Is your CV ATS-ready?
Most employers screen CVs through applicant tracking software before a human reads them. Upload yours for a free, instant check — and get your score plus exactly what to fix.
Drop your CV here, or click to upload
PDF or DOCX, up to 2 MB
Prefer to start clean? Browse ATS-friendly templates
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Real reviews from real job hunts
Tuned for the systems employers actually use
- Workday
- Greenhouse
- Taleo
- Lever
- + more
How it works
Your score in about ten seconds
- 1
Upload your CV
Drop in a PDF or DOCX — no account, no email required.
- 2
We run 8 ATS checks
We scan for the structure an applicant tracking system needs to read it.
- 3
Get your score & fixes
See your ATS-readiness score and exactly what to improve.
What an ATS checks on your CV
What decides whether an applicant tracking system can read your CV — and whether a recruiter ever sees it.
Readable, parsable text
Your CV must be real selectable text, not an image or scan. ATS software extracts the words — if it can't read them, your application is invisible.
No tables, columns, or text boxes
Multi-column layouts, tables, headers/footers, and graphics frequently scramble or drop content when an ATS parses them. A single-column layout parses cleanly.
Standard section headings
Use conventional headings — Work Experience, Education, Skills — so the ATS files your content under the right fields. Creative headings get misread.
Complete contact details
Name, email, and phone in the body of the CV (not only in a header). Missing or header-only contact details are a common reason CVs fail to import.
Role-relevant keywords
Recruiters search the ATS for skills and job titles from the advert. Mirroring the wording of the person specification — without stuffing — helps you surface.
Standard file type & sensible length
A text-based PDF or .docx, one to two pages for most roles, standard fonts, and consistent dates keep the parse clean and the recruiter happy.
Our free check flags the text-level basics above. The trickier structural ones — single-column layout, no tables, clean headings — are built into every CV Pro Maker template, so you don't have to fight them.
The fix
This is what an ATS-ready CV looks like
Every CV Pro Maker template is engineered to pass the checks above — so the structure an applicant tracking system needs is built in from your first draft.
- Single-column layout an ATS reads cleanly, top to bottom
- Standard headings — Experience, Education, Skills
- Real selectable text, safe fonts, no tables or graphics to scramble
ATS-readySkip the guesswork — start from an ATS-friendly template
Every CV Pro Maker template is single-column, standard-headed, and parses cleanly, so the structure an ATS needs is built in. Edit for free and download in minutes.
Create my ATS-friendly CVATS CV checker — FAQ
What is an ATS?
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software employers use to receive, store, and search job applications. It extracts the text from your CV into a structured profile, and recruiters search and filter those profiles — so a CV the ATS can't read properly may never be seen by a human.
Do employers really use ATS?
Yes. Most medium and large employers worldwide screen applications through an ATS — common ones include Workday, Greenhouse, Taleo, Lever, and iCIMS. Even many smaller employers use job-board systems that parse CVs the same way.
Why does my CV fail an ATS check?
The usual culprits are formatting, not content: multi-column layouts, tables, text boxes, graphics, contact details only in the header, non-standard section headings, or a CV saved as an image/scan. Switching to a clean single-column layout fixes most of these.
How do I make my CV ATS-friendly?
Use a single-column layout with standard headings, put your contact details in the body, save as a text-based PDF or .docx, keep it to two pages, and mirror the keywords from the job advert. Building from an ATS-friendly template is the simplest way to get this right.
Is the ATS check free?
Yes — building and editing your CV on CV Pro Maker is free, and our templates are ATS-friendly by design, so the structure an ATS needs is built in from the start.