Before a human reads your CV, software usually does. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) parse your document into structured data — and when parsing fails, qualified candidates disappear from shortlists over formatting choices, not ability.
How an ATS reads your CV
The system extracts text and tries to identify sections: who you are, where you've worked, what you can do. Then it matches that against the job's keywords and ranks you. Two failure points matter — extraction (can it read the text at all?) and recognition (can it tell which text is a job title versus a hobby?).
Formatting that parses cleanly
- Use a single-column layout — multi-column designs scramble reading order
- Standard section headings: "Experience", "Education", "Skills" — not "My Journey"
- A common font (Arial, Calibri, Georgia) at 10–12pt
- Simple bullet points (- or •), not custom symbols or icons
- Dates in a consistent format: "Mar 2023 – Present"
- Save as PDF or DOCX — never as an image, and avoid legacy .doc files
- Skip text boxes, tables, headers and footers for important content — many parsers ignore them
The keyword layer
Once your CV parses, it gets ranked. Read the job description and use its exact vocabulary where it's true of you. If the advert says "CRM systems", write "CRM systems (Salesforce, HubSpot)" rather than just naming the tools. Spell out acronyms once — "applicant tracking system (ATS)" — so you match both forms.
Don't keyword-stuff. Modern systems detect unnatural repetition, and a human reads whatever passes the filter. One natural mention in a relevant bullet beats five forced ones.
Design for the human who reads it next
Passing the ATS gets you six seconds with a person. Clean single-column CVs actually help here too: clear hierarchy, white space, achievements with numbers ("grew renewals 18%") near the top of each role. Restraint reads as professional — one accent decision (a rule line, small caps headings) is plenty. Heavy colour and graphics read as noise in most UK industries.
The quick self-test
Copy your CV and paste it into a plain text editor. If what comes out is readable, in order, with sections intact — an ATS will cope. If it's jumbled, fix the structure before your next application. Five minutes of checking beats months of silent rejections.