The checklist that covers nearly every failure: one column; headings named "Work Experience," "Education," "Skills"; Arial or Calibri at 10-12pt; dates in one consistent format so the system can compute your years of experience; .docx or text-based PDF; no photo for portal submissions. The Gulf additions that global advice misses: visa or Iqama status, nationality, location, and notice period stated as plain text the database can index. The full walkthrough with a template: ATS-friendly CV for MENA.
ATS-Friendly Formatting
ATS-friendly formatting means structuring a CV so parsing software extracts it correctly: a single column, standard section headings, common fonts, consistent date formats, and a text-based file, with no tables, text boxes, icons, or photos. It is about machine legibility, not visual plainness for its own sake.
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Adil Dahmani
Adil Dahmani is the founder of Yalliq, the AI career copilot for Arabic-speaking professionals across MENA.