Format
A PDF CV that recruitment software reads in order
An ATS-friendly CV is one that recruitment software reads in the order you wrote it: that is the PDF ATSway produces. Near future. Recruitment has gone to the machines. In the glass towers, an applicant tracking system (ATS) scans every CV, slices its text and files humans as rows in a database. The ATSway PDF goes through the scan intact: one column, real text, a verified reading order.
What you gain
- 1
A file that arrives whole
The scanner extracts your text in the order you wrote it. Each date stays welded to its job, each bullet to its experience: the structure holds under the scan.
- 2
A reliable layout
The same file on the office screen and on the cracked phone in the metro, in A4, font embedded. What you see is what the machine receives.
- 3
A free export
Exporting the CV and the letter is free, unlimited and clean. Resend as often as the system demands: it'll be back.
Why an ATS matters
Large companies have handed the first sort to an ATS (applicant tracking system). It sucks in CVs, extracts their text and lets the recruiter query the base by title, keyword or experience. Workday, Greenhouse and Taleo are among the most widespread.
The human with the expired badge learned it too late: their two-column CV came out of the scan as mush, dates torn from their jobs. A machine reads your CV before a person does: the shape of the file matters as much as its content.
A PDF built to be read as much as looked at
The ATSway PDF speaks to machines as well as to humans: a single column, real text, an embedded font, markup readable by screen readers, the A4 format. It is the same file on all your devices.
The tools of each experience are printed under “Tools”, right next to the mission where you used them.
A verified reading order
Every PDF goes through a check before it leaves the workshop: experiences, dates and bullets come out in the order of your CV. A reverse Voight-Kampff test, where the file proves it can be read. For the next step, see how the offer is read for keywords: form first, then substance.
Check it yourself
The human with the expired badge now runs this test before every application, the way you check your badge before a turnstile. Open the exported PDF, select all the text, paste it into a plain text editor and read it: the experiences, their dates and their bullets appear in the order you wrote them. The test works for any CV. To see the full result on a concrete case, read the detailed example.
Your journey
- 1
Finalise your tailored CV
Reread the text and adjust what you want. The last word stays human.
- 2
Generate the PDF
The same file, whatever your device.
- 3
Check the text order
The text copied from the file follows the order of your CV.
Frequently asked questions
Will my CV be readable by Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo?
The exported PDF contains real text, in one column, in reading order. Each employer configures its ATS in its own way: the file gives you the most readable base.
Does a PDF CV work in an ATS?
A PDF that contains real text extracts well. The ATSway one is of that kind.
Can I export to Word?
ATSway exports to PDF, which keeps your layout identical everywhere.
Is the PDF export paid?
It is free, unlimited and clean, for the CV as for the letter.
Is the PDF identical on phone and computer?
Yes. It is the same file, whatever device asks for it.