How to Create an ATS-Friendly CV

Imagine you're a big company that pays well. Well, with the current employment rate, being a normal company works fine too. As soon as they post an opening, hundreds of resumes flood your inbox. How do you separate the wheat from the chaff? You use ATS software.

What really is ATS software?

Applicant tracking systems filter applications based on keywords, skills, work experience, etc. To do this, most systems use resume optimisation techniques. Most ATSs are able to parse through your resume and assess how well-matched you are according to the job description. They are also responsible for the automated and politely worded rejection letters. ATS software is your first set of recruiters, and the first test is to "convince" them that you're worth the job.

Key Tips for ATS-Friendly Resume Formatting

Avoid Images, Text Boxes, Tables, or Fancy Graphics: Most of these cannot be properly read by the software. It is either distorted or simply skipped over. That neat little skills graphic showing your Excel proficiency at 90%? The ATS has no idea it exists. The same goes for anything crammed into a text box or laid out in a table. Keep it simple: plain text, one column.

Avoid vague descriptors: use action verbs and relevant jargon to show your suitability as an employee. "Responsible for a team" says nothing. "Led a team of 8, grew revenue by 15%" says everything, and it gives the software something concrete to match against the job description.

Avoid Abbreviating Keywords: Abbreviations may be skipped over by the software. If the job wants "Search Engine Optimisation" and all you've written is "SEO", you might miss the match entirely. Safest bet: write out both.

Avoid Uncommonly Used Fonts: The only thing that needs to stand out is the content of your resumé, not anything else. Fancy fonts can get misread as symbols or garbled characters, and honestly, recruiters skimming fast don't care for them either.

Avoid Breaking Your Text: Using "exper-tise" instead of "expertise" in its entirety can make the ATS just skip over that particular word. Same with random line breaks mid-sentence or odd symbols separating sections. Let your words stay whole.

Avoid Contact Details and Other Relevant Information in a Header or Footer: Headers and footers are often ignored by most ATS software. That means your name, number, and email could go completely unread if you stashed them there. Put that information right in the body, at the top.

Personalise the Keywords in the Job Description: Every job description has some industry-specific jargon. Copy, paste, and add your experience around it. If the posting keeps saying "stakeholder management" or "cross-functional", use that exact phrasing where your experience genuinely fits; don't just paraphrase it and hope the ATS connects the dots.

Use ATS-Friendly Fonts: Use fonts such as Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Georgia, and Times New Roman. They read consistently across most systems and won't trip anything up.

Submit in the Right Format: Submit the resumé in a .doc/.docx format. Pay attention to the required file format, and if it's not stated, use .doc/.docx. PDFs look sleek but don't always parse well, especially on older systems. Be mindful if you're using software like Canva, as you may unknowingly use ATS-unfriendly features – things that look great on screen but fall apart the moment a parser touches them.

Here's a quick test: Copy and paste your resumé into Notepad. The result should match exactly how the resumé was built. This gives you an idea of how the software may be parsing your text and format. If it's scrambled, missing text, or in the wrong order, your resumé should be reformatted for better results.

At JADE Consult, we help with exactly this. Whether it's professional CV writing or career coaching, we make sure your resumé gets past the ATS and in front of a real person. Your resumé won't get a second look if it never makes it past the first read.