ATS-friendly CV Templates

An ATS-friendly CV is a CV formatted to pass all CV scanners, including Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, Taleo, or iCIMS. Our experts design them for job seekers applying to larger companies that almost always use applicant tracking systems. An ATS CV is machine-readable and meets the expectations of recruiters and hiring managers. What is common for all CV templates that will help you pass the ATS systems is their clean, one-column layout, use of standard fonts, standard section headings, such as "Work Experience," "Education," "Skills," and so on. It is not only about the visual appeal of the document, but also about making it work for you.

• You’re applying to a company that is likely to use an ATS, such as Workday or Lever.
• Your application procedure includes going through online portals, instead of contacting a recruiter or a hiring manager directly.
• Your target job is with a larger corporation where HR relies on ATS systems like Greenhouse or Taleo.
• You’re at a career crossroad, transitioning from, e.g., education to an HR position, and keeping your transferrable skills scannable for keyword matching is important.
• You’re applying for a position in an industry that is heavily state-regulated, and using standard CV formats is expected.

• You’re targeting a role in a smaller creative startup, where your CV goes directly to the manager who appreciates design and personality.
• You’re applying for a role when the job posting explicitly requires sending a portfolio-style document that demonstrates your creativity.
• You’re networking with the members of the team you would like to join, and want to introduce yourself directly with a more impressive format.

Adjust Keywords to Match Job Description

Make sure to check if all the most important keywords from the job posting are included in your CV. Remember that ATS scanners, such as Workday, Greenhouse, or Lever, are set to find them to determine whether you're a good fit.

Go with Standard Section Headings

Play safe by using standard section headings, like "Skills," "Work Experience," "Professional Summary", and so on. A Taleo system is accustomed to sorting information according to standard patterns, and the same is true for recruiters who scan CVs every day.

Keep Your CV Formatting Simple and Consistent

Use simple and clean formatting whenever there is a possibility of running into an ATS. That means a one-column layout, standard fonts like Calibri or Arial, standard font sizes (10-12), and consistency throughout the document.

Test Your CV Content Scannability

To make sure you have an ATS-friendly CV, here is a pro tip from industry experts: Copy and paste the content of your CV into a text editor and see how it behaves. If the structure becomes messy, ATS might get confused, too.

Use Both Full Phrases and Acronyms

An iCIMS at a company can sometimes be set to search for a specific acronym (e.g., SEO), but in other cases, ATS scanners might look for the full "search engine optimisation" phrase. For an ATS CV format to perform best, use both to ensure keyword matching.

Save as Both: DOCX and PDF

PDF CV parsing works well with all major applicant tracking systems, and recruiters and hiring managers prefer PDFs. However, some older ATS systems platforms may read DOCX files more reliably, so it is advised to follow the job posting instructions and have both versions handy.