How do I get my CV past an ATS?
Use a single-column layout, real text rather than images, standard section headings and a normal font, then include the words the posting uses. Most applicant tracking systems do not auto-reject, they parse and rank, so the goal is being parsed correctly and matching what a recruiter searches for.
What an ATS actually does
It stores applications and makes them searchable. Parsing pulls your CV into structured fields, then recruiters filter and search that database. The common belief that a robot scores and rejects you is mostly wrong.
That matters because it changes the goal. You are not defeating a filter. You are making sure your experience is legible and turns up when a human searches.
Formatting that survives parsing
- One column. Multi-column layouts are the most common cause of scrambled parsing.
- Real text, never a CV exported as an image or built entirely in a graphics tool.
- Ordinary headings such as Experience, Education and Skills.
- Dates in a consistent format.
- No critical information inside headers, footers or text boxes, which parsers often skip.
- PDF unless the posting asks for something else.
Keywords, without the nonsense
Use the words the posting uses for skills you genuinely have. If it says Kubernetes and your CV says container orchestration, say Kubernetes.
Ignore advice about hidden white text or keyword stuffing. It is visible in the parsed output, and it reads as dishonest to the person who finds it.
How we do it
Tailored CVs come out in a clean single-column layout that parses reliably, with the posting's own vocabulary already reflected where it honestly applies.
Updated 2026-09-06