ATS CV Templates & Writing Guide

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is recruitment software that employers use to scan and organise job applications.

ATS software works by copying the contents of your CV into a standard form, often assigning a score based on your relevant skills and qualifications. If your CV isn’t properly formatted for the software, information can be misread, scrambled, or skipped completely.

Use the templates and tips below to ensure your CV passes its ATS scan.

6 ATS-friendly CV templates

These templates use straightforward layouts and accessible formatting to help ATS software identify your relevant skills and achievements.

You can also download additional templates for specific industries and types of job seekers in our CV template library.

Corporate CV template

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This corporate CV template is ideal for the enterprise-level ATS systems used by corporations like Google, Deloitte, and JPMorgan. It features parser-friendly headings and prioritises your skills and work experience to help you stand out.

Download the file to edit manually, or open this template in our CV builder to generate personalised text for each section.

Public sector CV template

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This template uses clean, ATS-friendly formatting because public sector employers prefer simple CVs with minimal design elements.

Recent graduate CV template

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You should use an ATS-friendly CV format if you’re applying for a postgrad course or an entry-level position. Large employers rely on ATS software to process high volumes of applications from similarly qualified applicants.

This CV uses a standard CV format to emphasise experience gained through internships, work placements, or projects. The layout is ideal for recent graduates who want to showcase potential as well as experience.

Legal CV template

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Law firms often use specialised ATS platforms like Eploy and Pinpoint to screen applications. This legal CV template uses conventional fonts and formatting to make your CV clear and easy to read.

Academic CV template

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Academic CVs use a unique structure that emphasizes research and education over work experience. This template follows that structure while sticking to ATS-friendly formatting principles.

Tech industry template

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The tech industry is one of the biggest users of ATS software, especially for roles such as software engineers, data scientists, product managers, and UX designers.

This template features a clean skills section you can use to highlight your technical skills and align your CV with the skill requirements in the job description.

CV formatting tips for beating an ATS scan

While ATS technology has improved in recent years, many systems still struggle to read documents with unusual formatting, graphics, or vague keywords.

To ensure your CV reaches a human hiring manager, aim for simplicity, clarity, and accurate keyword use. Follow the tips below to make sure your CV meets ATS standards:

Follow a single-column layout

The most ATS-friendly CVs follow a single-column layout that reads from left to right, top to bottom (just like a standard Word document).

While CVs with sidebars and skills tables may look visually appealing, they often confuse parsers

Less advanced ATS software will still read your CV left to right, which can lead to misread or scrambled information. This inconsistent formatting may cause the system to merge sections that sit side-by-side, skip text that it cannot assign reliably to a CV section, or fail to recognise important achievements entirely.

Use straightforward headings

Headings do more than organise your CV; they help ATS software classify your information correctly and present it to employers. If your headings are unclear, the software might skip over relevant skills, qualifications, and achievements that could otherwise help you qualify for the job.

You can preserve your CV’s structure and avoid parsing errors by using clear, standard headings such as:

• Contact details
• Introduction / Personal statement / Summary
• Work history / Work experience
• Education
• Skills
• Certifications

Match your CV to the job with relevant keywords

ATS tools use AI and keyword searches to identify qualified CVs, and in some cases, they also assign a CV a score based on how well your skills match the job description.

Using terms that mirror the skill and experience requirements in your target job advert helps signal to the ATS that you’re qualified for the position.

Start by reading the job description closely and noting the skill requirements and responsibilities. The ATS will scan your CV for the same terms, so naturally working these terms into your CV —where doing so is true and accurate — can make a huge difference.

You don’t need to use exact matches for every keyword, but you should describe your relevant skills using common terms that the ATS can recognise.

When in doubt, write in plain English. Avoid indirect or complex language to make your CV easy to parse for both the ATS and hiring managers.

Choose a clean and readable font

Incompatible fonts can render a resume unreadable to an ATS parser.

The best font choices for CVs have clean, standard letter shapes and are available on most operating systems. Here are a few safe choices:

• Arial
• Calibri
• Cambria
• Garamond
• Georgia
• Gill Sans
• Helvetica
• Tahoma
• Times New Roman
• Verdana

Save in PDF format

PDF is now the preferred file format for both direct applications to employers and submissions through ATS platforms.

Modern ATS software can easily read PDFs, while this format also preserves your document’s original formatting.

Although ATS software can easily parse MS Word documents, Word documents may look different if the employer uses a different operating system to you.

Your CV also can’t be edited or tampered with if you submit it in PDF format.

Get ATS-ready in an instant

Our builder makes it easy to match the keyword and formatting requirements of recruitment software.

Simply upload your CV to quickly map its contents onto an ATS-friendly template and refine your phrasing with the built-in writing assistant. Or build a new CV from scratch and let the tool handle your ATS formatting automatically.

You’ll be ready to apply the moment the right job opportunity arises.

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