How to Write a CV That Passes the ATS and Still Reads Well to a Human
By the Super Simple Digital Tools Team · Updated June 2026
Before a person ever sees your CV, software often reads it first. Around the world recruiters lean heavily on applicant tracking systems that scan, sort and rank applications by keyword, and a document the machine cannot parse can be filtered out before anyone judges its content. That is why structure matters as much as wording: a CV has to satisfy two very different readers, an algorithm that wants clean, predictable data and a human who wants to understand your story in a few seconds. Building your CV in a form-driven generator helps because it produces consistent, selectable text in a layout designed to be machine-readable from the start.
Start with the bones. Use reverse-chronological order, listing your most recent role first, and label sections with the plain headings ATS systems expect, such as Work experience, Education and Skills. Avoid text boxes, multiple columns, headers and footers, logos and decorative graphics, because these are the elements parsers most often scramble or drop entirely. Keep your contact details to a name, phone number and email in the body of the document rather than tucked into a header. A simple, single-column layout is not boring, it is legible to both software and people.
Content is where most CVs win or lose. Recruiters frequently begin filtering by skills, so the abilities a job listing names should appear in your CV, in the same words, provided they are genuinely true of you. Write achievement bullets that carry numbers: "Reduced onboarding time by 30%" is parsed as a measurable data point and lands harder with a human than a vague "improved the onboarding process". Two role-specific keywords worth weaving in are the exact job title and, where natural, the type of work the position describes. Honesty is non-negotiable, never claim a skill or result you cannot stand behind in an interview.
Length and formatting decide whether all that good content actually fits. UK employers generally expect no more than two pages, and graduates can comfortably use one. To keep within that, set line spacing to 1.0, trim margins toward roughly 1.25 cm if needed, and use a standard font, Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman, at 10.5 to 12 points. Sans-serif fonts stay readable at smaller sizes. Resist the urge to shrink text below 10 points to cram more in; white space and a clean hierarchy of headings make a CV easier to skim than a wall of dense type.
Finally, tailor and check before you send. A single generic CV blasted to every vacancy rarely beats one adjusted to each role's wording, so revisit your personal statement and skills for each application. Export to PDF so your layout cannot shift on someone else's machine, then reopen the file and confirm the text is selectable, the spelling is right, and every date and title is accurate. The generator formats what you give it, but the facts and the proofreading are yours, and a single wrong date or typo can undo an otherwise strong application.
- Match the skills and exact job title from the listing in your CV wording, but only claim what is genuinely true of you.
- Write experience bullets with concrete numbers, such as percentages, amounts or counts, so achievements parse as data and stand out to readers.
- Keep it to one page as a graduate and no more than two for most UK roles; use 1.0 line spacing and a 10.5 to 12 point standard font to fit.
- After exporting, reopen the PDF and try selecting the text; if it highlights as text rather than an image, an ATS can read it too.