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What “ATS-friendly” means, and how to check your CV yourself

You see “ATS CV” everywhere, often with a lot of fear attached. Here is what it actually means, based on sources you can check, plus 7 steps to test your CV before you apply.

Sources checked on 4 November 2026. العربية

What is an ATS?

ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System: software employers use to receive, store and search applications. A key feature of many of these systems is CV parsing, which extracts the data from your CV so it can be stored, sorted and searched, and also fills in the application form for you (Roche).

So an “ATS-friendly” CV is simply one the system can read as it is: all the text, in the right order, with each item under the right heading.

Does the system reject CVs automatically?

It depends on the employer. The main published figures:

• In the “Hidden Workers” study by Harvard Business School and Accenture, 63% of employers surveyed in the US, UK and Germany said they used a recruitment management system, and more than 90% of those relied on it to make a first cut or rank applicants (Harvard Business School, 2021).
• The same article cites Jobscan: in 2019, 99% of Fortune 500 firms used applicant tracking software.

These figures come from outside Saudi Arabia, and we found no comparable published figures for the Saudi market. Not every system rejects automatically, either: Roche, for example, says it uses parsed data to help candidates complete their application and to suggest matching jobs, and that its recruiters review each applicant and their attached CV (Roche). The realistic goal is a CV the system reads easily and a person understands quickly.

What confuses parsing systems?

• Tables, text boxes and columns: some systems read columns straight across instead of reading the first column top to bottom, then the second (Roche).
• Headers and footers: text there sometimes gets dropped completely, so keep your name and contact details in the body of the page (Roche, Santa Clara University).
• Photos, logos and icons: the system cannot read text inside an image (George Mason University, 2026). Whether to add your own photo is covered in our guide to a professional CV.
• Unusual section headings: stick to familiar labels such as Education, Experience and Skills, so the system knows where to put each item (Roche).
• Special symbols and unusual fonts: use simple bullets and a common font (George Mason University, Santa Clara University).

On file type: Roche says PDFs are best at keeping your format, but .docx is the format applicant tracking systems parse most accurately, and George Mason University advises uploading a .docx unless a PDF is requested. Follow the employer's instructions first; if there are none, send Word.

7 steps to check your CV yourself

1. The copy and paste test

   Copy all the text in your CV and paste it into an empty plain-text note. Did it all come out, in the right order? If columns are mixed up or parts are missing, take note: some systems read columns straight across (Roche).

2. Is the text really text?

   Try to select a word in your PDF. If you cannot, your file is an image, and systems cannot read text inside images (George Mason University). Export your CV from Word instead of photographing or scanning it.

3. Remove the decoration in your head

   Ask the question George Mason University's guide suggests: if the graphics disappeared, would all the information still be there?

4. Section headings and dates

   Are your headings familiar, such as Education, Experience and Skills? Are dates written the same way throughout? (George Mason University)

5. Headers and footers

   Make sure your name, number and email are in the body of the page, not in the header or footer (Roche).

6. The job ad's words, truthfully

   Read the job ad and note the skills that come up more than once or near the top of the requirements; they are often what the recruiter searches for (Roche). Use the employer's wording when it matches your real experience (George Mason University), and never add a skill you don't have.

7. Check the auto-filled fields

   If the application site fills in fields from your CV, check them one by one; Roche reminds candidates to make sure the data landed in the right fields (Roche). Any mistake there shows you what the system misread.

What about Arabic CVs?

We found no reliable published research measuring how well applicant tracking systems read CVs written in Arabic, so we make no promises here. Follow the job ad's language and the employer's instructions, and keep the same simple formatting. To choose a language, read Arabic or English CV; if this is your first CV, start with How to write your first CV.

Sources

1. Roche Careers, “Resume Parsing FAQ” (undated page, read on 4 November 2026): careers.roche.com
2. Harvard Business School Working Knowledge, “How to Tap the Talent Automated HR Platforms Miss”, 5 November 2021, on the report “Hidden Workers: Untapped Talent” by Harvard Business School and Accenture: library.hbs.edu
3. George Mason University Career Services, “Make your applications tech-friendly” (PDF, 2026): webdocs.gmu.edu
4. Santa Clara University Career Center, “Common ATS Resume Formatting Mistakes” (undated): scu.edu
5. Human Resources Development Fund, “Jadarat: Individuals”: hrdf.org.sa