ATS-Friendly CV Guide 2026: Formatting, Keywords & What Applicant Tracking Systems Actually Do

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software employers use to collect, organise and review job applications. Common examples include Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, iCIMS, Taleo and SmartRecruiters. When you submit a CV through a careers site, it usually goes into one of these systems rather than straight to a recruiter's inbox.

An ATS typically does four things: it parses your CV into structured fields (name, contact details, job titles, dates, education, skills); it stores that data in a searchable database; it lets recruiters search and filter candidates by keywords, location, qualifications or application answers; and it manages the workflow as you move through stages such as screening, online assessments and interviews.

Where automation does reject candidates is through knockout questions on the application form: right to work, required licences, minimum degree classification, or availability. These are answered by you, not parsed from the CV, so answer them accurately and read them carefully.

• Use a single-column layout. Multi-column layouts can be read left-to-right across columns and jumble the order of information.
• Put key content in the body, not headers or footers. Some systems ignore text in page headers and footers, so keep contact details in the main body.
• Avoid tables, text boxes, icons and graphics for important content. Skill bars, rating dots and logos carry no machine-readable meaning.
• Use standard section headings. "Work Experience", "Education", "Skills" and "Summary" are recognised easily; "My Journey" is not.
• Choose a standard font such as Arial, Calibri, Helvetica or Times New Roman, at 10–12 pt.
• Use simple bullet points (solid round bullets) and consistent date formats such as "Mar 2023 – Aug 2025".
• Spell out acronyms at least once. Write "Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)" so a search for either form matches.
• Save in the requested format. Use .docx or a text-based PDF, and name the file clearly, e.g. "Jane-Smith-CV.pdf".
• Keep it to one or two pages. One page for graduates and early-career applicants, two for experienced candidates.

Recruiters often search their ATS with keywords drawn from the job description: job titles, tools, qualifications and skills. If your CV never uses the employer's terms, you are harder to find even when you are well qualified.

How to find the right keywords

• Copy the job description and highlight repeated skills, tools and requirements.
• Identify hard skills (Excel, SQL, financial modelling, Python, CRM software), qualifications (ACCA, CIPD, first degree) and role terms (stakeholder management, budget ownership).
• Mirror the employer's phrasing where it is genuinely true of your experience: if they say "customer success" and you wrote "client support", consider using their wording.

Where keywords belong

Place them naturally in your summary, job-title lines, bullet points and a short skills section, with evidence. "Managed a £250k budget and reported monthly variances to finance" does more than a bare list of "budgeting, reporting, finance".

A reverse-chronological structure is the most reliably parsed format. Functional or skills-only CVs are harder for systems to interpret and can make recruiters suspicious about gaps in history. For graduate-specific advice on what to include with little work history, see our graduate CV guide.

Write bullets that prove impact

For each role, write three to five bullets starting with a strong verb and ending with a result: "Reduced invoice processing time from 5 days to 2 by redesigning the approvals workflow." Numbers and outcomes help human readers, and the verbs and tools they include double as keywords.

• Tailor the CV to each role. Adjust the summary, skills and top bullet points to match the posting. Ten minutes per application makes a real difference.
• Follow upload instructions exactly. If the portal offers an option to paste or auto-fill from your CV, check each parsed field afterwards and correct errors.
• Complete every field and answer knockout questions accurately. Do not leave sections blank when the form asks for dates or job titles.
• Use a matching cover letter if invited. See our cover letter guide for structure.
• Keep your LinkedIn profile consistent. Recruiters often search both. Titles, dates and employers should match.
• Track applications. Record the version of the CV you used, so you can prepare for the right questions at interview.

Changing industries? Mirror the transferable skills in your target job description and read our career change interview guide. Once you are shortlisted, you will need a polished "Tell me about yourself" answer that matches your CV story, and the most common interview questions are worth rehearsing early.

If your application progresses, expect online tests next. Many employers invite candidates to psychometric or aptitude assessments immediately after the CV screen; our guides to numerical reasoning and the SHL test explain what to expect.

Mistakes to avoid

• Using a design-heavy template from a graphic design tool with columns and icons.
• Calling sections creative names that parsers do not recognise.
• Uploading a scanned or photographed CV.
• Submitting one generic CV to every vacancy.
• Leaving out dates, or listing employers without job titles.
• Adding a photo, age or marital status where it is not customary — this is not expected in the UK, US, or Australia and can raise discrimination concerns.