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How to write an ATS-friendly CV: a step-by-step guide

Published 18 October 2026 · WebPad Studio

A good CV is one that both software and people can read easily. The steps below get you both, and at the end there’s a free template you can fill in your browser and download.

1. Keep the layout simple

One column, A4 or Letter, 2 cm margins and a plain font such as Calibri or Arial. Body text at 10.5–11 pt, headings slightly larger. Skip tables, text boxes, icons and skill bars; they look nice but an ATS can’t read them, or reads them out of order.

2. The top: name, target role, contact

Put your name first and the role you’re applying for under it. Then phone, e-mail, LinkedIn and city. Keep these in the page body, not the header area; many systems never read the header.

3. Professional summary: 3–4 lines

Say how many years of experience you have, your areas of expertise and your strongest result. Skip clichés like “dynamic, results-driven”; be concrete: which field, which tools, what you achieved. Work in a few keywords from the job post naturally.

4. Work experience: results, not duties

List jobs newest first. For each: title, company, dates and city, then 2–4 bullets. Start each bullet with a verb and add a number where you can.

  • Weak: “Responsible for sales processes.”
  • Strong: “Grew regional sales by 18% in a year by rebuilding the dealer visit plan.”
  • Formula: what you did + the result in numbers + how you did it.

5. Education, skills, languages

For education, the degree, school and years are enough; recent graduates can add a grade and a final project. Group skills (Technical, Methods) and spell them as the job post does: if it says “Power BI”, so do you.

For languages, use the European levels: A1–A2 basic, B1–B2 intermediate, C1–C2 advanced.

6. Length and file

  1. 0–5 years of experience: one page. 5–10 years: one to two.
  2. Send a PDF unless the post asks otherwise; if the system wants .docx, send Word.
  3. Give the file a clear name: First_Last_CV.pdf.
  4. Spell-check, and make sure dates use one format throughout.

Faster with a free template

The ATS-friendly CV template in WebPad Studio comes with all of this ready: one column, standard headings and fields to fill. Click a bracketed field and it’s selected, so typing replaces it; “+ Add experience” adds another job. The A4 view shows where the page ends, the “ATS check” lists what’s missing, and the export is named First_Last_CV for you.

Questions

Can I use an “About me” heading?

You can, but “Professional summary” is more standard and easier for an ATS to recognise.

Should I add references?

Usually not; unless the post asks, they only take space. Provide them at the interview stage if asked.

Do I need a different CV for every application?

No need to rewrite it, but adjusting the summary and skills to each post clearly improves ATS matching.