How to Make Your CV ATS-Friendly

Step 1: Parsing

The system extracts text from your file and tries to fill in fields such as contact details, work history and education. If the parse is partial or fails, the help pages for recruiters describe manual work: Greenhouse says the resume stays attached to the candidate and the details have to be entered by hand, and Recruitee lets recruiters check and correct what the parser extracted.

Step 2: Search and matching

Recruiters search and filter on terms. Greenhouse says its search suggests related terms and synonyms for recruiters (a job description that mentions "JavaScript" might suggest "React" or "TypeScript"), and that candidates do not need to stuff their applications with keywords. Other systems may match differently.

Step 3: Ranking and scoring

Some products can show a fit score or sort candidates; others do not. Greenhouse states that its AI "doesn't score or rank applications" and does not decide who moves forward. We found no vendor documentation for the widely quoted "75-80% match" cut-off, so we do not give one.

Step 4: Rules and filters

Employers can add knock-out rules. In Greenhouse, admins can auto-reject based on an applicant's answer to a yes/no or select question, such as whether you are legally allowed to work in the country. Recruiters can also filter a busy queue, and Greenhouse says most recruiters review applications in the order they were sent.

1. Complex formatting (documented by vendors)

2. A file the parser cannot read (documented by vendors)

Vendors name image-only files as a cause of failure. Greenhouse lists resumes uploaded as an image rather than a document, and Recruitee's checklist asks whether you can highlight the text in the file, whether a scanned CV is searchable, and whether the document is protected.

3. Choosing a file type (vendors differ)

Vendor documentation does not agree on one best format. Workable accepts .pdf, .doc, .docx, .rtf, .html and .odt (resumes up to 5 MB), Recruitee accepts Word, PDF and ODT, and Greenhouse names .docx and .pdf as documents but cannot parse resumes larger than 2.5 MB. Workable's own career advice says a Word document is better unless PDF is requested. So follow the posting's instructions, and keep the file small.

4. Abbreviated job titles and company names (documented by vendors)

Greenhouse lists incomplete job titles (for example "Sr. Account Exec" instead of "Senior Account Executive") and company names without identifying words such as Inc., Co., Ltd or LLC among the causes of partial parses. Standard titles also make your CV easier to find in a recruiter's search (general advice).

5. Acronyms without the full term (general advice)

Recruiters may search for either form, so including both is harmless and helps human readers too. No vendor we checked documents this as a rule.

6. Skills mentioned only in passing (general advice)

A short skills list makes your terms easy to find, both for a recruiter's search and for a person skimming. We found no vendor documentation saying that a skills section is weighted specially.

7. Contact details where a parser may not look (documented by vendors)

Greenhouse names contact details in a header, footer or text box as a cause of partial parses. Recruitee's checklist asks whether the email address is in the header or footer, and says a CV with no email address in it is not parsed when it is sent to a job inbox by email. Workable's advice is to keep contact details in the body.

Step 1: Format for the parser

File type: Use the type the posting asks for. If it does not say, a text-based PDF or a .docx are both accepted by the vendors we checked. Keep the file under 2.5 MB.

Layout: Single column, no tables, no text boxes, and contact details in the body text.

Fonts: Standard fonts such as Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman at a readable size. This is general advice; Recruitee's checklist asks whether a standard, web-safe font was used.

Margins: Normal page margins. This is about readability for people; vendors do not document a margin rule.

Plain beats decorative when software has to read the file, and it usually reads better for people too.

Step 2: Use the employer's own words

Recruiters search on terms, so the words in the posting are your best guide to what to include, as long as they are true for you.

How to find the right terms:

1. Read the job description carefully
2. Identify the required skills, tools and qualifications
3. Note repeated phrases and terms
4. Look for both technical skills (Python, SAP, Salesforce) and soft skills (leadership, communication)
5. Use the posting's wording where it truthfully describes what you did

Tip: Use each term where it truthfully applies: in your summary, your experience and your skills list. Repeating terms beyond that adds nothing, and Greenhouse says candidates do not need to stuff keywords.

Step 3: Structure your sections

A common section order:

1. Contact Information (name, email, phone, LinkedIn, location)
2. Professional Summary (optional)
3. Work Experience (reverse chronological order)
4. Education
5. Skills (a short, dedicated list)
6. Certifications, Languages, or Additional Sections (if relevant)

Use plain headings that a person and a parser both recognise: "Work Experience" rather than "Career History", "Education" rather than "Academic Background". This is general advice.

Step 4: Write bullets a recruiter can skim

Each bullet works best when it includes:

• An action verb (Managed, Developed, Led, Designed)
• Relevant terms from the job description, where true
• Quantifiable results when you have them
• Specific skills or tools used

Notice how the stronger example names the platforms, the tool and the outcome.

Step 5: Keep a short skills list

A skills section is a convenient place to list the exact tools and terms from the posting that are true for you.

Good habits:

• List skills in order of relevance to the job
• Include both acronyms and full terms (for example "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)")
• Separate technical skills from soft skills if that helps
• Use the wording from the posting where it is accurate
• Only list proficiency levels if the employer asks for them

Location and Work Authorisation

Employers can ask about location and work authorisation as application questions and reject on the answer. Greenhouse's own example is a yes/no question about being legally allowed to work in the country.

• State your location and time zone when you apply for remote roles
• Answer work-authorisation questions accurately, and say so clearly if you have EU work authorisation
• Match the spelling of the posting (organisation or organization, optimise or optimize)

Languages

For roles that need more than one language, list each language with a proficiency level, ideally on the CEFR scale (A1 to C2).

Remote Work Keywords

For remote positions, include relevant terms that show you can work remotely, where they are true for you:

• Remote collaboration, distributed teams, asynchronous communication
• Video conferencing tools (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet)
• Project management platforms (Jira, Asana, Monday.com)
• Self-directed work, autonomy, cross-timezone coordination

Method 1: The Copy-Paste Test

1. Open your PDF or Word file
2. Select all the text and paste it into a plain-text editor such as Notepad or TextEdit
3. Read it from top to bottom: contact details, headings and bullets should come out in order, with nothing missing
4. If lines from different columns are mixed, or nothing pastes, change the layout

This is a quick check, not a guarantee. The worked example above shows that different tools can read the same file differently.

Method 2: Use a Checker, Knowing What It Is

Several tools give feedback on how a CV reads to software:

• Jobscan (compares your CV against a specific job description)
• Resume Worded (CV feedback and keyword analysis)
• Yago's CV Lab (feedback on structure, clarity and relevant terms for a PDF; your first 3 scans are free)

None of these runs an employer's ATS. Their scores are their own assessments, and YAGO's is too: it is not an employer's hiring decision.

Method 3: Compare with the Job Description

1. Copy the job description into a document
2. Highlight the required skills, qualifications and key terms
3. Compare them against your CV
4. Cover the required skills and tools that are true for you. Do not aim for a percentage: no vendor documents a threshold.

Tailor Each Application

A generic CV is less likely to use the employer's own words. Adjust your terms, reorder your skills and emphasise the most relevant experience for each application. It takes time, but it is the most direct way to make sure your CV answers the posting.

Use Job Title Variations Honestly

If your official job title was "Customer Experience Associate" but you are applying for "Customer Success Manager" roles, you can clarify in parentheses: "Customer Experience Associate (Customer Success focus)". This keeps the record honest while helping recruiters find you.

Include Relevant Coursework or Projects

If you lack direct experience but have relevant coursework, certifications or projects, include them and name the tools and terms involved. A recruiter's search can match text anywhere in your CV, not only in the work experience section.

Do Not Keyword Stuff

Some candidates add invisible text or repeat keywords excessively. It is not needed: Greenhouse says candidates do not have to stuff their applications with keywords, because its search suggests related terms and synonyms.

It does not help with people either. A recruiter reading a CV full of repeated terms will notice, and hidden text shows up as soon as the file is copied into a plain-text editor. Use terms where they truthfully apply.