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How to make an AI-assisted CV that gets past ATS filters (and sounds like you)

Tailor your CV to each job ad with ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude without inventing anything: the ad’s keywords, simple formatting, cover letter and interview practice. With Europass’s official tips.

By Cognenza editorial team · Updated · 3 min read · Sources cited

First, keep your data out

A CV is full of personal data. Before pasting it into an assistant, delete your name, phone, email, address, date of birth and ID number. Work with an anonymous version and add your details at the end, in your word processor. More in what data never to paste.

What “getting past the ATS” means

An ATS is the software some companies use to manage applications. There’s no single official rule on how they filter, so the sensible approach is what also helps a person who reads fast:

  • Use the ad’s vocabulary when it describes something you’ve really done.
  • Simple formatting: clear headings (“Experience”, “Education”), selectable text and no complex tables or columns.
  • A standard file (PDF or Word, whatever the ad asks for).

Europass’s tips

The official Europass guide (European Commission) recommends:

  1. Tailoring the CV to each job.
  2. Clear language and action verbs.
  3. Reverse chronological order: most recent first.
  4. Proofreading spelling and details before sending.

Its editor is free and available in 31 languages.

The AI workflow, step by step

  1. Paste the ad and ask for the keywords and requirements.
  2. Paste your anonymous CV and ask what you meet and what’s missing.
  3. Ask for a rewrite with action verbs, forbidding invention.
  4. Ask for a 200-word cover letter linking your experience to the ad.
  5. Rehearse: “Interview me for this job, one question at a time, and give me brief tips.”

The red line: don’t invent

AI tends to “improve” what you write: it adds figures, titles or responsibilities you never had. Read every line and delete anything you couldn’t defend in an interview.

Frequently asked questions

What is an ATS?

An Applicant Tracking System: software some companies use to receive, sort and filter CVs. A CV with a clear structure and the ad’s vocabulary is easier to read, for both the software and people.

Can they tell I used AI for my CV?

What matters is that everything in it is true and sounds like you. Review the text, remove generic phrases and be ready to talk about every line in the interview.

Is there an official free template?

Yes. The European Commission’s Europass CV editor is free and available in 31 languages.

Keep reading

Sources

Official sources are linked in their original language.

  1. Crea tu CV Europass — Comisión Europea (Europass)
  2. Guías de la AEPD — Agencia Española de Protección de Datos

Change log

  • : First published.

Educational content, prepared with the help of AI tools, with sources cited. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Tools change fast: if you spot something out of date, write to us at contacto@cognenza.com. How we work.