Guide
How to write an ATS-friendly CV
By the JobberNest team · Reviewed 3 November 2026
Many large employers, banks, multinationals and recruitment agencies in Nigeria receive applications through an applicant tracking system (ATS). The system stores every CV, pulls out your details, and helps recruiters search and filter applicants.
An ATS doesn't decide on its own whether you're hired. But if it can't read your CV, or your CV doesn't contain the words the recruiter searches for, a person may never see it.
How an ATS reads your CV
The system converts your file into plain text, then tries to split it into sections: contact details, experience, education and skills. Recruiters then search that text for job titles, skills and qualifications.
Fancy layouts can confuse this step. Text inside images, tables, text boxes, headers and footers, or unusual columns may be lost or jumbled.
Formatting rules
Keep the structure simple:
- Use standard section headings: Profile, Experience, Education, Skills.
- Put your contact details in the main body, not in the page header.
- Avoid charts, skill bars, icons for key information and text inside images.
- Use a common font and a single column, or a simple two-column layout tested for ATS.
- Send a text-based PDF (one where you can select the words), or Word if asked.
Use the job advert's words
Recruiters search for the skills and titles in their own advert. If the advert says "customer relationship management" and your CV says "client care", you may not match.
Go through the advert, note the key skills and tools, and use the same wording for the ones you genuinely have. Write out abbreviations at least once: "Know Your Customer (KYC)".
Don't stuff keywords
Pasting the advert in white text, or repeating keywords in a list, doesn't work. Recruiters read the CV once it's found, and keyword stuffing makes you look dishonest. Put keywords where they belong: in real bullets about real work.
Check it yourself
Open your PDF and select all the text, then paste it into a plain text editor. If the order is jumbled or parts are missing, an ATS will have the same problem.
Questions people ask
Do Nigerian companies use ATS?
Many banks, multinationals, oil and gas companies and recruitment firms do, as do most international employers. Smaller companies often read CVs by email.
Are two-column CVs bad for ATS?
Not always, but they're riskier. Use a simple layout that has been tested, or a single column for large employers.
Is there a score I need to reach?
No universal score exists. Online "ATS scores" are estimates. Focus on readable formatting and honest, relevant wording.