How to Check If My CV Is ATS Friendly: A 5-Step Self-Check

If you have been asking yourself how to check if my CV is ATS friendly, the good news is that you can do most of the checking yourself in about 20 minutes, with nothing more than a text editor and the job advert. This guide walks you through a 5-step self-check, explains what applicant tracking systems actually do, and flags where expectations differ between Nigeria, the UK, the US, Canada and Australia.

One honest caveat first. No checklist or tool can guarantee your CV will "pass" an ATS or reach a human. Employers use different systems, configure them differently, and make the final decisions themselves. What you can do is remove the avoidable problems that make your CV harder to read, search and assess.

What an ATS actually does (and doesn't do)

An applicant tracking system is software employers use to collect, store and manage applications. Many systems try to parse your CV, which means pulling out details like your name, job titles, dates and skills into structured fields. Recruiters can then search, filter and sort candidates.

Some employers also add screening questions (for example, "Do you have the right to work in the UK?") that can filter applications automatically. But in most setups, people still decide who gets shortlisted. So an "ATS-friendly" CV is really a CV that:

• Can be read accurately by software
• Uses the words a recruiter would search for, where they truthfully apply to you
• Is still clear and persuasive to the human who opens it

How to check if your CV is ATS friendly: the 5-step self-check

Work through these in order. Keep a copy of the job advert open, because steps 4 and 5 depend on it.

Step 1: Run the plain-text test

This is the single most useful check, and it's free.

1. Open your CV (Word or PDF).
2. Select all the text and copy it.
3. Paste it into a plain-text editor such as Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit in plain-text mode (Mac).

Now read what you see. Ask yourself:

• Is your name and contact information present and readable?
• Do your job titles, employers and dates appear in a sensible order?
• Are any sections missing, jumbled or merged into one line?
• Have bullet points turned into odd symbols?

If the pasted text is a mess, a parser may struggle too. If nothing pastes at all, your PDF may be an image (for example, a scanned document or a design exported as a picture), which many systems can't read.

Step 2: Check the layout for parsing traps

Design-heavy templates often look great but cause problems. Go through this checklist:

• Columns: Two-column layouts can be read left-to-right across both columns, mixing your skills into your job history. A single column is the safest choice.
• Text boxes and tables: Content inside these is sometimes skipped or read out of order. Use normal paragraphs and bullet points instead.
• Headers and footers: Don't put your name, email or phone number only in the document header or footer. Put them in the main body.
• Icons, graphics and skill bars: A phone icon instead of the word "Phone", or a five-star rating for "Excel", gives software nothing to read. Write it out: Advanced Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP, Power Query).
• Fonts: Stick to common fonts such as Arial, Calibri or Georgia at a readable size.

You don't need a boring CV. Clean spacing, bold job titles and consistent formatting are perfectly fine.

Step 3: Use standard headings and the right file type

Software and recruiters both look for familiar section names. Creative headings like "My Journey" or "Where I've Made Magic" may not be recognised.

Safer options:

Instead of...	Use...
My Journey	Work Experience or Employment History
What I Bring	Skills or Key Skills
Learning	Education
About Me	Profile or Personal Statement
Extras	Certifications, Volunteering, Languages

For file type, follow the employer's instructions first. If they ask for Word, send a .docx. If they don't specify, a text-based PDF or a .docx is usually fine. Name the file clearly, for example Amaka-Okafor-CV-Data-Analyst.pdf, not CV_final_v7_NEW.pdf.

Step 4: Compare your keywords with the job advert, honestly

Recruiters often search an ATS for specific skills, tools, qualifications or job titles. So check whether the language in your CV reflects the language in the advert.

Try this quick exercise:

1. Highlight the skills, tools, qualifications and duties mentioned in the advert, especially anything under "essential" or "requirements".
2. List them in a column.
3. Next to each one, mark: Yes (I have this and my CV shows it), Hidden (I have this but my CV doesn't say it clearly) or No (I don't have this).

Then act on each category:

• Yes: Make sure it appears in context, ideally with evidence. "Managed payroll for 40 staff using Sage" beats a bare "Sage" in a skills list.
• Hidden: This is where honest gains are. If the advert says "stakeholder management" and you "coordinated with suppliers, finance and site managers", you can describe that accurately using the employer's term.
• No: Leave it out. Don't add skills, tools or qualifications you don't have, and don't hide keywords in white text. A recruiter or interviewer will usually find out, and it can damage your credibility.

Also match exact forms where it's truthful: if the advert says "Microsoft Excel" and you wrote "spreadsheets", name the tool. Include both the acronym and the full name once, for example Customer Relationship Management (CRM).

For a fuller walkthrough, see how to tailor your CV to a job description, honestly.

Step 5: Check dates, contact details and consistency

Small inconsistencies can cause parsing errors or make you look careless to a human reader.

• Dates: Use one format throughout, such as Mar 2021 – Jun 2024 or 03/2021 – 06/2024. Put dates in the same position for every role.
• Job titles: Use your real title. If it was unusual, you can add a clarifier: Customer Champion (Customer Service Adviser).
• Contact details: Email, phone number with country code if you're applying abroad (for example +234 or +44), city and country, and a LinkedIn URL if you have one.
• Location: For remote or international roles, state your location and, where relevant and true, your time zone or work authorisation.
• Spelling: Check for typos, especially in software names and qualifications. A misspelled keyword won't match a recruiter's search.

Country differences that affect your CV

The parsing advice above applies broadly, but what you include varies by country. Always check the employer's own instructions, as they override general norms.

• UK: Usually two pages. Photos, date of birth and marital status are normally left out. Use "CV" and British spelling.
• US: Usually called a resume, often one page for early-career applicants and up to two for experienced ones. Photos and personal details like age are generally left out.
• Canada: Also "resume", similar to the US. Leave out photos and personal details such as age or marital status. If you're converting from another format, see our guide to the Canadian resume format for newcomers.
• Australia: CVs of two to three pages are common. Some applicants list referees, others write "available on request". Photos are usually left out.
• Nigeria: Some employers, particularly in the public sector and some traditional organisations, may still ask for personal details such as date of birth or state of origin. Put these in the main body (not a header or text box) if you include them, and tailor to each employer. Our Nigerian CV format by employer guide covers this in detail.

If you're applying for jobs abroad, check the government guidance on right-to-work or visa requirements for that country. This post is general information, not legal or immigration advice.

Using a tool alongside your self-check

Once you've done the manual checks, a tool can speed up the keyword comparison. QuickApplyPilot's ATS CV checker lets you paste your CV and a job advert to see which terms from the advert appear in your CV and which seem to be missing, along with formatting flags.

Be clear about what the result means: the match score is QuickApplyPilot's own estimate of how closely your CV reflects the advert. It is not the score any employer's ATS will give you, because each employer's system and settings are different. Use it to spot gaps, then decide honestly which gaps you can fill with real experience. If you're unsure what a number means in practice, read what a good CV match score is.

Quick checklist to save

Before you hit "apply", confirm:

• Text pastes cleanly into a plain-text editor
• Single-column layout, no text boxes or key info in headers
• No icons or rating bars replacing words
• Standard section headings
• File type matches the employer's request, with a clear file name
• Key terms from the advert appear, only where they're true
• Consistent date format and real job titles
• Contact details in the body, with country code if applying abroad
• Personal details match the norms of the country and employer
• Spell-checked, especially tools and qualifications

Run through this list for every application, not just once. A CV that's well matched to one advert may need adjusting for the next.