What makes a CV ATS-friendly
An applicant tracking system (ATS) turns your CV into plain text before a person sees it. A CV that parses badly can lose your job titles, dates or skills, so it is worth making that step easy.
Use real text, not pictures of text
The safest file is a PDF with selectable text. In CV Maker, use Print / Save as PDF and pick "Save as PDF" as the printer: the text stays text. The quick Download PDF button makes an image of the page, which looks the same to a person but is harder for an ATS to read.
Keep headings standard
Parsers look for familiar section names: Profile or Summary, Experience, Education, Skills, Languages. Clever labels like "My journey" get missed.
One column is safest
Most modern systems handle two columns, but some read across the page and mix the columns together. If you are applying through a large company portal, the Drafting or Classic template is the safer pick. Save Sidebar for email applications and networking.
Mirror the job's words
If the posting says "customer onboarding", do not only write "client activation". Use the posting's terms where they are true for you, in your bullets and in the skills list.
Dates and titles in plain format
- Write dates as Mar 2022 – Present or 2019 – 2022, the same way every time.
- Put your job title first, then the company.
- Leave out headers, footers, tables and text boxes for key facts.