age, date of birth, marital status and nationality (National Careers Service). In Germany, the Federal Employment Agency says date of birth goes at the top and that most employers still expect a photo. If you add a photo where it is expected, keep your name and contact details as real text outside the image. In the US and Canada, most employers ask for a resume instead; see the difference between CV and resume.
Frequently asked questions
What is an ATS-friendly CV?
A CV that an applicant tracking system can read without losing information: one column, standard headings, real text rather than images, contact details in the body, and the job advert's keywords where they are true.
Is a PDF CV ATS-friendly?
A text-based PDF, one where you can select the text, usually parses well. But Prospects notes that not all ATS are compatible with PDF, so if the advert asks for a Word (.docx) file, send that. A scanned PDF is an image and can't be read at all.
Can an ATS read a two-column CV?
Sometimes. Some parsers read across both columns line by line and mix the text. Because you can't know which system an employer uses, a single column is the safe choice.
Does an ATS reject CVs automatically?
Some applications are screened out by knockout questions that the employer adds to the application form; those are the employer's settings, not a reaction to your CV's layout. Beyond that, recruiters use the system to search, filter and rank applications. Our ATS statistics fact-check looks at the popular claims about automatic rejection.
Should I use an ATS CV template?
A plain, single-column template is fine. Avoid designs with sidebars, skill bars or icons. See our ATS-friendly templates.
How do I check my CV against a job description?
Paste both into the resume keyword scanner to see which of the posting's terms your CV has, has in another form, or is missing. Then add the missing ones only where they describe something you have done.
Sources
- Prospects (Jisc), How to write a CV (section "How is AI used in the recruitment process?") — checked November 8, 2026.
- University of Oxford Careers Service, CVs — checked November 8, 2026.
- National Careers Service (UK government), How to write a CV — checked November 8, 2026.
- Bundesagentur für Arbeit (German Federal Employment Agency), Application process in Germany, part 1: curriculum vitae — checked November 8, 2026.