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Minimal ATS

Minimal ATS strips out everything that can confuse a parser: no columns, no tables, no text boxes, no icons and no skill bars. Section headings use the conventional wording that filters look for, dates sit inline with the text rather than in a separate graphic element, and the whole document reads top to bottom in the order it is written. It is the safest choice when you are applying through a large employer portal, a recruitment agency, or any process where you cannot see what happens to your file after you upload it.

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What makes it different

  • One column, so a parser never reads two pieces of text as one line
  • Conventional section headings that keyword filters recognise
  • No icons, skill bars or graphics that carry meaning
  • Selectable, searchable text in the exported PDF

Best for

Large employer application portals · Recruitment agencies · Public sector applications · Any role where you cannot see the screening process

When to choose something else

  • Nothing about it is visually distinctive. If a person rather than a system reads first, it will not stand out.
  • No photo, which is the wrong convention in countries where one is normally included.
  • In a design or creative field the restraint reads as a lack of care rather than as discipline.

Where your sections go

Every section runs the full width of the page, one after another, in the order you set them. Nothing is moved into a side column, which is why the order you choose in the editor is exactly the order a reader meets it in.

One column, conventional headings and no graphics carrying meaning. The safest choice for an unknown application system.

Showing the React Developer example. All sample details are fictional.

Professions this layout suits

These examples open on Minimal ATS by default. You can pair any profession with any template — the suggestion is a starting point, not a restriction.

Cybersecurity Analyst

Guides that go deeper

Choosing a layout settles how the page looks. These settle what goes on it.

How to Make an ATS-Friendly CVWhat applicant tracking systems do to your file, the four failures that matter, and which of the usual claims about them anybody can actually stand behind.How to Write a CVThe structure, the order, and what belongs in the first third of the page — where most CVs are won or lost.How Long Should a CV Be?Two pages for most people, and a clear method for getting there when you have more experience than space.

If this is not the right layout

The layouts a reader of this page most often wants instead, rather than the rest of the gallery in order.

Modern ProfessionalA clean single column with a split header and short accent rules under each section.CompactA high-density single column for long histories that need to fit a strict page limit.European ProfessionalA structured European-style layout with a personal information panel, left-gutter dates and CEFR language detail.DeveloperA single column with an accented name, heavy header rule and chip-style skill groups.