ATS formatting rules: what actually breaks a CV
Updated 2 September 2026 · 6 min read
Most applicant tracking systems do one job before a human sees your CV: turn your file into text and map that text onto fields. Almost every 'my CV disappeared' story is a parsing problem, not a talent problem.
What reliably parses
Keep the structure boring and the content sharp. In practice that means:
- A single column, top to bottom. Two-column layouts often get read in the wrong order.
- Standard section headings: Experience, Education, Skills. Creative headings like 'My journey' map to nothing.
- Job entries as: job title, employer, location, dates — on their own line, in that order.
- Dates in one consistent format, for example Mar 2023 – Present.
- A normal system font at 10–12pt, and real bullet characters rather than icons.
What breaks parsing
- Text inside tables, text boxes or shapes — frequently dropped entirely.
- Headers and footers holding your contact details. Put your email and phone in the body.
- Graphics, skill rating bars and logos — they carry no text, so they carry no keywords.
- A PDF exported as an image, or a scanned CV. If you cannot select the text, neither can the parser.
- Unusual file types. DOCX and text-based PDF are the safe pair.
Keywords without keyword stuffing
Ranking inside an ATS is usually a similarity match between the job ad's terms and your CV's terms. Mirror the employer's exact wording where your experience genuinely supports it — if the ad says 'stakeholder management' and your CV says 'client liaison', use their phrase for the same work.
What you must not do is claim skills you do not have. Recruiters read the shortlist, interviews expose it, and a padded CV costs you the credibility you were trying to buy.
A quick self-check
Copy your whole CV, paste it into a plain notes app, and read it. If the order is scrambled, details vanish or dates run together, that is roughly what the ATS sees. Fix that version first.