How to Write an ATS-Friendly Resume in 2025
Applicant tracking systems decide whether a human ever sees your CV. Here is how to write for both audiences at once.
What an ATS actually does
Applicant tracking systems are databases. When you apply, your CV is parsed into structured fields — name, contact, work history, skills — and stored. Recruiters then search and filter. If your CV cannot be parsed cleanly, you do not appear in their search results. You are not rejected; you are simply invisible.
Modern ATSs are better than they used to be, but they still trip on heavy design. Your job is to be machine-readable first and beautifully designed second.
Use a simple, single-column layout
Many ATSs read top-to-bottom, left-to-right. A two-column CV can scramble your work history when it is parsed. If you love the two-column look, use it for the human-friendly version you bring to interviews, but submit a single-column version through the portal.
Stick to standard section headings
Call your sections what they are: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications. Creative names like "My Journey" or "What Drives Me" might be parsed as plain text instead of triggering the system to capture the data underneath.
Choose readable fonts and clean files
Use Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Inter, or Georgia at 10–12pt. Save as PDF unless the application form specifies .docx. Avoid putting critical information inside images, headers, footers, or text boxes — these often get dropped.
Mirror the job's keywords
If the job description repeats certain phrases ("data pipelines," "B2B SaaS," "stakeholder management"), make sure those exact phrases appear in your CV when they are honestly true of your experience. Spell out acronyms at least once ("Search Engine Optimization (SEO)") so both versions are searchable.
Quantify, and put numbers in the bullets
Numbers do double duty: they impress humans and they are easily filterable by recruiters searching for, say, candidates with "team of 10+" experience. Whenever possible: percentage, currency value, count, or time.
Skip graphics, bars, and rating dots
Skill bars that show "Excel — 80%" look modern but mean nothing to an ATS. Write the skill name plainly. The same applies to language proficiency: use words ("Fluent," "Intermediate") rather than icons.
Test before you submit
Copy your PDF text and paste it into a plain text editor. If the result is jumbled, out of order, or missing chunks, your ATS parsing is broken. Fix the layout until plain-text extraction reads cleanly top to bottom.