# ATS-friendly CV templates

> 24 layouts, all single-column and built to survive parsing. Choose one, drop your content in, and export a clean PDF. No design software and no sidebar that scrambles on extraction.

- **URL**: https://www.fitmycv.link/cv-templates

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## Why these templates look plain

Most template galleries optimise for the preview thumbnail. Sidebars, colour blocks, icon rows, and skill-rating dots all look excellent at a glance and cause specific, well-documented problems the moment the file is parsed.

| Design flourish | What happens on parse |
| --- | --- |
| Two-column sidebar | Reading order can interleave both columns into nonsense |
| Contact details in the header | Skipped entirely: a perfect record nobody can contact |
| Tables used for layout | Read cell by cell; order destroyed, nested tables dropped |
| Icons instead of labels | No text to extract, so the field is simply missing |
| Skill-rating dots | No text, and no evidence for the human reader either |
| Image or scanned export | No text layer at all: nothing to index |

The [ATS-friendly resume guide](/blog/ats-resume-guide) covers the mechanism behind each of these, if you want the reasoning rather than the rule.

## Choosing between the fourteen

- **Classic / Professional:** the default choice for most roles and most industries.
- **Technical:** foregrounds a structured skills and tooling block, for engineering and data roles.
- **Executive:** more room for a scope-led summary, for senior and leadership applications.
- **Compact / Minimal:** the tightest typography, when you are trying to keep a dense history on one page.
- **Modern / Clean / Elegant:** the same structure with slightly warmer type and spacing.
- **Spotlight / Sidebar:** a visually distinct header block, still single-column in reading order.

> **The template is not the hard part**
>
> Layout gets you parsed. What earns the interview is bullets with a verb, a specific action, and a number, plus a CV tailored to the posting in front of you. Templates buy you an hour; tailoring buys you the response.

## After you pick one

1. **Fill in the structure, not the styling.** Your content is stored as structured sections, so you are writing text rather than fighting a layout. Switch templates any time without retyping.
2. **Write the bullets properly.** Verb, specific action, measurable result. [How to write a resume](/how-to-write-a-resume) has the full method and worked examples.
3. **Tailor per application.** The same master CV, reordered and reworded for each posting. [Tailoring from a job link](/tailor-cv-from-job-link) does the first pass in about a minute.
4. **Check before you send.** Run the finished PDF through the [free ATS resume checker](/ats-resume-checker) against the actual job description.

## Next step

- [Use a template](/auth)
- [How to write a CV](/how-to-write-a-resume)

## Related

- [Resume templates](/resume-templates): The same layouts, with US resume conventions and length guidance.
- [Google Docs CV template](/google-docs-cv-template): Building an ATS-safe CV in Google Docs, and where it falls short.
- [How to write a resume](/how-to-write-a-resume): What goes in each section, in what order, with examples.

## FAQ

### What makes a CV template ATS-friendly?

A single-column layout, standard section headings, contact details in the document body rather than the header, no tables or text boxes used for layout, no graphics or skill-rating dots, and export as a text-based PDF. Every template here follows all six rules.

### Are these CV templates free?

Creating an account and building your CV in any of the 24 layouts is free, and so is tailoring it to a job posting: you get the rewritten CV and the cover letter on screen without paying. The paid plan is what adds the match score and the ATS score, and lets you download the result as a PDF.

### Why do the templates not have colours and sidebars?

Because sidebars are the single most common cause of scrambled parsing. A parser can read straight across both columns and interleave your skills list into a job description. The templates are deliberately conservative for that reason, with restraint in typography rather than decoration.

### Which CV template should I choose?

For most people, Classic or Professional. Choose Technical if you need a prominent skills block, Executive if you are senior and leading with scope, Compact if you are fighting for space, and Minimal if your content is strong enough to carry the page on its own.

### Can I change template later?

Yes. Your content is stored as structured data rather than as a formatted document, so switching layout re-renders the same CV in a different template without any retyping.

### What is the difference between a CV and a resume template?

In the UK, Ireland, and much of Europe, CV means the standard two-page application document, which is what a resume means in the US. Outside academia the templates are interchangeable; the same layouts work for both, and the [resume templates page](/resume-templates) covers the US conventions.