Failsafe CV Design for ATS & Recruiters

Here we outline many of the CV writing industry's best CV design practices to help you get noticed by recruiters and pass those feared ATS (applicant tracking systems - or for simplicity: CV scanning software). We also touch on both formatting and content strategies that are part of Winning CVs' tried-and-tested formula that clients appreciate.

First, a bit about ATS

For the few people who don't yet know about these systems, ATS are used by a large proportion of recruitment firms and major/global companies to scan CVs and make the best initial selections, comparing the CVs with the job specifications at hand.

Because there are no 'one-size-fits-all' systems (they are programmed for each role), it is important to tailor your CV for each role you apply for - this works just as well for the human viewers as well, of course.

Many people do know that you get scored on the skills, experience and qualifications mentioned in your CV, but they don't yet know that you win more points for that skill/experience being under a lengthier timescale, and for it being on page one.

With this said, this is a bolstering argument for bringing up key experiences that would otherwise be lost within the roles/on page two, to a key achievements/experience section on page one that is placed above your career history. More about this below.

The above is also true for human readers

Think about it: we are always told that recruiters only spend somewhere in the region of 7-10 seconds scanning each CV. Further, many jobs really do have hundreds of applicants, so you can imagine the challenges these recruiters are up against!

It is the CV writer's task therefore to make it as easy as possible for the reader to A) visualise you in their role and B) identify the key points we want them to know.

So how do we do that?

First, by formatting for easy scanning by readers and ATS:

Avoid tables, text boxes, columns, graphics or Adobe / PDF - ATS systems can struggle to parse these and misinterpret complex layouts. This means avoid those beautiful templates you've seen online with columns - it's much better to stick with a linear, straight up and down format on a Word document, unless the job advert asks for PDF of course.

Keyword optimisation - tailor your CV with job-specific keywords to rank higher in ATS results. You can find these keywords within the job advertisement - place them both within sentences and in the skills and profile sections of your resume.

Use font size 10 or above in most cases. Winning CVs uses font 11 99% of the time as this is deemed optimal for the reader. Some fonts vary in their presentation so use your judgement.

Stick to one main font with consistent spacing and alignment.

In most cases, never use more than two pages. Winning CVs has listened to numerous HR professionals who say they do not want three or more pages to get through - so it's now become company policy.

Use clear headings in this order for a perfectly digestible, non-confusing CV: Professional Summary, Core Competencies, Key Achievements, Career History, Education and finally, Further Information.

Do not create more sections than necessary as this can confuse. The Further Information Section at the bottom can contain subheadings if needed for clarity. IT skills, languages, voluntary work, affiliations, publications, patents, and relevant extraneous activity / info can go in here.

Ensure your CV does not present as a 'wall of words' - you can do this by reducing content, increasing white space, and replacing long paragraphs in the career history with concise bullet points of no more than two lines - you can introduce sub-bullets if needed.

In the Career History, most people know it's reverse chronological order - so your most recent experience (usually the most relevant) comes before the least recent.

The Professional Profile

Keep this short! Too long and you risk boring your reader. Also keep in mind the reader's lack of time. Plus, if it's done well, you don't need to spend lines and lines trying to get across the most salient points. Try to wow in the first sentence whilst also being clear as to what and who you are - and the value you bring.

Best practice industry advice is to eliminate vagueness and call yourself exactly the title you are applying for, or as similar as you feel comfortable. Highlight the benefits you bring then go into the 'hows' - how you do that, by using (selected) traits, skills and knowledge.

*CV writers usually do not use 'I have', 'I am' etc, and Winning CVs never does for the following reasons:

• It's obvious the CV is about you
• It's repetitious
• It takes up space
• The second you take it off (e.g., 'Designed and led a global XXX portfolio, steering a team of 50 and delivering £2M ROI') it becomes that bit more impactful and senior.

The Key Achievements Section

In cases where there are highly relevant experiences in people's earlier lives (there usually are), this is where the Achievements section really comes into its own - you can bring up experience OTHERWISE LOST to the reader (stuffed within countless other words and/or on page two), to this section, making it one of the FIRST things the reader sees. You can choose these items, and chop/change them as per the role applied to if sensible.

Career History

Finally, more best practice advice: write a short intro for each role prior to the bullets - going into the scope and scale of the role, key accountabilities, business area worth and teams you lead, if any. Then, in an ideal world, each bullet would be an achievement, quantified and with some context, or at least a past tense action point (e.g., Secured £1M budget and spearheaded an X project that delivered £4M in customer revenue).

If you're seeking intelligent, fact-based and experience-driven strategies to be applied to your CV, contact Becky on 07928 525 882 or at becky@winningcvs.com

You'll find a comprehensive service that delivers results - incorporating an in-depth consultation, complete CV rewrite/refresh and attentive changes session.

Alternatively for a brief CV/LinkedIn review (with no obligation to buy), fire away and reach out.