How to write an ATS-friendly CV

Published: 3 November 2026 · Besim Technology

At most larger employers, your CV is read by an applicant tracking system (ATS) before a person ever sees it. If the system can't parse your file properly, the recruiter ends up looking at a half-empty or jumbled profile, however strong your experience is. This guide explains how an ATS reads a CV, which formatting rules actually matter, and how to bring the keywords from job postings into your CV without stuffing it.

What is an ATS and how does it read your CV?

An applicant tracking system is the software employers use to publish openings, collect applications and manage candidates. Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, SAP SuccessFactors and Personio are well-known examples. When you upload your CV, the system extracts the text, splits it into sections and maps it to fields: name, contact details, work history, education, skills and languages.

That step is called parsing. Recruiters then filter candidates by those fields or search them for the skills named in the posting. So your CV is really read twice:

1. By the machine: can the system pull out the text, recognise the headings and link each date to the right job?
2. By a person: a recruiter usually skims the CVs that make it through. Here, clarity and a visible match with the posting decide.

You'll often hear that "the ATS rejects your CV automatically". That's misleading. Most systems don't make hiring decisions on their own; a person looks at what the system shows them. The real risk is that broken parsing means that person sees a garbled version of you, or doesn't find you at all. That's why ATS-friendliness matters.

Which file format should you use: PDF or Word?

A text-based PDF or a DOCX file is the safest choice unless the posting asks for something else. What matters isn't the extension, it's whether the text inside can be selected.

• Never send a scanned CV. A photo or scan of a printed CV is an image; the system can't read the words in it.
• Run a quick test. Open your PDF, select all the text and paste it into a plain text editor. If the order breaks, letters vanish or columns get mixed together, an ATS will struggle in the same way.
• Follow the form. Some application forms accept only DOCX, others only PDF.
• Give the file a sensible name. "Alex-Morgan-CV-Backend.pdf" rather than "cv_final_v3_NEW.pdf".

What formatting rules make a CV ATS-friendly?

A single-column layout with standard headings and a plain font is what an ATS reads most reliably. Your CV can still look good, but the text should flow straight from top to bottom.

Tables and text boxes parse fine in some systems and badly in others. Since you rarely know which ATS sits behind a posting, the simplest structure carries the least risk.

How do you add keywords from job postings?

Take the skills, tools and job titles that keep appearing in postings for your target role and, where you genuinely have them, use the same wording in your CV. Recruiters typically search their ATS with exactly those terms.

1. Collect 5–10 postings. Put postings for the same title side by side and highlight the terms that repeat: languages, software, certifications, methods.
2. Mirror the posting's language. If it says "stakeholder management", write that rather than a clever synonym. Spell out abbreviations the first time: "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)".
3. Put skills inside your experience. A skills list helps, but what convinces is how you used a skill: "Cut monthly reporting time by rewriting slow PostgreSQL queries."
4. Translate unusual titles. If your internal title was "Growth Ninja", add the common equivalent in brackets: "(Growth Marketing Manager)".
5. Don't stuff. White-text keywords or the same term repeated dozens of times cost you trust with the human reader, and many systems display hidden text as plain text anyway.

What are the most common ATS mistakes?

The usual culprits are relying on visual design, putting key facts outside the main text, and sending one generic CV to every posting.

• Contact details in the page header, which some systems skip.
• Experience written only as a list of duties, with no results or measurable impact.
• Missing dates, or years only, so the system can't work out how long you held a role.
• Skill levels shown as graphics a machine can't read.
• Languages without a level: write "German (B2)" or "Spanish, professional working proficiency".
• No work authorisation: for applications abroad, "EU work permit" or "requires sponsorship" can decide the first screen.

How can Besim Apply's score explanations help you tune your CV?

Besim Apply compares every posting with your CV, gives it a match score from 0 to 100 and explains why; those explanations are concrete feedback on where and why your CV falls short. Apply doesn't rewrite your CV for you, but it shows you where to look.

Behind each score are three sub-scores: role fit, sector fit and feasibility. On the feasibility side, work authorisation, language and location/remote checks are marked as passed, unsure or failed, with the relevant sentence quoted from the posting. Every posting also shows a Your strengths list and a Gaps list.

Here's how to use that to tune your CV:

1. Look for repeating gaps. If the same gap shows up across a week of scored postings ("no Kubernetes experience visible"), either you don't have that skill, or you do and your CV doesn't say so. If it's the second, add it.
2. Check the "unsure" results. If language or work authorisation keeps coming back as unsure, that information isn't stated clearly in your CV or profile. Spell out the level and the permit.
3. Low role fit? Check your titles. If your experience fits but role fit stays low, your job titles and summary probably aren't speaking the target role's language.
4. Let Apply suggest search groups from your CV. If the roles it suggests are far from the ones you're targeting, your CV is presenting you as a different profile.

You can also add free-text scoring preferences, such as "never show relocation roles" or "prioritise remote". That makes it easier to separate CV problems from simple preferences about which jobs you want.

One practical note: the CV you upload to Apply also needs to be a text-based PDF or DOCX. If text can't be extracted, Apply doesn't guess; it checks the extracted fields against your CV text and asks you to re-upload if they don't match. If Apply can't read your CV, that's a good hint that many ATS won't either.

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For the full picture of scoring and approvals, see how automatic job applications work.

Should you tailor your CV for every posting?

You don't need to rewrite your CV for every posting; one master version per role family is usually enough. Two versions, say "backend developer" and "data engineer", are far more sustainable than editing a file for every single application.

For the handful of companies you really want, though, rewriting the summary and the first two bullet points of your latest role for that posting is worth it. Use the master version for routine postings and spend your energy on the custom ones.

What changes when you apply abroad?

The ATS rules stay the same, but content expectations change from country to country. Send an English CV to English postings and, where you can, a German one to German postings.

• In the US and UK, a photo, date of birth and marital status are usually left out.
• In Germany, the Lebenslauf is usually reverse-chronological and often laid out like a table; a photo is common but not legally required. See our guide to job hunting in Germany.
• State your work authorisation plainly; it's one of the first things screened.

ATS-friendly CV checklist

• ☐ The file is a text-based PDF or DOCX, and I can select and copy the text.
• ☐ Single-column layout with standard section headings.
• ☐ Name, email, phone and profile link at the top, in the main body.
• ☐ Every role has a title, company, city and start/end dates as month/year.
• ☐ Skills that repeat in target postings appear in the posting's own wording.
• ☐ Abbreviations are spelled out the first time.
• ☐ Experience bullets show results and, where possible, measurable impact.
• ☐ Language levels and work authorisation are stated.
• ☐ No graphics, icons or hidden text.
• ☐ A clear file name: First-Last-CV-Role.

Frequently asked questions

Can an ATS read a CV with a photo?

The photo itself is rarely the problem; the multi-column, text-box templates that tend to come with photos are. If you add one, keep the layout simple and check what's normal in the country you're applying to.

How long should my CV be?

Length doesn't matter much to an ATS, but it does to the human reader. One page is usually enough early in your career; two pages work for longer careers.

Does Besim Apply edit my CV for me?

No. Apply scores postings against your CV and shows the reasons, your strengths and your gaps. You update the CV based on that feedback, and Apply uses the updated version for later scoring.

Does my personal data go to the AI?

Your name, email address, phone number and profile link are replaced by placeholders before anything is sent to the AI. Details are in Apply's privacy policy.

Are applications sent without my approval?

By default you approve every posting yourself. If you want, you can set an auto-approve threshold for a search group; then only postings above that score are applied to. More on the Besim Apply product page.