Build an ATS-Friendly Resume — Score 80+ Before You Apply
75% of resumes are rejected by ATS before a recruiter sees them. CVEdge gives you an instant score across 6 categories and fixes every issue with AI — in minutes, not hours.
Tested on Greenhouse, Workday & Lever · No credit card · Avg improvement +18 pts
What your ATS score means
90–100
Interview Ready
Format and content optimised. Passes all major ATS systems.
75–89
Strong Profile
Minor improvements available. Will pass most ATS systems.
60–74
Needs Improvement
Format or content issues likely causing lower match rates.
Below 60
At Risk
Significant issues. ATS rejection risk is high without fixes.
The 6 categories CVEdge scores
Every CVEdge ATS report breaks down exactly which category is dragging your score — and what to fix.
Contact Information
Name, email, phone, location, and LinkedIn correctly placed in the main body — not in a header or footer that ATS systems skip.
- Email must be professional
- Phone format consistent
- LinkedIn URL clean
Sections & Structure
Standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) that every ATS parser expects. Missing sections or unusual names cause misclassification.
- Use 'Experience' not 'Work History'
- Include a Skills section
- Summary optional but recommended
Keywords
Role-relevant keywords from the job description appear in your resume. ATS scores keyword match explicitly — missing keywords lower your score regardless of experience.
- Use exact phrases from JD
- Add tools, certifications, methodologies
- Integrate naturally — don't keyword-stuff
Measurable Results
Bullets include quantified outcomes (%, £/$, users, time saved). Metric-led bullets score higher on ATS and with human reviewers.
- Every bullet ideally has a number
- Use [X] placeholders if unsure
- Include scale: team size, user count, budget
Bullet Quality
Bullets start with strong action verbs (Led, Built, Reduced, Grew) and describe impact rather than responsibility. 'Responsible for X' fails; 'Built X that achieved Y' passes.
- Strong opening verb required
- No passive language
- Focus on outcome not activity
Formatting
Single-column layout, standard font (10–12pt), no tables/images in body, dates in consistent format, and appropriate length (1–2 pages).
- Single column for maximum safety
- Dates: 'Jan 2022 – Mar 2024'
- No images, logos, or graphics
ATS-safe vs ATS-risky formatting
ATS-safe
- Single-column layout
- Standard heading names (Experience, Education, Skills)
- Contact info in main body — not header/footer
- Standard fonts at 10–12pt
- Dates in consistent format (Jan 2022 – Mar 2024)
- PDF with text layer (not scanned image)
ATS-risky
- Two-column layouts (some ATS systems misparse)
- Tables or text boxes for experience
- Images, logos, or icons in the body
- Contact info only in header/footer
- Unusual section names ('My Journey')
- Scanned PDF with no text layer
How CVEdge gets you to 80+
Upload your CV and get an instant score
CVEdge analyses your resume across all 6 ATS categories in seconds. You see exactly which category is dragging your score — and specific issues within each one.
Fix everything with AI in one pass
Fix All ATS rewrites your summary and all experience bullets to ATS-optimised standards simultaneously. Review every change, accept what you like, and adjust what doesn't fit your voice.
Match your score to the specific job
Paste the job description to see your keyword match score. CVEdge shows which missing terms would increase your match the most — add them in two clicks.
Browse ATS-safe templates
Every template on CVEdge is tested for ATS compatibility. Single-column formats score 90–97. Two-column formats score 85–93.
ATS resume questions answered
What does ATS-friendly mean for a resume?+
An ATS-friendly resume is formatted and written so that applicant tracking software can correctly parse and score it. Key requirements: single-column layout (no tables or text boxes), standard section heading names (Experience, Education, Skills), no images or graphics in the body, a standard font at 10–12pt, and contact information in the main body (not in headers/footers). Content must also include role-relevant keywords that match the job description.
Which ATS systems does CVEdge test against?+
CVEdge's ATS analyser models the parsing behaviour of Greenhouse, Workday, Lever, iCIMS, Taleo, and SmartRecruiters — the six systems that collectively handle over 80% of corporate job applications. Single-column CVEdge templates score 90–97 on the analyser for well-formatted content.
What is a good ATS score?+
CVEdge scores resumes 0–100 across 6 categories. A score of 75+ is 'Strong Profile'. 90+ is 'Interview Ready'. Below 60 is 'At Risk' — format or content issues are likely causing ATS rejection. The average unoptimised resume scores 52 on CVEdge's analyser. After using Fix All ATS, average improvement is 24 points.
Do two-column resume templates pass ATS?+
Some do, some don't. Modern ATS systems (Greenhouse, Lever) handle well-structured two-column layouts. Older systems (Taleo, some Workday versions) can misparse two-column layouts, scrambling your experience into the wrong fields. CVEdge's ATS analyser scores each template and content combination individually — always check before submitting.
What are the most common reasons resumes fail ATS?+
1. Two-column layouts or tables that scramble during parsing. 2. Non-standard section heading names ('My Career' instead of 'Experience'). 3. Missing keywords from the job description — ATS scores keyword match explicitly. 4. Contact info in headers/footers (parsed separately from body text). 5. Images or graphics that prevent text parsing. 6. Weak or vague bullet points that don't contain relevant action verbs or results.
How does CVEdge's Fix All ATS feature work?+
Fix All ATS sends your entire resume to CVEdge's AI, which rewrites your professional summary and all experience bullets to ATS-optimised standards in a single pass. It uses strong action verbs, adds measurable results with placeholders where data is missing, removes passive language, and ensures keywords are naturally integrated. Average ATS score improvement after Fix All: 24 points. You review every change before applying.
Stop getting filtered before a human sees you
Upload your CV now for a free ATS score. Understand exactly what to fix — then fix it with AI.
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