How to Write a CV That Passes ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) in 2026

Roughly 50–75% of CVs are filtered out by Applicant Tracking Systems (Jobscan, iCIMS research) before a human recruiter ever reads them. The filter is keyword-based, layout-sensitive, and format-fussy. Writing an ATS-friendly CV is mostly about structure and language — not sacrificing readability, just respecting the machine that reads the CV first.

This guide explains how ATS parsers actually work, the structure that passes consistently, and the changes to make to any CV you are about to submit.

How does an ATS actually work?

When you submit a CV, the ATS (Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, iCIMS, Taleo, and similar) does three things: (1) parses your CV into structured fields (name, contact, work history, education, skills); (2) scores it against keywords from the job description; (3) ranks or filters based on that score. Human recruiters see the top candidates. The others are typically sent an automated rejection.

Format rules

• .docx or .pdf generated from Word/Google Docs — both work. PDF from LaTeX or InDesign often fails.
• No text in images or headers/footers — parsers skip them
• No tables for layout — parsers read them column-by-column, scrambling content
• Standard section headings: "Experience", "Education", "Skills" — not creative synonyms
• No graphics, icons, or charts
• One column unless you know the target ATS handles two
• Standard fonts: Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Garamond
• 10–12pt body, 14–16pt headings
• Black text on white background

Keyword strategy

Every job description contains 10–30 keywords — the skills, tools, and terms the employer most cares about. Read the job description, extract those keywords, and ensure they appear in your CV (in context, in your experience descriptions — not in a keyword-stuffed list). Modern ATS (and human recruiters) detect and penalise crude keyword stuffing.

Structure that works

1. Name + one-line headline (e.g., "Senior React Engineer | 8 years | Remote")
2. Contact: email, phone, location (city + country), LinkedIn, GitHub/portfolio
3. Professional summary — 2–3 sentences, keyword-rich, focused on what you're great at
4. Experience — reverse chronological. For each: job title, company, dates, 4–6 bullet points
5. Skills — technical stack list, grouped logically
6. Education — institution, qualification, year
7. Certifications (if relevant — AWS, GCP, Azure, PMP, etc.)
8. Languages (if relevant)

Writing good bullet points

The "accomplishment-result" format works consistently:

• Action verb + what you did + quantified outcome
• Good: "Led migration from monolith to microservices for 3 services serving 5M MAU, reducing latency by 45%"
• Bad: "Responsible for backend architecture"
• Start each bullet with a strong action verb (led, built, shipped, delivered, scaled, reduced, increased, launched)
• Include metrics where you can
• Target 1–2 lines per bullet (mobile-readable)

Common mistakes that get filtered

• Creative section headings ("Where I've Been" instead of "Experience")
• Graphics, bars, charts to indicate skill level (parsers can't read them)
• Two-column layout (some ATS read columns as separate)
• Contact info in header/footer
• Dates in unusual formats (stick to "Jan 2020 - May 2022" or "2020–2022")
• Missing zip/postcode when required
• File named "CV-final-FINAL-v3.pdf" — use "FirstName-LastName-CV.pdf"
• Non-English characters in filename (some systems fail)

Testing tools

Before submitting, run your CV through an ATS-simulation tool like Jobscan or Resume Worded. These tools score how well your CV matches the job description and flag potential parsing issues. Aim for 70%+ keyword match.

The human reader

Even after passing the ATS, you need a human to want to call you. Professional summary is the first thing a recruiter reads — make sure it positions you clearly. Your first bullet in each role should be the strongest. After 20 seconds of reading, a recruiter should know exactly what you do and why they want to talk to you.