An ATS-friendly candidate CV is one that an applicant tracking system can read fully and in the right order, with every word stored as plain, machine-readable text. The core rule is simple: use a single-column layout, keep all content as real text instead of images, label each section with a standard heading, and export the file as a text-based PDF or an editable Word document. Do that, and the candidate's details survive the trip through your client's hiring software.
This matters for you because the CV you format does not stop at the recruiter's inbox. Your client drops it into their ATS, and that system parses the data before a human ever sees it. If the layout confuses the parser, the candidate's skills, contact details, or work history can vanish. A strong candidate can look empty on the client side, and you carry the blame.
This guide gives you the rules, a step-by-step process, a do-this checklist, the mistakes to avoid, and quick answers to the questions recruiters ask most. Everything here protects the candidate's data as it moves through the client's systems.
Key takeaways
- ATS-friendly means the CV is built so software can read every word as plain, ordered text. The core rule: one column, real text, standard headings.
- Use a single-column layout. Tables and multi-column designs scramble the reading order and turn a clean CV into word salad.
- Keep all content in the body. Names, phones, and emails placed in headers or footers can get dropped completely.
- Save as a text-based PDF or a .docx, use a web-safe font at 10pt or larger, and avoid graphics, icons, and images.
- Test the CV by copying its text into a plain document. If the words come out in the wrong order or go missing, the ATS will fail too.
Why ATS-friendly formatting matters
Applicant tracking systems are not an edge case. In 2025, an applicant tracking system was detected for 97.8% of Fortune 500 companies, 489 of 500, and that figure has stayed consistently high over the years: 98.4% in 2024, 97.4% in 2023, and 98.8% in 2019. MIT's career office puts it plainly too, stating that about 99% of Fortune 500 companies use some form of applicant tracking system to streamline their recruitment. When you send a CV to a client, you should assume software reads it first.
The problem is how that software reads. An ATS parses information from a resume and compares it to the job posting like a database, and it reads documents linearly, left to right and top to bottom. The University of Minnesota Duluth Career Center warns that an ATS reads left to right and top to bottom, so tables and columns scramble content, that content placed in a header or footer may get dropped completely, and that it cannot pull information from graphics, logos, or images. Jobscan explains the same problem in sharper terms: when a resume uses tables or multiple columns the parser slices horizontally across the page, causing text-layer scrambling that turns a well-designed resume into word salad for the machine. In one Jobscan example, a design-heavy resume had its skills, contact info, and work samples ignored, with only work experience captured. A pretty CV that loses half the candidate's data is a liability, not a selling point.
The 7 rules of an ATS-friendly CV
Use a single-column layout
An ATS reads top to bottom, left to right. Keep the whole CV in one column so the parser captures content in the order a person would read it.
Use real text, not images
An ATS cannot pull information from graphics, logos, or images. Every line, including the name and contact details, must be selectable text.
Use standard section headings
Label sections with plain, expected names like Work Experience, Education, and Skills. Clear headings help the parser sort content into the right fields.
Keep nothing in headers or footers
Content placed in a document's header or footer may get dropped completely by an ATS. Put the name, phone, and email in the body of the page.
Use web-safe fonts at readable sizes
Use fonts common across platforms such as Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Georgia, Helvetica, or Times New Roman, and keep the size to at least 10pt. Unusual fonts can hinder readability.
Use simple bullets
Stick to standard round or square bullets for lists. Decorative symbols, icons, and custom characters can confuse the parser or render as junk.
Export as text-based PDF or .docx
Save the CV as a .doc, .docx, or a text-based .pdf. Avoid image-only PDFs and scanned files, which have no readable text layer.
Make a candidate CV ATS-friendly in 6 steps
Step 1: Start from the candidate’s raw CV
Collect the original file in whatever format the candidate sent. You will rebuild it into a clean, consistent structure rather than patching the existing design.
Step 2: Rebuild into a single-column structure
Move all content into one column. Remove tables, sidebars, and multi-column blocks so the reading order runs straight down the page.
Step 3: Move header and footer content into the body
Take the name, phone, email, and location out of any header or footer and place them as plain text at the top of the page body.
Step 4: Apply standard headings and simple formatting
Rename sections to standard labels, set a web-safe font at 10pt or larger, and replace decorative bullets and icons with plain text bullets.
Step 5: Strip out graphics and images
Remove logos, headshots, icons, charts, and any text trapped inside an image. Re-type anything important as real text so the parser can read it.
Step 6: Export and verify the text layer
Save as a text-based PDF or .docx, then copy the text into a blank document. Check that nothing is missing or out of order before you send it to the client.
Do this every time
- Use one column for the entire CV so the reading order stays intact
- Keep the candidate's name, phone, and email as plain text in the page body
- Use standard section headings like Work Experience, Education, and Skills
- Pick a web-safe font such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman at 10pt or larger
- Save the final file as a text-based PDF or an editable .docx
- Copy the text out and read it back to confirm nothing is scrambled or dropped
- Re-type any detail currently stuck inside an image, logo, or icon
Common mistakes to avoid
Using tables or two columns to fit more in
When a CV uses tables or multiple columns, the parser slices horizontally across the page and causes text-layer scrambling. A neat two-column CV can read as word salad to the machine, mixing job titles with skills and dates.
Putting contact details in the header or footer
Content placed in a header or footer may get dropped completely by an ATS. The candidate’s phone and email disappear, and the client cannot reach a strong applicant.
Sending an image-heavy or scanned CV
An ATS cannot pull information from graphics, logos, or images. A design-heavy or scanned CV can have its skills, contact info, and work samples ignored, with only part of the content captured.
Choosing a stylish but unusual font
Unusual fonts can hinder ATS readability. Stick to fonts common across platforms and keep the size at 10pt or higher so the text renders and parses cleanly.
Using custom icons for sections or contact info
Replacing the word Email or Phone with a small icon hides that label from the parser. Use plain text labels and standard bullets instead of decorative symbols.
Assuming a pretty CV is a safe CV
Visual polish does not equal machine readability. A clean-looking design can still lose half the candidate’s data inside the client’s ATS, so always test the text layer before sending.
Frequently asked questions
What does ATS-friendly mean?
ATS-friendly means a CV is built so an applicant tracking system can read all of its content, in the correct order, as plain text. An ATS parses information from a resume and compares it to the job posting like a database. To stay readable, the CV uses a single column, real text instead of images, standard section headings, and a text-based PDF or Word file. The goal is simple: nothing the candidate wrote gets scrambled or dropped.
Is PDF or Word better for ATS?
Both can work. MIT’s career office recommends saving an ATS resume as either a .doc or .docx or a .pdf file. The key is that the PDF must be text-based, not a scan or an exported image, so the words are selectable. A text-based PDF keeps your formatting consistent, while a .docx stays editable. Either is fine as long as the text layer is real and readable. Avoid image-only PDFs entirely.
Do tables break ATS?
Often, yes. Applicant tracking systems read documents linearly, left to right and top to bottom. When a CV uses tables or multiple columns, the parser slices horizontally across the page and causes text-layer scrambling that turns a well-designed resume into word salad. In one Jobscan example, a design-heavy resume had its skills, contact info, and work samples ignored, with only work experience captured. Use a single-column layout instead.
Which font is best for ATS?
Use a font that is common across multiple platforms. MIT’s career office recommends Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Georgia, Helvetica, or Times New Roman, and keeping the font size to at least 10pt or higher. Unusual or decorative fonts can hinder ATS readability, because the parser may not render or recognize them correctly. A plain, widely supported font keeps the candidate’s words intact when the client’s system reads the file.
How do I check if a CV is ATS-friendly?
Run a quick text test. Open the finished CV, select all the text, copy it, and paste it into a blank plain document. Read the result top to bottom. If the words come out in the right order and nothing is missing, an ATS will likely read it cleanly too. If the text is scrambled, jumbled between columns, or missing the name and contact details, fix the layout before you send it to the client.
Why should a recruitment agency care about ATS formatting?
Because the CV you send gets parsed by your client's hiring software before a human reads it. An applicant tracking system was detected for 97.8% of Fortune 500 companies in 2025, so you should assume the client uses one. If the formatting breaks parsing, a strong candidate can look empty in the client's system. Clean, ATS-safe formatting protects the candidate's data and protects your reputation with the client.
The bottom line
Making a candidate CV ATS-friendly comes down to one idea: build the document so software can read every word in the order a person would. Use a single column, keep everything as real text, label each section with a standard heading, leave nothing in headers or footers, choose a web-safe font at a readable size, and export a text-based PDF or a .docx. Then test the text layer before it leaves your hands. Do this for every candidate, and their data arrives at the client intact, ready for both the ATS and the hiring manager behind it.
If you reformat candidate CVs for clients, RefineCV builds this in. It rebuilds each CV into a clean, consistent single-column house template and exports a text-based PDF or an editable Word file, so the output stays readable for your client's ATS. You can see transparent pricing, or compare it with other CV formatting tools. Try it free on 10 CVs, no card.
Send CVs that pass the client's ATS
RefineCV rebuilds every candidate CV into a clean, single-column branded template and exports a text-based PDF or Word file. Try it free with 10 CVs, no credit card.
Related reading: the recruitment CV template and the best CV formatting software for recruitment agencies.
Sources
- Jobscan, 2025 Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Usage Report (2025): In 2025, an applicant tracking system was detected for 97.8% of Fortune 500 companies (489 of 500), with similar figures of 98.4% in 2024, 97.4% in 2023, and 98.8% in 2019.
- MIT Career Advising & Professional Development, Make your resume ATS-friendly (Accessed June 2026): About 99% of Fortune 500 companies use some form of ATS, which parses information from a resume and compares it to the job posting like a database. Save as .doc/.docx or .pdf, avoid graphics, icons, images, tables, and text boxes, use platform-common fonts (Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Georgia, Helvetica, Times New Roman) at 10pt or higher.
- University of Minnesota Duluth Career Center, Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Tips (Accessed June 2026): Content placed in a header or footer may be dropped completely, an ATS reads left to right and top to bottom (so tables and columns scramble content), and it cannot pull information from graphics, logos, or images.
- Jobscan, Why ATS Tables and Columns Break Your Resume Parsing (2026): ATS read documents linearly, so tables or multiple columns make the parser slice horizontally across the page, causing text-layer scrambling that turns a well-designed resume into word salad. In one example a design-heavy resume had its skills, contact info, and work samples ignored, with only work experience captured.